TOWARDS WSIS-II IN TUNIS…
Fragile African Media not well prepared to explore ICT potentials

By Aloyce Menda of JUSTA-AFRICA
[ http://www.comminit.com/experiences/pds122004/experiences-2850.html ]

The second-phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS-II) is around the corner. It is the second largest international conference to take place on the soil of Africa this millennium after the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in South Africa in August 2002. WSIS-II will take place in Tunis Tunisia from November 16 to 18 this year.

WSIS-II is the United Nations summit intended to address issues pertaining to information, communication and the technologies and structures that assemble and sustain these systems. It is ample time also for stakeholders to exhibit new technologies and innovations. The first-phase of the WSIS took place in Geneva, Switzerland between December 10 to 12, 2003. WSIS-I generated a declaration establishing the goals and priorities of governments, business and civil society members around the information society; the society where the digital divide is widening while media ownership consolidates.

"While the basic needs of human kind have long been food, clothing and shelter, the time has come to add 'information' to the list," said the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Yoshio Utsumi, who chaired the WSIS-I. He alerts that ICT alone will not solve the world's problems but they are an important part of the tools needed for the task. ITU is a UN body and Utsumi's message reflects the vision of UN system. He said information as a component of ICT has the power to dispel ignorance and to empower those who are oppressed. “Information has the power to bind the global community and to spread the common ideals of peace and tolerance, growth and development,” he concludes.

A casual survey by the Dar es Salaam based Journalists’ Union for Science & Technology Advancement in Africa (JUSTA-AFRICA) revealed that today very few Tanzanian journalists are aware of the WSIS-II Tunis. Consequently, very few among those who are aware of the summit can narrate its value to Africa particularly the media. However, the Tanzanian media reported when their government expressed its support and commitment to the Declaration of Principles of the WSIS and its Plan of Action.

Due to its weak economy and unique geographical features, Tanzania is suffering much from problems of communication, particularly, poor telephone services. The media owners and journalists stationed in small towns of Tanzania are the most affected and hence are very much aware of the problems. They are also aware of solutions to these problems. What many journalists do not know or care to learn and then report is how modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be applied to enhance the economy and reduce poverty in rural areas.

Modern ICT such as mobile phones, computers and the Internet can effectively enhance the livelihood of small-scale farmers who form the spine of most African economies if the media report on few successful ICT projects elsewhere in a manner that rural people would be envied and demand similar projects. This would also stimulate innovations of appropriate ICT projects.

The decision to have the second-phase of WSIS in Africa was made for specific purpose even before WSIS-I in Europe. Cellular telephone technology is the only modern ICT, which is expanding rapidly in the continent. Currently, Africa is the world's fastest-growing mobile phone market. ITU says more Africans have begun using phones since 2000 than in the whole of the previous century. There are now more people using mobile phones across the continent than traditional, fixed lines. Only broadcasting FM radios, matches mobile phone operations in popularity amongst the ICT services. Mobile phone companies are making a fortune in Africa despite reported controversy on destruction of environment, property and lives of poor citizens. Use of mobile phones has been increasing at an annual rate of 65%, more than twice the global average.

However, like fixed lines concentrations, most of cellular phones are used in urban areas by minority affluent elite. The poor African majority cannot afford cellular phones and hence need alternative cost-effective solutions. Amicable records shows that ten years ago, two consultants, Shahid Akhtar and Luc Laviolette briefed the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), that:

"Africa's information infrastructure is by far the least developed in the world. Technical statistics consistently show that Africans have the smallest number of telephone lines per capita, the most restricted access to computer equipment, the most primitive information networks, and the most inaccessible media systems."

According to Dr. Martin Hall of University of Cape Town, South Africa, the 1995 assessment by these experts could still be pertinent today. He says in one of his recent publications (http://www.meg.uct.ac.za/martin) that:

“This continental assessment is qualified by regional nuances. South Africa is currently ranked seventeenth in the world in terms of absolute numbers of hosts recognized by national domains, and has an information technology infrastructure in the finance and retail sectors that is comparable to Europe, in terms of advanced cellular communications and a substantial community of Internet subscribers. This places it in a category with Spain, Denmark, Austria and New Zealand, and clearly distinct from countries which would be described as "developing". The contrast with the rest of Africa is stark”.

Dr. Hall says in 1998 South Africa had 95% of the continent's hosts and Egypt a further 2%. Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe (one of the fastest growing sectors on the continent) shared a further 1% of hosts, while the remaining 2% was shared between nineteen countries, all with less than 500 hosts each by then.

But even within South Africa the digital gap is very big and Dr. Hall has observed that: “There is no doubt that the majority of those with access are from privileged (white) minority sectors of the population”

Still the Internet and computers, has been mentioned as the most appropriate alternative solution to feeble communications in Africa and extensive poverty. A 1995 symposium titled Telematics for Development in Africa held in Addis Ababa issued a communiqué cautioning that failure to bring telematics to Africa will leave the continent farther behind than ever:

"Unless African countries become full actors in the global information revolution, the gap between the haves and have-nots will widen, opening the possibility to increased marginalization of the continent. The gap will increase the likelihood of cultural, religious and tribal ghettos leading to regional and inter-regional conflicts."

The Internet and computers are part of telematics. These technologies can facilitate efficient creation, storage, management and dissemination of information by electronic means, and hence they are powerful tools for fighting poverty. If a peasant farmer can send a 40-page trade document from Tanzania to Cuba for just 40 cents of one US$ (Tsh 400) instead of paying US$ 50 (Tsh 50,000) to courier, then there is no doubt that Internet is a cost-effective ICT and hence efficient in poverty reduction.

Speed, convenience and low-cost communications are some advantages of the Internet. The ability to simultaneously channel an e-mail message to many recipients save costs and the on-line discussions maximize benefits. A letter from Dar es Salaam could take two weeks to reach Accra, while an e-mail message takes few seconds to arrive. Communication by fax could cost between US$10 to $20 for one page and a faxed report could cost a scholar his one-week income. The same communication could cost just few cents of a US$ by e- mail.

Electronic networks in urban areas are a stockroom of knowledge and facilitate interactive discussions. Contrary to conventional libraries and the mass media, electronic networks could involve millions of users in interactive learning in a "virtual college." The existence in the Internet of information on almost every topic, mailing lists, on-line data bases, files and on-line books forms a hub around which all scholarly conditions rotate. A wildlife researcher in remote game reserve with a laptop and access to telephone can participate in knowledge development and sharing through network interaction with fellow researchers worldwide. An African agricultural lecturer in Morogoro, Tanzania can work on a collaborative research with others in the Vancouver, Canada. Agricultural colleges can be linked to the Internet to improve the quality of research and education. African researchers can support policy makers in the continent to eliminate hostile policies and develop better ones through network interactive discussions.

Despite all these benefits, Internet users in Tanzania like most African countries are still the minority in cities. With a population of 34.6 million, Tanzania has an estimated one and half million Internet users, over 95 per cent in urban areas. In comparison the number of fixed and mobile cellular lines is estimated at 12 lines per 1,000 people. Mobile phone subscribers exceed 18 per 10,000 Tanzanians, and like the Internet users mostly are urban residents. According to 2003 government statistics, Dar es Salaam city alone had five fixed lines and 10 mobile phone subscribers per 100 people.

This is not a pleasant picture to a country whose economy relies on small-scale farmers. Deemed as the spine of the economy with a per capita income of about US$290, the agricultural sector is poorly performing. Its current contribution to GDP is only 50 per cent though it employs over 70 per cent of labour force in Tanzania. According to government statistics, an overall, real agricultural GDP has been growing at an average rate of only about 3.5 per cent per annum since 1981. The current crop marketing system does not guarantee enough returns to complement production costs and hence discourage farmers. They need appropriate ICT projects to enable them search for local and foreign markets with satisfactory prices for their produce. Farmers also need harmonious investments, affordable credits and amicable sources of implements.

During the WSIS-I, the Development Information Services Division (DISD) of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) launched a report on the state of the Africa Media reporting on ICT and information society issues in Africa. Titled African Media and ICT4D: Documentary Evidence, the report was based on a baseline study that covered nine (09) countries. These are Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Rwanda and Senegal.

Summarily the study report concluded that: “Most African journalists lack knowledge on reporting issues pertaining to ICT and their effects on development. Most editors in African media do not know the implication of information society developments”. The 170 - page study report reflects the actual image of media in large part of Africa to-date. The Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA) in line with the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) funded the study.

Despite the fact that the majority of Africans have never used a telephone let alone a computer, the inevitable reality remains there that global ICT development is extremely rapid and Africa cannot isolate itself. Prominent scholars like sociologist Manuel Castells of The Network Society, predicts that the social implication of the current information revolution will be as profound as those of the agricultural revolution and the later industrial revolution of the 19th Century.

“However, it seems that many editors in Africa have not awoken to the implications of ICT either for their own society or region, or for the continent,’’ says part of the remarks in the ECA / AISI study conclusion.

During the study, only one out of 28 editors interviewed were familiar with the term ‘information society’. The study recommends for the African media editors to take position and comment upon various ICT developments, as well as the changing role of their own media in local and international flow of information.

A key issue is how African societies can better understand whether, how and under what conditions ICT can best be used in the fight against poverty and in the development process in general. Can ICT be used to drive economic growth? Do they really help to empower poor people by opening up educational and other opportunities? How can they be used to improve the quality and delivery of public services? What are the potentially harmful side effects of the new technologies and how are they best avoided?

To a large extent, these questions are not being addressed, and awareness of the impact of the information society remains largely anecdotal. But these questions have precise answers. According to the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, ICT are the driving forces of globalization, with great potential to help people improve their lives. But they are not an end in themselves or a magic formula that is going to solve all problems, cautions Annan, a genuine son of African soil from Ghana.

"While technology shapes the future, ultimately it is people who shape technology, and who decide to what uses it can and should be put,” said Annan in his message to the WSIS-I in Geneva.

This is where the media can play a pivotal role. Yet, today, there is still a wide gap in the knowledge and comprehension of the subject among media professionals in relation to development trends within national contexts.

Many of the countries surveyed have formulated or are implementing National Information and Communication Infrastructure Plans (NICIs)/e-strategies, yet the bleak reality is that not many journalists are engaged in the issues; and if they are, it is from a limited perspective. This increases the need for extensive consultation with key stakeholders, especially the media, during the formulation of policies.

In Tanzania for instance, the current national ICT policy released in March 2003 was prepared without contribution of the media as key stakeholders. Already some scholars challenge the policy on ground that it is narrow and does not reflect the actual image and desires of the country’s information society.

The African Information Society Initiative (AISI), which is Africa's action framework to build the continent's information and communication infrastructure, aims at supporting and accelerating socio-economic development across the region. Driven by critical development imperatives, it focuses on priority strategies, programmes and projects, which can assist in the sustainable build up of an information society in African countries. AISI also spells out the role of each and every actor, and for the media it states: in addition to being an essential means for information dissemination, the mass media plays a critical role in spreading awareness in Africa of the importance and benefits of the information revolution.

Newspapers, radio and television provide an easy, accessible and cheap means of carrying information to the end user. Communities in Africa do not have to wait for the Internet to receive much of the information it carries. The mass media can access many of the existing sources of information and provide broad channels of communications to the poor and to remote areas.

African media should take the challenge of responsible reporting on ICT for development, in a way that informs citizens, stimulates debate and asks the right questions.

The study was to:

• Undertake needs assessments of African media practitioners so as to enable them to report effectively on ICT and information society issues;
• Commission baseline surveys among various media, once the instruments and methodology had been developed, to gather data and determine the level of reporting on information society issues among media practitioners in Africa – including newspapers, radio and television stations, as well as Internet-based media;
• Coordinate and collate survey results and findings, with comparative and contextual analysis of the state of ICT and information society reporting among practitioners in both State-owned and private/independent media.

The objectives of the survey were to:

• Provide insight into the state of reporting on information society issues by media practitioners on the continent;
• Assist in shaping the scope and categories for the AISI Media Awards, which ECA has launched in 2002, to strengthen reporting on ICT for development and information society issues;
• Provide a basis for African media practitioners to specialize in these issues and give greater coverage to promoting and stimulating debate on the information society; and finally.
• Provide a resource for media practitioners and institutions on the continent; and
• Contribute to the goals of AISI.

ECA in collaboration with various stakeholders such as AISI, OSIWA and the Highway Africa Conference organizers have conducted several workshops to deliberate on the study report and distributed hundreds of copies with the intention of stimulating African journalists to arise and take their responsibility. One such workshop was conducted in September 2004, during the Highway Africa in Rhodes University of Grahamstown, South Africa. ECA is planning to conduct a similar workshop in September this year in the same venue. Highway Africa is the largest and the most popular gathering of African journalists, which take place annually. However, despite all these efforts the African media response is still low.
ENDS
Aloyce Menda is the coordinator of JUSTA-AFRICA

& The second price winner of the UNECA / AISI Media Award 2004
[Www.uneca.org/aisi/ma04winners.htm OR www.uneca.org/aisi/ma04quotes.htm">

E-mail: [email protected]