At The Crossroads: Ict Policy Making In East Africa

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In 1996, only five African countries had internet connectivity. In 2001, all the countries on the continent had connectivity, and in the early part of the twenty- first century, Africa has experienced the fastest rate in growth of internet usage in the world. Yet this is only part of the story. To date, Africa remains the least connected continent in the world, and registers some of the greatest disparities and inequalities in access to ICTs. The digital divide is still very much a reality. The contributors to this volume provide invaluable information on the development and use of ICTs in Kenya and East Africa. Specifically, they raise questions about ICT policy and implementation, the respective roles of the public and private sectors, and the application of ICTs in government, education and various industries. Based on empirical research, the authors demonstrate the considerable progress that has been made in the region to promote ICT initiatives and projects as part of the wider development agenda. They also explore the many challenges the next stage of ICT development is encountering, defined as infrastructural, technical, regulatory, distributional, social, cultural and economic. Finally, the contributors consider the development of ICTs in wider continental and global contexts. They examine the complex intersections, interactions and sometime contradictions between ICTs in Africa, the information society, knowledge economies, education, literacy and enlightenment, socio-economic development, culture, language and globalisation. This is a co-publication with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Canada

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AT THE CROSSROADS: ICT POLICY MAKING IN EAST AFRICA Edited by Florence E. Etta and Laurent Elder EAST AFRICAN EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHERS Nairobi • Kampala • Dar es Salaam International Development Research Centre Ottawa • Cairo • Dakar • Montevideo • Nairobi • New Delhi • Singapore Co-published by East African Educational Publishers Ltd. Brick Court, Mpaka Road/Woodvale Grove Westlands, P.O. Box 45314 Nairobi - 00100 KENYA Email: [email protected] Website: www.eastafricanpublishers.com East African Educational Publishers Ltd. P.O. Box 11542 Kampala UGANDA Ujuzi Educational Publishers Ltd. P.O. Box 31647, Kijito-Nyama Dar es Salaam TANZANIA and the International Development Research Centre P.O. Box 8500 Ottawa, ON K1G 3H9 CANADA Email: [email protected] Website: www.idrc.ca © International Development Research Centre 2005 First Published 2005 ISBN 9966-25-439-0 ISBN 1-55250-219-8 (IDRC e-book) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the International Development Research Centre. CONTENTS Foreword Acknowledgements List of Tables List of Figures List of Boxes Acronyms and Abbreviations Notes on Contributors vii ix xi xii xiii xiv xxi PART 1: INTRODUCTION Chapter 1: Florence Etta Policy Matters: The New Development El Dorado Chapter 2: Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o Planning for Policy Making and Implementation in Kenya: Problems and Prospects PART 2: Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: Chapter 6: Chapter 7: Chapter 8: 1 3 16 THE POLICY MAKING LANDSCAPE IN KENYA Tim Mwololo Waema A Brief History of the Development of an ICT Policy in Kenya 25 Mike Eldon Mainstreaming ICTs: Private Sector Sway 44 Charles Nduati & Warigia Bowman Working from the Sidelines: The Kenya Private Sector Foundation ICT Board Story 56 Shem Oc