http://allafrica.com/stories/200210230059.html
Africa Unites Against E-Divide
ITWeb (Johannesburg)
October 23, 2002
Posted to the web October 23, 2002
Lucas Ledwaba, Itweb Journalist
Johannesburg
More than 400 officials from 50 African countries are expected to gather in Johannesburg for the e-Africa Workshop next week as the continent works towards finding a way to make government more accessible to citizens through information and communications technology (ICT).
The outcomes of the workshop, held under the theme "Building e-governance capacity in Africa", will be infused within the macro-plan of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad).
Public service and administration minister Geraldine Fraser Moleketi, speaking at a media briefing in Sandton yesterday, said: "All of our endeavours in relation to e-governance need to consider linkages to the broader Nepad programme. Nepad is focusing on harnessing resources in the collective interest of African nations, to implement a growth and development programme that has been determined by Africans, according to our assessment of our needs.
"Furthermore, the workshop will come up with a plan of action, stating concrete activities to be undertaken within the framework of Nepad, and existing programmes and projects already under way in many African countries."
She said the outcome of the workshop, which is being hosted by her department, will have an important link to infrastructure development, and the use of ICT to boost Africa's economic potential.
"It will be imperative that the momentum built by the workshop works collectively with all Nepad partners to determine priorities, and ensure that international funding made available to ICT in particular within the Nepad context is more easily accessible."
The workshop also hopes to present and explore the use of e-government to foster democracy, efficiency and transparency, leading to an increased possibility for countries to attract foreign investments and financial assistance.
"Looking at the current realities that confront us, e-governance lies at the heart of two global shifts: the information revolution and the governance revolution. Both shifts are changing the way society operates and is governed. They bring the opportunity for not just incremental but radical gains in efficiency and effectiveness.
"However, at present any such benefits are accruing to the few. It is the few that has access to ICT, to digital information and knowledge, and to the benefits to reform in governance. We can therefore talk of an 'e-governance divide' that is increasingly separating developed countries and developing countries, and elites and ordinary citizens within developed countries.
"This growing divide must be addressed if the poor in developing countries are not to fall behind. This means that we must seize the digital opportunity and seize it now. Delay for Africa as the rest of the world pushes forward will only enforce historical patterns of inequality."
She said electronic governance has been identified as an important lever in the quest for good governance and that it offers a unique opportunity for governments to reinvent themselves, get closer to citizens, and forge closer alliances and partnerships with a diverse range of communities.
It is expected that at the end of the workshop, participants will be further sensitised to, and equipped with new knowledge and competence in the use of ICT in governance and public sector management. The aim is that in their respective countries, participants will in turn apprise their colleagues on the opportunities, challenges and requirements of e-governance for socio-economic development.
The themes to be discussed at the conference include e-governance in the development process, opportunities and challenges, e-governance experiences in Africa, e-governance for institutional and administrative reforms, the role of ICT in the promotion of good governance, e-governance for social development and e-readiness in Africa.
The conference will be held at Caesars Gauteng from 28 to 31 October.
