DIGITAL DIVIDE IN AFRICA: CASE STUDY – CAMEROON AND INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

The ongoing progress in communications technology has ushered a global demand for technological awareness and literacy. Information and communications technology in developed countries has grown leaps and bounds, but the same cannot be said for emerging nations. This paper will look into the reasons for digital divide in Africa in general and Cameroon in particular, as well as its effects and remedies.

The Digital Divide, or the digital split, is a social issue referring to the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet (especially broadband access) and those who do not have access. The term became popular among concerned parties, such as scholars, policy makers, and advocacy groups, in the late 1990s. In Africa and in Cameroon especially, this split occurs for the following reasons.

One often cited reason is the economic weakness of most African countries.  “Countries with an initial  advantage  in  the  creation,  organization,  and  dissemination  of  knowledge  and information seem poised to benefit disproportionately from the Internet” (Guillén and Suárez).

This is evident in the case of Cameroon where its unstable economy has made it almost impossible for everyone to be connected to digital technology and the internet. Not everyone can afford the classy devices like smart phone, iPhone, tablets etc.

Another reason for the digital divide in Africa is the differences in income and the ability to pay for Internet access.  Creating networks are very expensive and ICT companies need to recover the costs. As the vast majority of citizens in developing nations are unable to pay for  the  high  costs,  these  costs  remain  a  major  impediment  to  Internet  diffusion. A  2004 statistical  study  showed  that  “53.4  percent  of  the  gap  between  the  United  States  and  Sub-Saharan  African  PC  use  is  accounted  for  by  income  differentials”  (Chinn  and  Fairlie).

This explains why in Cameroon, even those who struggle to purchase digital devices still have a hard time connecting them to a stable internet provider. So even one gets these digital media devices, the costly nature of connecting to the internet is another burden.

Another reason for the digital divide in Africa is the high technological illiteracy rate in the continent. In some parts of Africa, some people have never seen a smart phone, let alone are able to use one. In Cameroon, some areas have never witnessed the coming of iPhones and tablets, and giving them one will not solve the issue as they have no iota of idea how to manipulate them. Sadly still, some of them show total indifference in grasping these technological skills.

Cameroon especially suffers from infrequent power supply. Electricity is needed for the running of the communications system and power shortage greatly hinders its progress. One finds out that the internet system is down due to frequent power cuts, so the devices themselves become more or less redundant. All these occur due to Africa’s economic failure.

The UN Human Development Report shows that Sub-Saharan Africa is the least developed region of the world in terms of life expectancy, school enrolment ratio, income (UNHDR, 2005,p.222), and undernourishment (UNHDR,2005,p.243). Somebody born in a Sub-Saharan country can expect to live 33 fewer years than a person born in a rich country (UNHDR, 2005, p.26). Africa is the continent most struck by poverty and other global problems.

The effects of digital divide in Cameroon are not left out, as this phenomenon prevails. In  an  increasingly technological  and  information-based  economy,  the  use  of  information  is  especially  vital  in such  economic  activity.  The  increasing  use  of  ICT  contributes  to  economic  growth  by enabling  the  “production  of  goods  in  a  short  amount  of  time  with  the  assistance  of computerized systems. Services are also provided more efficiently and rapidly” (Bongo). The digital divide and the digital “illiteracy” that results thereof necessarily restrict this growth.

In Africa and Cameroon especially, the lack of this system has greatly slowed down production processes and has shaken the economic growth of the country.

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  Internet  has  favored  economic  development  in  the developed nations, and in fact various sources are  optimistic about the impact of the Internet on  those  nations.  In  May  2011,  the  McKinsey  Global  Institute  reported  that  the  Internet accounts  for  21%  of  GDP  growth  in  the  last  5  years  in  the  G8,  South  Korea  and  Sweden (nations with  “high  Internet penetration”) and  Brazil, China and  India (“large, high-growth economies”)  (Du Rausas  et al).  

The digital divide also has political implications, for two reasons. First, the digital divide  disables  the  vast  majority  of  the  poor  from  accessing  the  Internet,  thereby  creating digital  illiteracy.  “It  is  the  capability  to  use  social  and  cultural  skills  in  ways  that  allow individuals  to  benefit  from  the  use  of  technology.  [Digital]  illiteracy  condemns  people  to silence,  non-communication,  enforced  idleness  and  hence  to  social  exclusion  and  de  facto non-citizenship”  (Cohendet).  

Secondly, it has been argued that the Internet will continue to serve  the  interests  of  the  rich  and  the  powerful  rather  than  the  poor. The Internet, in countries of uneven economic development, disproportionately favors the political activities of the rich and the privileged rather than the poor who have very little access to the Internet (Qiang, Pitt and Ayers).

Finally, the digital divide, as its name suggests, is self-explanatory in its effect. That is, its presence further creates digital divide. Cameroonians who are absent from technological spheres are further left behind by their peers who have a digital presence.

Tackling this issue has been an ongoing battle, as mostly elites try to help the poor masses through donations. In Africa, work is being done to cut down the rate of technological illiteracy and bridge the gap. First of all, the governments should make policies that favor the growth of technology in the various African countries. These policies should be aimed at providing affordable internet facilities to all.

Another way to solve this crisis would be to work on the power supply in Cameroon especially. This would go a long way to aid in the smooth functioning of the technological systems that rely on electricity. Also, installing solar energy or renewable energy structures might help alleviate the digital gap in African societies.

Also, African societies could open up to opportunities from the West. James (2003) argues that one possibility for solving the global divide is to transport old computers from rich to poor countries. The lifetime of a Western business computer is only 2–3 years, this is due to rapid technological progress and the non-upgradeability of most hardware which causes people to buy new computers every 2 or 3 years as well as heavy profits of the hardware and software industry.

In  conclusion,  “most  researchers have the opinion that the Internet  has  both  empowered  and discriminated, enabling some to pursue a better life while leaving the majority of the world's population behind”  (Guillén and Suárez).  

This does not mean that the Internet will always favor the rich, but it is now in the hands of regulators and governments to realign the incentives that will help increase Internet usage and bring all the benefits of the Internet.

While the Internet has the potential for economic and political change  in these nations, we have to remember that the Internet is much like the train system  –  the benefits of the train system only extend as far as the train tracks run. The goal now is to extend the networks.





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Works Cited

Bongo, P. (19 Jan. 2005.). The Impact of ICT on Economic Growth. EconPapers, .

Chinn, M. D. (2006). “The Determinants of the Global Digital Divide: A Cross-country Analysis of Computer and Internet Penetration.” . Oxford Economic Papers 59.1, 16-44.

Cohendet, P. (2003). The Digital Divide in the European Enlarged Economic Scenario : An Assessment of the Socio-economic Effects. . Strasbourg: University Louis Pasteur.

Du Rausas, M. P. (2011). Internet Matters: The Net's Sweeping Impact on Growth, Jobs, and Prosperity. . McKinsey Global Institute.

Guillén, M. F. (2013, June). “Explaining the Global Digital Divide: Economic, Political and Sociological Drivers of Cross-National Internet Use.”. Social Forces, 681-708.

Qiang, C. Z.-W. (2004). Contribution of Information and Communication Technologies to Growth. Working paper no. 24.