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Volume 5, No. 4,  October 1995

Editorial

I must first apologize for some delay in bringing out this issue.  Our editorial office did not have the services of Mr. E.V. Narayanan who has been unwell for the past few weeks.  This only underscores the extent to which Mr. Narayanan contributes to the timely publication of the Newsletter.  In recent months we have received some complaints of postal delays in  delivery of the Newsletters. Inspite of all the computerization, postal services seem to be getting inefficient in many countries. As you may be aware there is an electronic version of the Newsletter which can be accessed by sending an email. ( address: majordomo@uku.fi; Subject: none required, ignored; Message: get wg94-l news1095_wp.uue )

 November has been an important month for COMNET-IT. It has finally become a legal entity with its headquarters in Malta.  A successful workshop on IT policies in developing countries was organized to mark its launch.  We carry a report of the workshop and its salient recommendations.  In the last issues we had carried some articles from an electronic discussion initiated by the World Bank on harnessing Information Technology for development.  In this issue we provide a comprehensive summary of those discussions.  Both COMNET-IT and World Bank are looking for proposals which are in congruence with their positions stated in these articles. Their positions have a great deal of commonality on importance of human resources, role of Governments and private sector and the potential of IT in improving Government work in all countries.

The process of election of WG 9.4 Chairperson was begun about 6 weeks back when a request was mailed to all members to send in their nominations. I hope all members will actively participate in the process to elect the next Chair.  There has been a little lull in our activities and it is time that we had new leadership to energize the Group.  With electronic mail reaching many more countries, it should be possible for us to think of many purposeful and action oriented projects.  We have so far used Email for keeping in touch.  Perhaps it is time to go beyond -- promote moderated discussions on more serious issues, as well as to promote training and education through emerging information technologies.

• COMNET-IT 95: The Commonwealth And The Information Society 

• Information Technology In Barbados
  Michelle Belgrave and James Corbin, 
  Senior Programmer  and  Divisional Manager Information Services, 
  Barbados Telephone Company
  James@caribsurf.com
   

• Computerization of National Stock Exchange of India : Some Lessons for IT management
  Rekha Jain and C. Ranganathan
  IIM, Ahmedabad
  rekha@iimahd.ernet.in
   

• Workshop on Managing IT Challenges in Organizations : A Report
  Rekha Jain (Workshop Coordinator) and C. Ranganathan (Doctoral Student IIMA),
  Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad

• Harnessing Information for Development
  Eduardo Talero,
  Principal Informatics Specialist, Telecommunications and Informatics Division, The World Bank
  Email: etalero@worldbank.org; Fax: +1-202-477-3379;
   

• Election For The Chairperson Of WG.9.4
  Subhash Bhatnagar, 
  Chair WG 9.4
   

• Telematics For Africa: The Global Information Highway
  A. Subbaih
  M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Third Cross Street, Taramani Institutional Area, Chennai 600 113
   

• Communications: Growth of Internet Leaves Poor Behind
  Susan Litherland

• Emerging Global Electronic Distance Education

This report is the output of a drafting committee consisting of John Gilbert, Gerry Grant ( Coordinator COMNET-IT; email:comsec@noc.ulcc.ac.uk) and some session chairs.

The rapid development and proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) herald new opportunities for growth and development in countries around the world. Governments world-wide are seeking to harness the potential offered by these new technologies to create new dimensions of economic and social progress. ICTs promise significant benefits in health care, public services, training, new commercial, leisure and entertainment opportunities. Many applications in telemedicine, teleworking, teletraining, electronic commerce, entertainment, knowledge acquisition and  dissemination are already in place around the world.

The application of ICTs can be risky and full of pitfalls. Wanton and misguided application of ICTs has the potential of exacerbating divisions in  society between rich and poor and for widening the gulf between have and have-not countries. The threat of further disadvantage, however, makes it impossible for countries to ignore the revolutionary impact of ICTs on the international community. 

The opportunities and threats posed by the Information Society has ignited efforts by national governments to work toward the development of national information policies and strategies. This includes moves to develop national information infrastructures. Several Commonwealth governments are among the world leaders in these initiatives. South Africa has recently embarked on a broad public consultative process (the telecommunications "Green Paper") which looks into how the telecommunications sector can work towards meeting four interrelated objectives: universal service, economic empowerment, broader range of telecommunications services and the effective use of telecommunications for social and infrastructural development. Singapore's IT program maps out the island nation's blueprint for total transformation to an Information Society by the year 2000. Australia's Broadband Services Expert Group has examined the technical, economic and  commercial preconditions for the widespread delivery of broadband  services to homes, businesses and schools in Australia. Canada's Information Highway Advisory Committee has prepared a wide range of studies into all aspects of the new information economy. 

Some nations have seized upon the opportunities offered by new ICTs; others have not even begun to appreciate the impact. They have continued to depend on the traditional ways of creating wealth and providing services. Many Commonwealth countries fall into this category. COMNET-IT  held a Workshop on Informatics Policy and  Strategy in Commonwealth countries from October 30th to November 1st 1995, in Malta. This workshop had three principal aims.

1. To bring together people, engaged in national policy development, to share experiences on the development and  implementation of national informatics policies and strategies. 

2. To propose guidelines for formulating national informatics policies and strategies in Commonwealth Countries 

3. To encourage member countries, that have not  already developed national informatics policies and strategies, to do so. 

Malta was an idyllic setting for the 1st COMNET-IT Workshop which was held in the precincts of the historic city of Valletta. The strategic location of this small island, straddling as it does the main sea routes between the eastern and western Mediterranean has assured the Maltese a stage in every cultural and political transformation affecting the region. Malta has been home to the traders from Phoenicia and Carthage, to the Romans and Byzantines, the Arabs, the Knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the French and finally, the British (up to 1964). Valletta is a small medieval town built on a peninsula by Jean Parisot de La Valette. It is notable for its architecture, steep walled fortifications, a natural deep-sea harbour and a magnificent cathedral.

An interesting feature of the conference was the extensive use of electronic conferencing support provided by the University of Arizona, Tuscan  staff members. The sessions included a review of experiences in policy and strategy development in Commonwealth countries and discussion of the issues that must be considered when developing such policies. The workshop was attended by nearly thirty five participants from 22 countries representing senior policy makers in national planning agencies responsible for the formulation of national informatics policies and strategies; directors of government IT agencies and departments; senior policy makers in ministries responsible for human resource development policies and academics whose research interests cover informatics policy development and implementation. Major recommendations of the conference are reproduced below:

Recommendations

1. The Need for Sustainable IT Policies and Strategies in Commonwealth Countries

1.1 The Need For IT Policies

Considering  the importance of  IT as an economic sector in its own right and as technology underpinning the development and effective functioning of the economy and society, a policy is required to chart the direction and provide a framework for acquisition and effective use of IT.

The Workshop recognised the existence of an apparent dichotomy between a national IT policy and sectoral IT policies (public and private) because of the differing perspectives of the diversity of the actors influencing Government. 

Whereas government intervention within the public sector is a natural consequence, government intervention beyond the public sector, to include the private sector, for example, should remain nominal and not functional. It is recommended that governments focus on the development, formulation and adoption of public sector IT policies.

1.2 The Need For An Enabling IT Policy

Effective and efficient telecommunication-support for computer networks and data communications  in most member countries is hindered by the existence of outmoded regulations and technical barriers (e.g. poor connectivity , requirement for type approval, high utility costs). The  potential opportunities of IT can best be captured with positive policies which enable rapid progress to be made. It is therefore recommended that

Commonwealth governments progressively move to liberalize the IT sector with a  view to bringing about greater efficiency and competition.

1.3 Universal Access To Information

Information has become a critical element in today's society, bringing social, professional and commercial benefits to all. It is recommended that

Public access to information on government services should be made available to all members of society through the appropriate use of  low-cost technologies and services (such as community-based information centres).

2. National IT Policies and Strategies in Commonwealth countries

2.1 The Role Of Government In Making An IT Policy

Government should be proactive in determining the goals and objectives of its IT policy with a view to integrating IT sectoral policies with other sectoral development plans of the country as a whole. It is recommended that

Commonwealth governments develop a national IT policy, keeping in mind the needs of the country concerned and the needs of other sectors in the economy.

2.2 Centralised Vs Sectoral IT Policies

The issue of centralised versus de-centralised IT policy formulation depends  on  a number of factors.  These include, the type of government administration, the administrative culture of the nation, size of country among others. To co-ordinate the process of national IT policy formulation it is recommended that

a central co-ordinating body be established at the national level  comprising representatives from economic and civic groupings.  The actual definition and implementation of policy should be on a sector by sector basis.

The co-ordination body should define a framework within which the sectoral agencies should operate. For example,  issues in the framework could include the:  telecom strategy (universal and value added services);  standards for systems development;  common system applications which will be developed centrally for all departments;  criteria for deciding on the prioritisation of IT investments;  post implementation review procedures;  information management standards;  procurement procedures; software sharing procedures and buy versus build issues.

2.3 Intellectual Property

Intellectual Property Rights is an international issue that requires collective initiative and effort.  The area becomes more complex as the various media converge and become digital. Intellectual property rights predicate an area for which developing member countries need special  focus, particularly in the  light of new and emerging developments in IT and globalisation. It is recommended that

member governments develop or strengthen existing infrastructures, including laws,  for increasing awareness of intellectual property rights and protecting innovations both as an economic asset and as an essential component of a country's cultural heritage.

3. Strategies For Planning IT In The Public Service

In discussing IT strategies in the public sector, the workshop endorsed the concept of  building effective partnerships between the public sector IT function and private sector service providers in the delivery of IT services to public sector clients.  The role of the public sector IT function should be that of a broker, bringing together public service business users in effective partnerships with potential suppliers. It is recommended that

The public sector IT agency should not be seen to compete with the private sector.  Service delivery should normally be done by the private sector where competitive alternatives exist. The limited resources available to the government IT function  should concentrate on needs which properly fit the role of government: ensuring universal access, balancing competition, developing critical mass, etc. The public service IT competency should therefore be transformed from a focus on delivery  and operations to management and supervision.

4. Strategies for Human Resources Development

Human resource development was seen to be the most important issue in harnessing information technology for social and economic development. Greater action is required to close the gap between capacity and requirements. Sharing of experience through seminars, workshops and electronic communication on  Human Resource Development policies about action plans, curricula and innovative pedagogy can be extremely useful. Increasingly, the impact of such policies are being influenced by community-based activities which are supported by the new decentralized facilities made possible by IT.

4.1 More Resources For IT Education

IT education is a small part of the general education infrastructure. It has some special characteristics such as being resource intensive and dealing with constantly changing technology and applications. It is recommended that

Curricula be constantly reviewed to reflect new developments in technology and applications.

Mechanisms are needed to provide special focus and resources to IT education. Some suggested mechanisms are:

1. Constitution of a separate board for IT education.
2. Delegation of enough authority to the national computer agency (where appropriate) to influence policies of education departments.
3. Provision of a specific budget for IT education.
4. Mandated expenditure on training in public sector.
5. Shared resources, greater exchange of expertise.
6. Facilitate donation of hardware and software for educational purposes across international and organisational boundaries.

It is further recommended that, in addition to COMNET-IT,

The educational resources of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth of Learning be exploited to meet critical IT educational requirements in member countries.

4.2 Differential Focus Of Training

The changes being introduced by IT are fundamental and daunting. As IT becomes pervasive, there will be a need to train and educate a variety of stake holders such as policy makers, managers/administrators, users, IT professionals, and citizens. It is recommended that

education and training policies and plans recognise the differential focus in training for a variety of  stake holders and identify appropriate delivery institutions and programmes;

greater emphasis should be placed on spreading IT literacy at all levels, but especially through the school system;

Governments should encourage private sector participation in computer education.

While the private sector can train a large number of users, the quality of training provided varies considerably. It is recommended that

member governments establish accreditation standards, through appropriate mechanisms (e.g. professional societies). Regional co-operation in this is  encouraged.

Public service managers and public administrators should exploit all avenues to enhance their knowledge of IT and its use. It is recommended that

focus be put on the acquisition of IT skills and the use of information in the work of public service managers and administrators.  This training can be integrated with general training in management and public administration.

4.3 Broad Based Computer Science Education

It is recommended that

Computer education become broad based and interdisciplinary, combining technology, management and social sciences.  In addition to technical knowledge and skills, behavioral aspects need to be covered.

Conversely, there is a need for the acculturation of the general public to the emerging information-based world. It is further recommended that

Member countries accord a high priority to the acculturation of the general public to the world of information (computer literacy). 

Most countries will have to develop new programmes and appropriate training materials to provide this kind of education.  There is some scope for sharing of teaching materials. It is also recommended that

member countries develop material suited to their own needs, but also take advantage of materials which might be available from regional and international organizations and from "public" sources such as the Internet.

5. Innovations in Computer Networks & Communications for Education and Training

The potential of IT in enhancing the quality of delivery of general education at school levels has not been fully recognised. Emerging interactive technologies like groupware, networking, multimedia can alter the way education is delivered. There is a need to sensitise educational planners to this potential through workshops, training programmes and bulletin boards. International agencies can facilitate this. It is recommended that

Teachers and educational planners become the focal point of bringing change in the education system. Exposure to emerging IT based pedagogy, constant updating awareness of technology should be done through teacher training programmes, summer schools etc.  Some re-orientation of  computer science teachers towards application may be required.

The Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth of Learning can contribute by sponsoring such programmes.

6. Developments in Information Technologies and Global Networks

The Workshop discussed issues of infrastructure development in its broadest sense (including technologies, applications and software) and concluded that the role for government is in the identification of demand, the aggregation of requirements, the stimulation of niche markers and to act as a catalyst and a "model" user of IT. In addition, questions of technological obsolescence were addressed. Collaboration with others on research and the sharing of  information is essential to dealing with these issues. It is Recommended that:

Commonwealth Governments consider the implications for their countries of developments in communication technologies and global networks. Issues to be considered include connectivity and infrastructure development and the need to deal with the rapid obsolescence of technology. The need to develop mechanisms to avoid obsolescence were stressed. These might include using technologies appropriate  to the IT government functions in developing world. In this way the government IT function can be more responsive to technological change.

It was further recommended that:

Commonwealth countries put in place the physical and human infrastructure for the following functionalities:

1. capacity building for technology assessment, with focus on information technology

2. capacity building for technology forecasting, with focus on information technology

3. capacity building for technology upgrading, including adaptation, maintenance, repair, reusability and reverse engineering

4. capacity building for negotiated technology transfer.

It is also Recommended that

COMNET-IT sponsor a conference for Commonwealth countries on advances in communication and information technologies and their current and projected applications. This Conference would address the broad scope of technological change including the economic impact of advances in communication technology on the economies of Commonwealth countries. Topical issues, such as utilizing Internet in Public Administration, might also be addressed.

7. Future of COMNET-IT

7.1 Access to Information on Best Practices

Some excellent publications are available where countries have addressed key issues already and this work could be shared across cooperating countries to provide a comparative analysis.  (e.g. Australia, Canada, USA and GB covering issues from Performance Measurement to Market Testing of IS services).

It would be helpful, for example, if COMNET-IT were to collect and distribute a catalogue of such works and provide details of  how to obtain copies. It is recommended that

COMNET-IT develop mechanisms for documenting and accessing information for the benefit of interested parties in member countries

7.2 Directory Of IT Policy Makers And Key Service Agents

The Secretariat should consolidate the relationships developed at this Workshop, extend the group to include counterparts from countries not represented at this meeting and generally facilitate dialogue, informing partners on upcoming events and opportunities.

7.3 Portfolio of Applications

Major expenditures are invested in "re-inventing the wheel". 

COMNET-IT should consider the merits of compiling a directory of significant applications or projects being developed or already implemented in Commonwealth Countries, particularly those operating in open systems environments.

7.4 Information on Procurement

Public-Procurement processes are typically disproportionately long, due to, amongst other things, the need for researching the particular domain, drawing up elaborate specifications for invitations to tender and laborious adjudication.  Most countries are involved in broadly similar acquisitions, where Technical specifications (in the case of hardware) and high level functionality (in the case of applications) are likely to be very similar.

COMNET-IT may consider whether the maintenance of information (or sources of information) on public tenders underway or completed in Commonwealth Countries is worth pursuing as an on-going service.  Specifications do not have to be re-invented and consultation on selection criteria or selections made public are likely to be beneficial.

7.5 Access to Pricing Information

The availability of pricing information is one of the challenges member countries face when evaluating options for technology procurement.  Several countries have developed mechanisms for providing such information to purchasing agents.

Given an expressed interest on the part of Commonwealth countries COMNET-IT will formalize the mechanisms for access to databases comprising IT pricing  information and advise members accordingly. 

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Barbados is a small island (166 square miles, population 300,000) in the Caribbean. The island according  to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) human development index is rated 20th in the world, ahead of such countries as Ireland, Italy, Spain and Greece. This rating places it in first  position in the developing world.

The island has a total of thirty three secondary schools. Twenty two are government secondary schools and eleven are government approved secondary schools. Two private sector companies, Barbados Telephone Company (BARTEL) and Barbados External Communications Limited (BET) in partnership with the Ministry of Education and UNESCO/CARNEID have developed a program to upgrade the computers in these schools,  implement a bulletin board, provide access to Caribbean Online and the Internet.

Caribbean Online is a data retrieval system owned by BET which provides access to Caribbean data bases and newspapers.

A survey was carried out to determine the level of teacher training in personal computer applications, the status of computer assisted learning, and the quality and quantity of computers used as teaching aids in secondary schools. The survey consisted of nineteen questions. 18 of the 22 government schools  and 8 of the 11 private secondary schools responded. 

The survey indicated that there are 17,225 students in the 22 government secondary schools with a teaching staff of 1.03. 15% of teachers are trained in computer technology. There are 1,932 students in the 11 private secondary schools with a teaching staff of 124, 13% of whom are computer literate. 

The findings indicated that:

• The number of personal computers in secondary schools varies from zero at Industry High School to 69 at St. Leonard's Boys.

• The number of teachers trained to manage personal computer applications is 15%. 11% are competent in the use of communications software.

• No workshops for training teachers were conducted during the past year.

• 92% of the schools use computers in classroom instruction. 80% are used in preparing instructional material.

• Computers are used exclusively in the schools for assisting with teaching Art, Business Studies, Geography, Languages, Science, Social Studies and Technical Drawing.

• Computer assisted learning has a very high motivational effect on students and is widely utilized in the schools. 

• Problems affecting the use of computers in secondary schools include obsolete software and hardware, lack of funds to purchase additional equipment and to repair existing equipment, large number of untrained teachers, and computers not being properly utilized across the whole curriculum.

• 11 schools have modems and telephone lines.

BARTEL the monopoly provider of telephone service in Barbados has purchased and distributed modems to satisfy the requirements of all schools and will provide the necessary telephone lines where necessary to ensure connectivity to the bulletin board, Caribbean OnLine and the Internet.. 

BET, the Internet provider, has provided free access to all the schools. A pilot project has been started to train pupils and teachers in eleven selected schools on using the facilities of the Internet. On conclusion of this project, lessons learnt will be analyzed and the programme will be rolled out to all secondary schools.

UNESCO/CARNEID will provide funding to purchase and upgrade computers in the schools and to train teachers in information technology.

The bulletin board has been implemented using a state-of-the-art Gateway computer, and is situated at the Erdiston Teachers training College. 

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Computerization of National Stock Exchange of India : Some Lessons for IT management

Although IT literature cites many failures of IT, especially from developing countries, National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) is a case of successful IT implementation. Conceived as a model exchange, NSE, the twenty third stock exchange of India, is a nation wide exchange. Most of its equity capital comes from financial institutions, insurance companies and commercial banks.

NSE decided to offer a totally computerized trading system as an alternative to the open outcry system prevailing in other Indian stock exchanges. As of now, computerized trading operations have been implemented in the four metro cities of India. By the end of 1995, NSE plans to link 12 cities, adding about 600-700 more members, thus doubling the volumes being traded. Currently, the amount that is being traded per day is about US $ 2-2.3 million and it is expected to increase to about US $ 33 million per day. Also, it is estimated that the number of scrips traded would increase to 1000 and above. Computerization at NSE is being carried out in two phases - the first phase covers trading in debt instruments, government securities, public sector bonds and other money market instruments and the second, covering trading in equity shares. 

The screen based trading system of NSE enables its members located in various cities of India to engage in trading through Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs). NSE opted for American company Stratus to supply fault tolerant hardware capable of handling a peak time transaction capacity of 1.5 million, besides taking care of integrity and security issues. The member brokers have a 486 machine, running Windows-based front end application.

All decisions regarding the system were carefully taken, after considering a number of alternatives. After weighing the options of terrestrial and satellite communication technologies, NSE decided to adopt a combined solution initially, which would be replaced by a complete VSAT-based system eventually. This decision is now paying dividends to NSE, after a competing Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) has opted for a less reliable, cable-based system.

The careful IT planning at NSE, from technology choices to handling bureaucracy, ensured smooth operationalization of its IT systems. A commendable area in NSE's computerization efforts is that of managing alliances. Lacking in-house expertise in IT, NSE established tie-ups with software vendors, communication consultants and hardware suppliers for effective implementation of its trading system. Not only did NSE establish alliances with private organizations, but it also actively involved government functionaries in its decision making activities. Many permissions and licenses had to be obtained by NSE before it actually implemented the VSAT-based trading system. NSE adopted a proactive strategy to reduce the delay in these bureaucratic transactions by constituting various committees with key persons drawn from government departments. The committee members from the government departments could appreciate NSE's plans and helped in accelerating the required permissions. 

NSE had made a conscious decision to outsource the entire software development as it lacked required expertise in-house. The short time span within which the system had to be implemented also made NSE opt for packaged software. The trading software was procured from the U.S based Tcap after careful consideration of other alternatives. To suit the local needs, this package was customized by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading Indian consulting firm.

In order to ensure commitment from TCS, NSE placed a team of about 50 software professionals from the vendor's organization in its own premises. The physical proximity of the software developers and NSE personnel led to improved interactions and fast decisions. This also helped in imparting sound business knowledge to system developers and also provided technical knowledge to NSE personnel. From NSE's side, a small core team was employed to ensure smooth implementation of the system. Quoting Mr.S.Naralkar (Asst.VP, Systems and Telecom, National Stock Exchange of India), "The whole project was implemented by just a small core team of 5-6 people. Of this core team, none had an IT background. All had financial background and they had full freedom to take all decisions.. That was the key to success."

NSE has constituted special teams for various operations. For example, a separate in-house team had been formed to take care of all telecommunication-related activities. This team got support from vendors to finalize its decisions. Similarly, a special network management system had been created to monitor leased line network.

NSE's trading system is one of the successful VSAT-based applications in the financial services sector. Use of computerized system helped NSE to streamline its trading facilities, guarantee efficiency and achieve a high response rate of less than two seconds for 95% of the time.

An immediate fall out of NSE's system has been the sudden spurt in computerization activities of competing exchanges. Other stock exchanges have initiated/accelerated their computerization efforts. Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), the largest stock exchange in India, has come up with BOLT (BSE On-line Trading system), for its trading operations. While BOLT is a cable linked system, NSE system is predominantly VSAT-based. BSE came up with measures to compete with NSE, including provision of two terminals to the member brokers as against a single terminal provided by NSE.

To counter the threat posed by BOLT, NSE has started offering various concessions to its member brokers. NSE has eased the restrictive criteria on the minimum trading volume for allocation of VSATs to brokers. In response to the initiatives by NSE, the member brokers of NSE have shed their initial reluctance for the new trading system and are increasingly using the system now. 

In order to improve its customer service, NSE has started providing value added services to its members. Apart from improving the features of existing system, NSE plans to add new features such as interactive voice response system etc. NSE's members are to get exclusive tele-voice service from Canara Bank, the clearing bank for NSE. 

With the ongoing IT war between competing stock exchanges in India, Indian stock market is likely to witness an accelerated proliferation of IT in future, leading to more effective and efficient operations.

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Workshop on Managing IT Challenges in Organizations : A Report

Rekha Jain (Workshop Coordinator) and C. Ranganathan (Doctoral Student IIMA), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
rekha@iimahd.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, organized a two day workshop on "Managing IT Challenges in Organizations". The objective of the workshop was to share the results of a research study, funded by International Development Research Center, Canada, which documented case studies of successful IT implementation in large Indian and South-East Asian organizations. The workshop highlighted key aspects of managing IT resources and challenges in order to help organizations achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The workshop was attended by over 35 IT and functional managers from middle and top management levels.

The workshop focused on the following broad themes : Management of Enterprise-wide EIS, Management of Large IT Applications,  Organizational Implications of Emerging IT Architectures, and Business Process Reengineering. Case studies of Indian and South-East Asian organizations were discussed. A salient feature of the workshop was the group discussions among participants to identify critical IT issues facing IT managers. 

The workshop began with a keynote address of Mr.N.Vittal (Secretary, Department of Electronics, Government of India). He emphasized the potential contributions of IT to business and urged companies to prepare themselves to utilize IT more effectively.

Prof Rekha Jain in her inaugural address highlighted the changing role of IT managers in volatile business and technological environments. Prof S.C. Bhatnagar focused his lecture on key IT management problems in the context of a developing country. 

In the session on EIS, Mr.Luis Sison (President, LS Associates, Bangkok) discussed various technical and managerial issues in developing an EIS. He explained the anatomy of an EIS and its design issues, project management issues and organizational implications. Following this, Mr.Shreyas Joshi (General Manager, Arvind Mills) shared his experiences in implementing an EIS. He argued for a networking solution, integration of applications, thorough study and design, and proper documentation before developing an EIS. The main problems he faced were low involvement of various functional heads and inability to estimate project duration. Mr.Johal Manzalan (Head of Planning and Consultancy, IS Department, Telecom Malaysia) summed up the session with his experiences in EIS implementation in Telecom Malaysia.

The session on Management of Large IT applications started with Ms.Dulabhabhoron Vajrathon (VP and Deputy Manager, Information Processing Department, Bangkok Bank Ltd, Thailand) describing her experiences in using IT to respond to deregulation. This was followed by Mr.P.Sen (Deputy Director, Computer and Communication Services, Air-India) who narrated his experiences in managing large IT applications in Air-India. He felt that proprietary systems were better than open systems for critical applications. The session was summarized by Prof B.H. Jajoo who enumerated the technical and organizational issues in managing large IT projects.

Two case studies were discussed in the sessions on Emerging IT architectures and Business Process Reengineering. Mr.S.Naralkar (Asst.VP, Systems and Telecom, National Stock Exchange of India) deliberated on the IT application systems in the National Stock Exchange and how the emerging technologies have had an impact on the functioning of stock markets. Mr.Johal Manzalan explained the nuances in outsourcing the reengineering of the Customer Automated Services System (CASS). He detailed the effect of emergent IT architectures on systems in Telecom Malaysia. Prof Ashok Korwar gave Indian examples and explained the rationale and advantages of BPR. The session ended up with a summary by Prof T.P. Rama Rao.

Prof Rekha Jain briefed the results of the research study to the participants and outlined major IT management issues, thus setting an agenda for group discussions among the participants.

The group discussions and presentations by participants brought to light a plethora of new issues confronting IT managers. Top management awareness and support, support (rather strategic) role for IT, Lack of formal IT strategy and systems, Lack of sustained financial support, absence of systems for evaluation of IT benefits and the effectiveness of IT department, use of formal methodologies, and personnel turnover and availability and User training were some of the main issues to have emerged during the group discussions. The participants also identified managerial and administrative responses to these issues. 

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Harnessing Information for Development

From June 1 to July 10, 1995 the World Bank sponsored an invitation-only electronic conference on the theme "Harnessing Information for Development". One hundred and ninety six senior professionals from 21 countries participated (37% World Bank staff, 17% academia & research, 16% non governmental organizations, 16% the private sector, particularly the IT industry, 8% Governments, and the rest from international organizations, bilateral aid agencies and the media). Thirty-seven (37) participants posted comments to the conference, of which five were posted off-line. 

The idea of the conference arose from growing awareness at the World Bank that revolutionary advances in information and communications technologies have two concurrent and complementary impacts on developing countries:  first, they open up extraordinary opportunities to accelerate social and economic development;  second, they create a pressing reform and investment agenda both to capitalize on the new opportunities and to avoid severe competitive disadvantage in the global economy. 

A draft discussion paper was sent to all subscribers with a preliminary Bank view on the issues of the conference, which were divided into three broad themes: i) What is the effect of the information revolution on developing countries; ii) What must governments, the private sector, and others do; and iii) How can the World Bank Group help.

We reproduce below a summary of all the three themes of the conference posted by Eduardo Talero, the conference moderator. The summaries include conference views and comments of the world bank. The moderator wishes to acknowledge the help of Messrs. James P. Cowie, Robert Direnzo and Robert Schware ( all from the World Bank) in conference analysis and moderation, and of Ms. Kathleen Reed in conference administration. The summary will inevitably do injustice to the richness of views in the conference.  For this, apologies are conveyed in advance. The moderator and World Bank staff in the Telecommunications and Informatics division participating in this conference wish to thank all conference participants for the time and effort they put into it and for the frank and useful advice received. 

1. What Is The Effect Of The Information Revolution On Developing Countries?

1.1 Opportunities And Benefits

Conference Views

There was remarkable agreement on the view that the  information revolution represents an extraordinary opportunity  for development even in the face of clear pitfalls and current  poor application. Some specifics: 
Opportunities arise for

• the individual: to improve education and training; to create jobs, particularly in the service sector; to reduce information and income inequalities;

• the communities: to connect people through networked interest groups, to improve the quality of life, to provide support services for entrepreneurs; to create virtual libraries with world-class offerings, and to achieve sustainable use of natural resources;

• the nations: to overcome natural disadvantages of location and resource endowment; to allow participation in global trade and competition; to make governments more efficient and increase their accountability; to reduce income inequalities;  and to allow greater communication within and among countries;

• the international community: to allow international cooperation on natural resource management; to share successful development strategies among nations; to reduce the threat of further division into rich and poor countries.

Benefits of the information revolution include solution to problems exacerbated by the same revolution - notably loss of trade competitiveness from globalization of competition and from increasing technology content of goods and services.  In this sense, information technology (IT) is both a way for developing countries (DCs) to keep and increase their share of wealth and trade, and a threat of further disadvantage. 

Countries are able to develop and improve their infrastructures through the massive use of information and communication technologies.  These technologies are now the  driving force for global change in every field of human endeavor. 

Comments by World Bank

We are reassured to see that many senior people share the view that, whatever the pitfalls and risks, the world is facing an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate development through the application of information and communications technologies.

At the same time, we are concerned from the shared view that the information revolution threatens to further erode the competitive position of developing countries, particularly the poorest, and thus that action to harness this revolution for development is a necessity, not a choice.

The conference helps us confirm that the information  revolution is of direct concern to the World Bank in its mission of poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development.

1.2 Risks And Pitfalls

Conference Views

The conference was rich in pointing out that benefits of the information revolution depend on many difficult choices, often have corresponding pitfalls, and may not materialize if emphasis is placed on technology rather than people. Some often contrasting views: 

The information revolution threatens DCs : it is unlikely that DC's can leap-frog - the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" is likely to widen.

Competitive advantage from IT use has been temporary in industries such as banking, lasting as long as the next competitor catches up.  The same applies to countries; they will not gain lasting competitive advantage from catching up in IT use.

Most of what are hyped as trends which will overwhelm the economy or society remain very small in relative magnitudes and limited in significance at present.  Computers in schools, for example, despite all the hype, now play a truly trivial role in most school systems. 

If knowledge truly becomes more important relative to other production factors, millions of people in DCs will be left further behind from inability to match the educational investments of developed countries. 

Many applications of IT for poverty reduction depend on scale economies and require public subsidies at a time when fiscal budgets are already strained.  Others, such as distance learning in villages, depend on rural electrification for which no one wants to pay. 

In the brief history of computing technology, the first and best funded purpose has been warfare. 

Applications of IT will fail if behavioral, social and institutional dimensions receive insufficient attention.
The societal and cultural impact of the IR are significant and require careful consideration. Undue preoccupation with issues of cultural erosion could result in countries falling further behind. 

Comments By World Bank

We recognize that the information revolution is in its infancy and the implications for the future prosperity of countries have to be clarified. 

We share concern for most of the pitfalls and risks cited and at the same time see ample justification to aggressively pursue those opportunities that support the priority objectives of development, keeping the risks in mind.

We strongly agree with the view that IT applications are not likely to be successful if behavioral, social, and institutional dimensions receive insufficient attention.  This  is why we advocate focusing on information systems rather than  information technology.  We understand information systems to  encompass all the factors -- people, institutions, policies, processes, incentives, etc. -- that make application of IT both complex and successful. 

We recognize that DCs can be further disadvantaged in a world where information and knowledge become the key factors of production, if they fail to invest in education.  However, we also see that advances in IT can make education in developing countries more effective and accessible. 

Whether the information revolution narrows or widens the gap for developing countries, depends on decisive action by all concerned. Certainly, countries like Chile, China, and Singapore are using IT not just to catch up but to leap-frog. We believe that the same is necessary and possible in other countries.

We are very sensitive to the potential for IT to be a technology for the rich.  This will certainly be the case if market forces are thwarted with excessive regulation or if governments continue to monopolize telecom sector. Therefore, we will push for liberalization of information  markets, for sensible but minimal regulation, and for increasing private sector participation in infrastructure investment.  However, we know that markets alone will still favor the rich. Therefore, we intend to be a major force in harnessing IT for the poor.  We will seek partnerships for this with governments, NGOs, and the private sector and we will be bold in trying new approaches to combat poverty with information. 

Regarding hype, blind faith, and overuse of IT, we recognize these dangers and believe that if anything the Bank is nearer the opposite extreme. The Bank is not going to support wanton use of IT, certainly not at the expense of well-known development approaches such as policy reform, institutional development, training, participatory design, and  technical cooperation.  However, we will increasingly ask how and when IT can increase the effectiveness of those approaches, and we will be more willing to try new combinations where IT has a larger role.   We will not abandon hard-nosed evaluation of project benefits and costs for this purpose. 

We wholeheartedly agree that the deciding factor in making the information revolution contribute to development is the degree to which the population at large is well educated. Contrary to the skeptical views of some participants, we believe that IT has important supporting roles in education -- efficient administration, low-cost delivery, and production of  appropriate educational materials.  We also believe that computer-based training is an effective tool for lifelong learning and that computer-aided education can enrich the role of teachers in the classroom. 

2. What Must Governments, The Private Sector, And Others Do?

The agenda for DC's in general and Governments are discussed separately.

2.1 Agenda For Developing Countries In General

Conference Views

Policy makers in DCs must balance objectives in different ways than developed countries did at the same stage of development, e.g., responding to demands of least-favored users.

Viewing information infrastructure as consisting of 2 separate but connected elements: the telecommunications networks, and strategic information systems is necessary to focus policy formulation work, political support and investment funding at the country level. 

Basic infrastructure and various downstream applications are different and inter-related areas of implementation. They have unique policy implications and should be dealt with individually.

Countries need to develop a strategic consensus, create an information friendly environment, augment information infrastructure, increase education and training, and establish priority sectoral information networks. 

International coordination will be required at national, regional and international levels.

The level of technological infrastructure that leads to substantial growth may be far less than the most advanced.  Low-earth orbiting satellites and store-and-forward technologies may be quite adequate to link  rural areas with the rest of the world. 

Providing Internet access to remote rural areas in developing countries is probably not the best way to leverage the power of information technology in favor of development.  To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of available resources, IT applications should be prioritized on return on investment. 

In making educational material available to DCs, copyright protection, translation into local languages, and means to keep prices within reach should be considered.

Telecommunication is necessary as a means of knowledge transfer.  But strategic information  is needed as a  prerequisite to good governance and rapid development. 

The first step is to enable government departments, research institutes and the general population to communicate through e-mail.  The next step is to establish national, regional and international communications and information policies and protocols, and information infrastructure development strategies to create a level playing field with appropriate rules for private sector initiatives.

World Bank Comments

We agree with the general view that countries urgently need to deploy a telecommunications infrastructure as the first step in harnessing the information revolution.  We also agree that high-tech, high-cost alternatives may not be necessary or cost-efficient for  DCs and that LEOs and store-and-forward technologies should be available to the marketplace.

Our telecommunications sector policy acknowledges that countries are unique and that each will select a different reform path and technology mix. Certain principles, however, such as the introduction of competition and the commercialization of service are of worldwide application.

We agree that policies and roles are different for infrastructure than for applications deployment.  However, we consider certain key strategic systems such as business registries as part of the national information infrastructure.  Why?  Because these systems underpin the functioning of the information economy and because markets function imperfectly in deploying them in society. If countries decide to formulate  national information strategies, and we believe this to be a good idea in most cases, the strategic applications should be in center stage, to avoid focusing only on technology infrastructure.

We  wholeheartedly agree that applications, whether strategic or not,  should be prioritized on the basis of return on investment.

We are impressed by the potential of Internet for development. Connecting governments, NGOs, schools, universities, research institutions, and businesses across a nation and the world may open development possibilities so far foreclosed because of weak constituent support and participation.  We will support Internet connectivity in developing countries, preferably through private sector schemes.

We agree that intellectual property and a level-playing field are prerequisites for an information economy.  So are upgraded education policies, public information policies, laws protecting investment, and  individual privacy rights.

2.2 Agenda For Governments

Conference Views

The following are key points of the Government agenda as defined by conference participants:

Attract private investment and foreign know-how by opening telecommunications markets to private entry, by creating a fair environment for competition, and by setting targets for implementation.

Perform its roles -- policy maker, service provider, and regulator -- through agencies that are completely independent of each other.

Act as catalysts for creation of strategic information systems.  Trade facilitation is one such system that should be given priority because it generates profits and raises standards of living, and because it allows measurement of return on investment (off-line comment). 

Construct a country-wide information infrastructure, provide the content to be transmitted over this infrastructure, and above all create a national vision.

Spread telecommunications and information services to rural areas. 

Increase their own efficiency through IT and provide access to public records through Internet.

Lead the formulation of national informatics strategies.

World Bank Comments

We agree that attracting private investment to the maximum extent possible including at the local level, is now widely accepted as the most promising way to improve infrastructure and services as rapidly as possible.

We also agree with making regulatory agencies independent from service providing agencies, but we disagree that service or content provision should be the role of government. 

We agree that governments have a catalytic role in creation of strategic information systems and in formulation of national vision and strategy in informatics.  However,  we believe that the private sector and in general the demand side of IT markets should also play a pivotal role in both these functions.

We strongly agree that governments must lead efforts to spread telecommunications and information services to rural areas, and believe that this can and should be done mostly through market-based schemes. 

We will earnestly cooperate with governments in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations through information systems.  The Bank is already doing this to a significant extent, as over 70% of our current operations with governments have informatics components, which represent over $600 million in lending per year. 

3. How Can The World Bank Group Help?

The conference was decidedly supportive of an intensive World Bank role in the information field -- both telecommunications and informatics -- as a policy advisor, consensus builder, financier, and initiator of special projects.  Sections below present advice received on each of these roles and Bank reaction to it.

3.1 Policy Advice

The conference made the following information sector-related policy recommendations on which the Bank generally agrees, subject to country-specific consideration and adaptation:

• Liberalization of the international services marketplace.

• Private investment and market forces should drive universal service.

• Standards should promote open access.

• Focusing on the poor. Bringing the two thirds of the people in the world without means of communications into the mainstream of development.  Promoting private sector-owned value-added network services by regulating main telecom operator to ensure fair competition.

• Allowing market choice of wide variety of network technologies and services.  Requiring from all operators full and easy interconnection and public access to all networks. 

• Formulate and implement national IT education plan for managers, technical staff and users; encourage  private sector provision of IT education; and create incentives for national talent to stay in the country.

The conference also advocated the following policies which the Bank sees falling mainly in private sector domain: 

• Promote network-based machine-aided translation services and encourage translation of business and scientific information into local languages.

• Put in place the necessary educational infrastructure, including teachers, PCs and telephone lines.

• Promote the use of electronic money and of the concomitant safety standards needed.

Policies advocated by the conference which the Bank (see italics for Bank view) sees in a different light, were:

Subsidies should be directed toward users rather than providers, and should be transparent.

Subsidies are ineffective to expand telecommunication services. It is better to create conditions for private investment to flow, even in rural areas.  When social groups are still left out, it may be necessary to subsidize supply, preferably through commercial or competitive schemes.

Encourage technology transfer and development of the local  IT industry by requiring in all funded IT projects at least one active local supplier of IT goods or services.

Local supply conditionalities are unnecessary since the IT industry normally relies on local technical services as a matter of competitive necessity. Conditioning Bank loans on local production of IT would be ineffective as an industrial policy and unacceptable to countries.

Allocate bandwidth for spread spectrum use to provide free voice and data communications for residential, educational, community, and rural users.

This is a desirable policy, but free use of the spectrum is a form of subsidy about which only governments can decide. 

Require an IT recycling plan in all Bank-supported IT projects.

All Bank projects are evaluated and designed for environmental friendliness. IT recycling may be appropriate in many cases.

Give added importance to civil rights and political implications of the information society.

We agree that social equity should be considered in policy  formulation. Our emphasis is, however, on socioeconomic development not on political choices of countries we deal with.

3.2 Consensus Building

The conference advocated insistently that the World Bank play a consensus building role by collecting and disseminating best practices,  networking interested groups, and promoting analysis and discussion of major informatics issues in national and international fora.  Some specific suggestions on which the Bank is agreeable are:

• Disseminate best practices learned through its worldwide experience.

• Mobilize governments to develop a national consensus on information policy and strategy.

• Act as catalyst for spreading networking expertise and access to information networks.

• Facilitate regional communication and cooperation between governments, centers of professional excellence, education centers and the international community.

• Organize more debates that cross frontiers such as this Internet conference.

• Organize telecommunication reform workshops showing experiences of peer countries.

• Disseminate its own information through the use of fax-back servers and adopt a few convenient electronic formats for electronic documents to facilitate viewing and printing.

Other conference suggestions which the Bank does not see itself in the best position to pursue were:

• Sponsor critical in depth interdisciplinary research issues related to tax-evasion, ecology, social security, monopolized media.

• Teach Internet skills (using the network or through workshops), write manuals in local languages, and identify sources for web/gopher training within developing countries.

• Develop accurate predictions of future costs for service provision particularly telecom costs. 

• Standardize data gathered through Bank financed information systems and make it available through the Internet.

• Create consensus on principles for information security and a global encryption system.

3.3 Financing

The financing role suggested by conference participants for the World Bank was entirely compatible with the thinking of the Bank at this time:

• Play a catalytic role for investments in: 1) the global   and national information infrastructures, including strategic applications, and 2) the human skills and resources needed to maintain and use those infrastructures.

• Use guarantees to mitigate high risk of foreign investment.

• Catalyze a flow of resources towards rural telecommunications similar to that mobilized for rural electrification.

• Promote funding of multiple small projects e.g.  $1m or less, not just a few large ones  (see InfoDev below).

3.4 Experimental And Demonstration Projects

The conference recommended insistently that the World Bank should sponsor specific applications and projects to concretely exploit IT for development.  Some of these, such as automation of port facilities in developing countries are already being done through the Bank's lending program; others   such as investing in private sector-owned value-added network   services and developing systems for environmental preservation  can already be proposed through the IFC and the Global Environmental Facility; however, a third category of projects are experimental initiatives needing incubation before making them part of mainstream Bank lending.  Examples suggested in the conference of projects in the last category are:

• Develop management decision centers to train decision-makers in government and corporations; to develop national information strategies; and to generate income for universities.

• Develop community information centers on a commercial basis to provide communications and information services to under-served communities.

• Develop  service centers for small enterprises offering information, advisory, telecommunication technical assistance, and transaction services.

• Promote connectivity and dissemination of information within developing countries and between countries through the Internet.

• Use the soon to be hundreds of satellites in low-earth orbit to set up a global electronic banking system on the Internet using the spare satellite bandwidth.

• Revitalize public libraries by linking them to each other and to libraries in developed countries through Internet.

The Bank has decided to setup a special global fund (InfoDev) in partnership with bilateral aid organizations and the private sector to channel policy advice, pursue consensus   building activities and explore experimental projects such as those above.  Through InfoDev, any organization will be able to shortly present proposals to the World Bank for experimental or demonstration projects which apply information  and communications technologies to development problems.

InfoDev will consider these projects in terms of their potential impact, quality of design, participating   organizations, sustainability and obviously cost, and if accepted will co-finance with proposing organization.  Readers may request information on InfoDev from  the moderator. 

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Election For The Chairperson of WG 9.4

WG 9.4 members may be aware that the second term of my Chairpersonship is coming to an end.  Therefore, we need to set in motion the process of electing a new Chairperson. 

We have to conduct this election as per the norms laid down by IFIP and implemented through our parent technical committee (TC-9 : Computers and Society).  As the outgoing Chair (IFIP's by-laws prohibit a person from holding an office for more than two terms), I am responsible for conducting the elections and reporting the results to TC-9, who in turn will ratify the result and forward it to IFIP.  Since our membership is large and geographically widespread, we will need to resolve to a postal (including e-mail and fax) nomination process as well as voting process.  Dr. Mikko Korpela, the outgoing Secretary has agreed to work with me to conduct this election jointly. 

It may be useful to recount the history of the Working Group for our new members.  I had initiated the creation of this Working Group in TC-9 in its Annual Meeting in 1986.  TC-9 was very supportive of the idea of a Working Group focusing on developing countries.  However, before formally recommending the creation of such a Working Group to the IFIP General Assembly, TC9 requested me to organize a conference to assess the viability of a new Working Group.  As a result, a Conference titled, "Impact of Information System in Developing Countries" was organized in New Delhi in November 1988.  Subsequently, on the recommendation of TC-9, WG 9.4 with a title "Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries" was formally approved by the IFIP General Assembly in San Francisco in September 1989.  Later, in January 1990 I was informed that I had been appointed as the first Chairperson of the Group.

Since then, the Group has come a long way.  Three International Conferences (Nairobi, Havana, Cairo) and two Workshops (Ahmedabad, Bangalore) were successfully organized by the Working Group.  In addition, many other Conferences were actively supported and co-sponsored.  A Newsletter was initiated in 1991.  Currently the Newsletter is a joint venture of three different international organizations and is distributed to one thousand professionals in fifty countries. A list serve was created to promote communication amongst members. 

The activities of a WG are reviewed annually by the parent TC and a plan for future activities is approved. TC 9 and IFIP General Assembly have been quite pleased with the performance of our working group in the past. WG 9.4 has a large membership threatening to become larger every year.  IFIP is somewhat apprehensive in allowing the Group to formally admit all the new members who would like to join.

The Working Group  has created a reasonable impact by generating discussions on issues which are critical in promoting socio-economic development in developing countries through the use of information technology . The WG has also done a reasonably good job of dissemination through the discussion list and the newsletter.  However, some members continue to feel that the Group can take a more pro-active stance and launch research and training projects and provide consultancy services. 

Traditionally Working Groups are meant to bring members together on a common platform through annual meetings and conferences.  Any further research activity evolves through contacts made in these meetings and is done in smaller groups by people sharing a focussed interest.  Working groups do not have formal structures and an ability to attract and manage research funds.

Before we elect a new Chairperson, it is worthwhile for us to reflect on the role of the Chairperson.  There is no manual within  IFIP which lays down the role of the Chairperson.  The Chair must provide leadership to the Group by selectively pushing some goals and objectives from the wide charter that IFIP has approved for the Group.  The Chair should set a democratic process in motion which will generate a shared vision and a set of activities to conform to this vision.  If I look back at the first six years of the WG 9.4, the burden of propelling the Group has fallen largely on a few office bearers and volunteers.  We have not been able to generate enough enthusiasm within a critical mass of members to undertake a greater variety of activities.  Our attempts to elect regional representatives through a process of nominations did not succeed.  Geographical spread, lack of resources for travel to meetings has prevented us from meeting frequently.

From my experience of last six years, I believe that the kinds of tasks and role that a Chairperson will need to perform are the following: 

1. WG 9.4 Chair is a Member of TC-9.  For any WG, it is necessary to build an adequate degree of confidence vis-a-vis the parent TC so that approval of Conferences and projects is facilitated.  This would require that the Chair should be able to participate in TC-9 Annual Meetings with reasonable regularity.  Unfortunately, IFIP provides a meager funding of 1000 Swiss Francs to be shared amongst office bearers to meet the cost of routine administration and correspondence.  No travel funds are available.  It would be desirable that the Chair has an institutional backing and personal resources to mobilize funding for his/her own travel.

2. Most conferences of WG 9.4 run on a meager budget.  Funding for participation from developing countries is not made available by the organizers.  In the last six years the responsibility of raising funds has ultimately fallen on the Chairperson.  For the past four WG 9.4 conferences a total of US $30,000 was raised from international agencies.  This was inadequate in many ways but still helped about 20 authors to participate in these conferences.  It would be desirable to select a Chair who would be able to raise funding  through personal contacts.

3. The work of organizing conferences, finding organizers for various activities, publishing proceedings, publishing a Newsletter, creating and running a discussion list can be quite demanding in terms of one's time. In all these tasks the Chair can seek help from a team consisting of a vice chair and a secretary.  The Chair has a right to nominate these functionaries.  I was very fortunate to have Dr. Mikko Korpela as the Secretary and Dr. Mayuri Odedra-Strub as the Vice Chair who have both contributed very significantly to the growth of the Group.

4. The incumbent must be sure that such time will be available on a sustained basis for at least three years.  As the Group stands today, a maintenance function of holding a conference once in two years may not demand a great deal of time.  However, if newer activities are to be undertaken, then both time and a missionary zeal would be required.

Needless to say that the Chair must have a strong organizational backing from his/her employer to allow the person to devote adequate time to manage the affairs of the Working Group as well as the ability to absorb some routine expenses.  It is a moot point whether the Chairperson for the Group is from a developed country or from a developing country.  Perhaps someone from a developing country will carry more credibility.  The Chair must have an access to INTERNET because that will facilitate communication with IFIP as well as with the member community.

May I urge all the members to give a careful thought to the kind of person that they would like to see as the Chair for our Working Group for the next 3 years.  You must have received a request for nominations from our secretary Mikko Korpela. The last date was 15th Nov, 1995. We will soon send you a ballot if elections are to be held. Please contact any of the following for clarifications.

1. Prof. S. C. Bhatnagar, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad 380015, India
 Fax:  91-272-6427896
 Telex: 121-6351 IIMA IN
 Email: subhash@iimahd.ernet.in

2. Dr. Mikko Korpela
 University of Kuopio, Computing Centre, PL 1627,  FIN-70211 Kuopio, Finland
 Fax: +358-71-282 5566, phone: +358-71-16 2811
 Email: mikko.korpela@uku.fi 

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Telematics For Africa: The Global Information Highway

1. Introduction

There have been great promises made by builders of the Information Highway that the global communications network will pull developing nations out of their state of dependency into the modern age and will bring success to these countries.  There has, however, been a debate with regard to these presumed benefits in a group discussion by participants at the recently concluded second Regional Programme for Trainers of Information Analysts in Africa (REPTIAA-2) held at the Institute of Computer Science, University of Nairobi. This programme was funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat. The issues were approached from three perspectives: Infrastuctural, Social, and Initiatives & Impacts.  Arguments were put forward by three groups along each of these perspectives.  Below are the main points raised. 

2. Infrastructural Perspectives

• there is need to develop African Information Infrastructures (AII) in order to cope  with developments in Information Technology (IT);

• Currently, AIIs in Africa are at a relatively low level (useful indicator is teledensity  of 1.6  per 100);

• there is need for AII planning both at National and institutional/organizational levels;

• the time is not yet ripe for Africa to join the Global Information Highway (GIH), as there is still need to further invest and put in place the basic AII with a view to participation in the GIH in future.

• the AII requires a "needs analysis", in line with Maslows hierarchy of human needs, and arguments for the satisfaction of these needs, as sequenced, i.e:  Basic; Competitive (enabling participation);  Future capabilities (ISDN); and "Nice to have AII".  Otherwise priorities might be misconstrued.

• currently, access to tele-facilities is restricted to the urban elite. With development and further investment in basic AII there is potential for greater use leading to reduction of charges/tariffs by virtue of increased subscribers and increased availability of such facilities to lower income groups. Pricing algorithms should be pragmatic and aimed at securing large sale volumes rather than high unit margins.

• the lack of IT policy in most African countries makes it premature to rush into the GIH;

• ownership of AII is currently with governments at National level; there is very little institutional or organizational ownership.

3. Social Issues And Contexts

3.1 Benefits and Risks

• Information is a 4th Component of Production. In this regard, the Information Highway IH, is a must-have;

• there exists great potential in the advancement of GIH. However, just as there was great potential in the discovery of atomic energy, which ended up being adversely used in Hiroshima/Nagasaki,the GIH potential could be abused/misused;

• much emphasis seems to be placed on the tele aspects of the information infrastructure per se, with little cognisance of the Human/Social aspects of the Information Highway.

3.2 Positive aspects

• enable people to communicate and interact;

• promote world trade (i.e bring services closer to the people);

• revolutionalize the work environment, for which people must be prepared; and 

• sharing of ideas thus promoting education, health and research.

3.3 Reservations

• Ownership of GII lies with the developed world.  This is not healthy for Africa, since it just seems to be towed along;

• there must first be local participation in information sharing before there can be talk of international participation;

• the presence of an Information Infrastructure alone does not necessarily address the social and cultural aspects associated with connecting to the GIH.

• there is the threat of imposition of foreign ideologies on Africa;

• there is also the threat of marginalisation of developing countries owing to unfair competitive positions, and  unequitable access capabilities;

• there exists the danger of being pushed along by market driven technological forces without adequate assessment or prioritization of the needs of African countries; and

• there is need to put in place a regulatory /legal framework to control the information content on the highway, if undesirable material is to be prevented from contaminating the morals of African Society e.g Pornography.

4. Initiatives And Impacts:

• there is need for African initiatives in building AII otherwise Africa will remain  onlookers;

• there have been some African initiatives:  invariably donor and private sector driven and a few regional initiatives e.g RASCOM, URTNA;

• at the global level, there are relatively few countries in Africa connected to Internet, the prototype Information Highway e.g, Tunisia, Egypt, South Africa and Zambia, however, these are invariably used for North-South interaction in contrast to intra-Africa communication.

• Low benefits to Africa, since the majority of North-South interaction is biased towards exchange of foreign-related issues dominated by oversees peer groups; 

• at south-south level, there have been one or two media initiatives, an  example is the M-NET by South Africa, which, however, also projects mainly Western values;

• significant impact on Africa and its development may only be realized if Africa communities or governments contribute to determining the content of the Information Highway, especially with respect to the promotion and maintenance of cultural, traditional and other social values;

• with regard to entrepreneurship, Africa governments need to be more involved by laying down and formulating policies in this respect.  Currently, in a bid to encourage foreign involvement, most governments are mainly concerned with securing such investors with regard to trade and other related policies.  These have not often promoted African entrepreneurship, and a shift from this status quo, in form of genuine African initiatives and partnerships, is required;

• there is currently much fragmentation owing to divisive interests and this situation is not healthy for Africa's  Information Infrastructure development as a whole.

5. Summary Of The Discussions

The Global Information Highway has infrastructural, social and institutional/organizational implications for Africa that have to be addressed before joining it.  The infrastructural issues that have to be addressed include inter alia; 

1. That, in general the African Information Infrastructures are not quite upto international standards and hence Africa should first improve its information infrastructure to acceptable basic standards with a view to venturing into regional and international communication networks;

2. Investment resources in Africa are scarce.  This calls for prioritization in investment.  For instance Africa should first invest in those areas with immediate returns and with low risks.  Indeed investment should be at all levels and not just concentrated on elite-oriented areas.  This has implication on the attitude towards investment in the Information Highway programme;

3. There is the need for proper management of Africa's involvement in the programme such that the positive aspects can be taken advantage of while the negative ones are taken safeguarded against.

4. Infrastructure on its own, devoid of the human component would not guarantee telematics for development.  Peoples involvement should be reflected in areas such as their participation in investment and ownership while appropriate intervention by government with respect to policies on investment in and the content of the Information Highway, is an imperative.

On social issues that need to be addressed;

1. Africa should not be pushed along by technology.  Rather due consideration should be given to Africa's social, cultural and political diversity;

2. There is the need in Africa to project the human image of the African society.  This should feature prominently in Africa's policy on telematics and particularly the information highway. This is particularly essential with regard to the content of the information highway as it relates to Africa;

3. Regarding the privacy of information, there is the need for appropriate policy in information technology with respect to storage, transfer and sharing of such information.  The information highway is being invariably driven by the fact that only the elite society may eventually have access to it. 

4. On initiatives towards telematics for development, it was made clear that relatively few initiatives were taken at the individual or institutional levels.  However, increasing effort is visible at the Regional level particular with respect to the media.

5. The projection of Western values at the expense of African values at the media level.  Much effort is needed to facilitate intra-African interaction so as to and promote African values and culture.

6. Strategies

Finally, the following strategy for telematics for development in Africa is recommended.

1. A cautious approach should be adopted towards the Information Highway programme.  Such a approach should address the advantages and disadvantages of the information highway and appropriate investment levels.

2. An adequate management framework for the Information Highway should be developed, and culture a of maintenance be enforced by offering incentives to institutions in the field of information technology and telematics.  Foreign partnerships should be encouraged and properly managed so that Africa's cultural and linguistic values are not compromised under the pretext of development.

3. Education must be redefined to accommodate information and technological skills at all levels of the education  system. This should be speeded up taking due cognisance of the diversity of linguistic and cultural backgrounds in Africa.

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The internet has already proved itself to be a vital communications tool for 40 million users around the world, but a new report warns it could also add yet another layer of inequality between the South and the North.

The report 'The Internet and the South: Superhighway or Dirt- track?', published in October,1995 by the London-based Panos Institute, argues that the internet's reliance on technology which is difficult to access and expensive for Third World  users could  widen the gap between the rich and the poor. 

The report says that of around five million 'host' computers connected to the internet worldwide, 70 percent are in the  United  States. By contrast, this year Vietnam made its first 12 connections, while fewer than 10 African countries are linked up.

 ''The internet could be crucial as a source of valuable information and as a boost to new forms of commerce, but so far the information revolution has only reached a few universities, companies, journalists, researchers and governments in developing  countries,'' says the report's author Mike Holderness.

 ''There is a danger of new information elitism which excludes the majority of the world's population.''

In the short term, the North-South information gap looks set to increase. Especially Africa is in danger of being left behind.

For one thing, hooking up to the internet requires a telephone  line, to which at least 80 percent of the world's population have  no access. In 49 countries, there is less than one telephone per  100 people, 35 of those are in Africa. 

''We can contact half of our 74 field officers operating in 70  countries by e-mail (electronic mail); but it's out of the question for the rest because communications infrastructures are so poor,'' comments Oxfam's head of information technology, Peter Cranston.

In the North, Holderness adds, access is not only easy but also cheap. Users of the internet pay local telecommunications  costs.

But in countries without host computers directly linked to the internet, people have to pay for international communications. Also, in Third World countries users often have to use old lines, which are slower in transmitting and therefore more expensive. More than 110 countries have direct internet access, but if other e-mail networks are taken into account, about 168 have links. All Northern countries have direct access, as do most of Eastern Europe, Latin America and South-East Asia. Most of Africa and parts of Central and South Asia are linked only to e-mail. Many African, are not connected at all.

Heather Budge-Reid, Panos' director of information, suggests aid could go some way toward solving the problem.

''I realise this may sound plaintive in the face of aid squeezes,'' she says, ''but the paybacks to societies in terms of business, education and human rights means that the whole telecommunications area needs to be pushed up the agenda of international donors.

''Whereas roads were always made a priority for access and transporting goods, telecommunications were considered a bit of a  luxury. That has changed -- telecommunications are integral to the development of a country's democracy, economy and everything  else.'' The International Telecommunications Union estimates that  investment falls short of needs by 30 billion US dollars a year  worldwide.

One major reason Southern users face difficulties, is they lack the money to buy capital-intensive goods and services, according to Tony Rutowski, executive director of the US-based Internet Society's International Secretariat.

Prices for imported electronic goods are often much higher in developing countries -- the cost of a modem in India is about four times that in the US even without taking into account the huge differences in standards of living. And in many African countries, tariff rates on information technology products stand at more than 40 percent. The report warns the South will increasingly face ''information poverty'' as more information about scientific and technological developments is made available only on the internet.

''With access to internet-only sources of technological news, financial analysts in New York could be aware of a scheme to build new telecommunications capacity in West Africa days or even weeks before journalists there could find out about it, inform the people, and start a debate on the implications.'' 

In the realm of commerce, new opportunities are opening all the time on the internet and 80,000 companies have already linked up. John Mukela of the Centre for Development Information in Lusaka, Zambia is concerned that information-based production processes will elude developing countries and consequently ''exclude them from advanced manufacturing and world trade -- thus further exacerbating their poverty''.

For example, corporations are using their computer links to export clerical jobs to developing countries. A bank in New York may find it cuts costs to fly all of its customers' cheques to the Caribbean, where details can cheaply be keyed into computers and transmitted back to the bank. But only those with low wage  rates, high literacy levels and network access stand to gain. 

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Global (electronic) University (GU) (TM) consortium, a divisional activity of GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A. (GLOSAS/USA), seeks to improve the quality and availability of in-ternational educational exchange through the use of telecommunication and information technologies.  GU's main activity is to achieve global electronic education across national boundaries by developing a cooperative infrastructure, so as to enlarge and expand the present exchange of educational courses into a worldwide system.  GU will provide underserved people of the less developed countries with access to the educational excellence available from all the world's finest sources.  Students could access the resources with a far greater variety of educational philosophies, courses and instructional styles than they could ever encounter on a single campus.

Over the past two decades GLOSAS/USA played a major pioneering role in making possible the extension of the U.S. data communication networks to other countries, particularly to Japan, and the deregulation of Japanese telecommunication policies for the use of email and computer-mediated conferencing (CMC).

GLOSAS has also conducted a number of "Global Lecture Hall (GLH)" (TM) multipoint-to-multipoint multimedia interactive videoconferences employing various inexpensive media accessible to the less developed countries, originating at different university campuses in the U.S., but spanning the globe.  A number of telecommunication technologies have been used to date, including satellites, CU-SeeMe, MBONE and other Internet based desktop conferencing packages, telephony based conferencing -- from slow scan TV to fully integrated color, motion, audio, whiteboard, etc. packages, with INTELSAT space segment complement. For more information please contact the author.

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