The Experience with Community Telecentres: Volume 2: Information and Communication Technologies for Development in Africa (Information and Communication ... for Development in Africa, Volume 2)

Volume 1 Looks At The Introduction, Adoption, And Utilization Of Icts At The Community Level. In Various Contexts - Geographical, Technological, Socioeconomic, Cultural, And Institutional - The Book Explores The Questions Of Community Participation. It Looks At How Communities In Sub-saharan Africa Have Reacted To The Changes Brought About By The Introduction Of These New Icts And, In Detail, Presents Both The Opportunities And The Challenges That Icts Present For Community Development. The Book Will Be Useful For Both Researchers And Development Practitioners Active, Or Just Embarking Upon, An Ict For Development Program. It Will Also Be A Very Useful Reference Tool Not Only For Academics But Also For Policymakers, Decision-makers, And Development Professionals Interested In The Issue. Volume 2 Examines The Setting, Operations And Effects Of Community Telecenters. It Describes The Telecenter Experiences Of A Variety Of Local And Often Rural Communities, Exploring The Management Structures And Mechanisms That Have Been Established To Support These Telecenters. The Book Provides Profiles Of Telecenter Usage And Discusses The Potential And Challenges Of Setting Up And Maintaining Community Telecenters In The Context Of Poor Information Infrastructure And Limited Human Capacity. It Will Be Useful For Researchers, Policy- And Decision-makers, And Development Practitioners And Professionals With Interests Or Active Programs In The Area Of 'ict For Development, ' Particularly Those With A Focus On Universal Access And Universal-service Or Public Access Centers. It Will Also Be A Very Useful Reference Tool For Scholars, Students And Academics. Volume 3 Documents The Processes Used, And Institutions Created, To Bring Computers And Connectivity Into Schools, As A Means Of Enhancing The Use And Integration Of Icts In Teaching And Learning. A Range Of Project, Administrative, And Cultural Settings Are Explored As Are A Wide Variety Of Technical Solutions. The Results, Observations, And Conclusions Presented In This Book Will Be Useful For Policy- And Decision-makers In Education And Icts. The Book Will Also Be Useful For Teachers, Researchers, And Development Practitioners And Professionals With Interests Or Active Programs In The Area Of Ict For Development. Information Technology Professionals Looking To Service The Potential Education Market Will Also Find This Book Valuable. V. 1. Opportunities And Challenges For Community Development / Edited By Ramata Molo Thioune -- V. 2. The Experience With Community Telecentres / Edited By Florence Ebam Etta And Sheila Parvyn-wamahiu -- V. 3. Networking Institutions Of Learning--schoolnet / Edited By Tina James. Includes Bibliographical References. Co-published By Codesria. Contents 4 List of figures 7 List of tables 8 List of acronyms and abbreviations 10 Foreword 13 Preface 15 Acknowledgements 17 Executive summary 18 Chapter 1 Introduction: Joining the information society 32 Purpose 36 Background 38 Research issues 41 Methodology 42 Key concepts 43 Structure 45 Chapter 2 ICTs in Africa: The landscape for growing telecentres 48 Introduction 48 ICTs in Africa: Context and background 51 ICT equipment and other contextual factors 58 Toward universal service: Telecentres and public access 60 Definition and development of telecentres 60 Glimpses from the literature 63 Conclusion 65 Chapter 3 Timbuktu telecentre, Mali 68 Telecommunications context 68 Timbuktu 69 Findings 71 Sustainability 83 Summary and conclusion 89 Chapter 4 Telecentres in Mozambique 90 Telecommunications context 90 Telecentre context 91 Telecentre locations 92 Profile of users 92 Equipment and services offered 94 Management, ownership, and sustainability 100 Conclusion and recommendations 100 Chapter 5 Telecentres in Uganda 102 Telecommunications context 103 Telecentre context 106 Findings 109 Access 113 Service delivery 119 Impediments to use 122 Relevance 125 Ownership, management, and sustainability 134 Conclusion 144 Chapter 6 Telecentres in South Africa 146 Telecommunication context 146 Study sites 148 Findings 150 Relevance 154 Ownership, management, and sustainability 154 Conclusion 157 Chapter 7 Telecentres in Senegal 158 Telecommunications context 158 Context of telecentres 161 Findings 162 Relevance 170 Management, ownership, and sustainability 171 Summary and conclusion 179 Chapter 8 Conclusion 182 The political, socio-economic, and technological contexts 182 Access: Emerging pictures 185 Impediments to use 189 Relevance of telecentres 192 Ownership, management, and sustainability 193 Conclusion: Whither community telecentres? 197 Appendices 202 Bibliography 212 Volume 2 examines the setting, operations, and effects of community telecentres. It describes the telecentre experiences of a variety of local and often rural communities, exploring the management structures and mechanisms that have been established to support these telecentres. The book provides profiles of telecentre usage and discusses the potential and challenges of setting up and maintaining community telecentres in the context of poor information infrastructure and limited human capacity. It will be useful for researchers, policy- and decision-makers, and development practitioners and professionals with interests or active programs in the area of "ICT for development," particularly those with a focus on universal access and universal-service or public-access centres. It will also be a very useful reference tool for scholars, students, and academics. This volume examines the setting, operations, and effects of community telecentres. It describes the telecentre experiences of a variety of local and often rural communities, exploring the management structures and mechanisms that have been established to support these telecentres. The book provides profiles of telecentre usage and discusses the potential and challenges of setting up and maintaining community telecentres in the context of poor information infrastructure and limited human capacity It is generally acknowledged that the information and knowledge age is here, and has in-fact been with humankind since the last decades of the second millennium.