6 - Globalisation, ICTs, and the New Imperialism: Perspectives on Africa in the Global Electronic Village
Corresponding Author(s) : Yunusa Z. Ya’u
Africa Development,
Vol. 30 No. 1-2 (2005): Africa Development
Abstract
Globalization as promoted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) is resulting in a new imperialism that is characterized by knowledge dependence and the shrinking of the national space for decision making. It is facilitated by information and communication technologies (ICTs). The centrality of ICTs to globalization has resulted in an international concern for bridging the unequal access to ICTs that has come to be termed as digital divide. However, the discourse about bridging the digital divide tends to mask the reality of the digital deficit which is the consequence of a wider development divide. Yet the reality is that the marginality of Africa cannot be addressed by isolationism as a counterforce to globalization. What is needed is to rethink the terms and nature of Africa's integration in the global economy. This means interrogating among others, the current discourse about bridging the digital divide. This contribution addresses the substantive nature of the new imperialism and offers explanation as to why the digital divide tends to increase rather than decrease in spite of the various efforts aimed at closing it. It concludes by offering some directions in which the digital deficit as part of the wider development divide can be addressed.
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- Bangura, Yusuf, 2001, 'Globalization and African Development', Paper delivered
- at a seminar onAfrica in the New Millennium, organised by the NordicAfrican Institute andAfrican
- Heads of Mission in Stockholm, 14 May, 2001.
- Bell, Richard, 2002, 'The War is Only Just Beginning!', in Computers and Telecommunications in
- Africa, February/March edition, published by AITEC, UK.
- Berners-Lee, Tim, 1999, Weaving the Web, London: Orion Business Books. Bridges.org, 2001, Spanning
- the Digital Divide: Understanding and Tackling the
- Issues, Bridges.org, South Africa.
- Capling, Ann, 1999, 'Intellectual Property', in Brain Hocking and Steven McGuire (eds.): Trade
- Politics: International, Domestic and Regional Perspectives, London: Routledge.
- Cogburn, D. L. and Adeya Catherine, 1999, 'Globalization and the Information Economy: Challenges
- and Opportunities for Africa', Paper presented at the African Development Forum on Globalization
- and the Challenges of Information Age to Africa, UNECA, Addis Ababa, October 1999.
- De Alcantara, Cynthia H., 2001, 'The Development Divide in the Digital Age: An Issues Paper',
- UNRISD Programme on Technology, Business and Society, PP TBS 4, August 2001.
- Dedrick, Jason and Kenneth L. Kraemer, 2000, 'National 1T Policies for Developing Countries', in
- WIDERAngle, Newsletterofthe World Institute of Development Economies Research of the United Nations
- University (UNU/ WIDER), Helsinki, Finland.
- DOT Force, 2001, Global Bridges Digital Opportunities: Report of the DOT Force, (www.bellanet.org).
- Friedman, T., 1996, 'The Revoit of the Wannabes: Globalization Suffers a Backlash', in New York
- Times, 7 February, quoted in Helen O'Neill, 'Globalization, Competitiveness and Human Security:
- Challenges for Development Policy and Institutional Change', The European Journal of Development
- Research, Vol. 9, No. 1, December 1997.
- Hatkin, Nancy and Kate Wild, 2002, 'ICTs inAfrica: The Challenge to Donors in a Globai Information
- Society', in Levey, Lisbeth A. and Stacey Young (eds.), Rowing Upstream: Snapshots of Pioneers of
- the Information Age in Africa, Johannesburg: Sharp Sharp Media, pp. 69-80.
- Hamelink, Cees, J.,1998, 'ICTs and Social Development: The Global Policy Context', Paper presented
- at the Conference on Information Technologies and Social Development, June 22-23, 1998, Geneva,
- UNRISD.
- Hamilton, Paul, (ed.), 2002, The 2002 African Communication Infrastructure
- and Services Report, AITEC, UK.
- Howkins, J. and Robert Valantin, (eds.), 1997, Deve/opment and the Information Age: Four Global
- Scenariosfor the Future of Information and Communication Technology, Toronto, Canada, IDRC.
- :nfoDev, 1999, 'infoDev is..', in infoDev eXchange, Quarter/y journal of infoDev,
- October-December 1999.
- [TU, 2001, Telecommunications Statistics, (www.itu.org). [TU, 2002, Telecommunications Statistics,
- (www.itu.org).
- Jensen, M., 1999, 'Policies and Strategies for AcceleratingAfrica's Information Infrastructure
- Development', Paper presented at the African Development Forum on Globalization and the Challenges
- of Information Age to Africa, UNECA, Addis Ababa, October 1999.
- Keet, Dot, 1999, G/obalization and Regionalisation: Contradictory Tendencies,
- Counteractive Tactics, or Strategic Possibilities, FGD Occasional Paper No. 18, The Foundation for
- Global Dialogue, SouthAfrica.
- Khor, Martin, 2002, 'A Perspective on Globalization and lts Implications for Developing Countries
- ', Paper circulated at the Conference on Africa and the Development Challenges of the New
- Millennium, organised by CODESRIA and Third World Network, Accra, Ghana, 23-26, April 2002.
- Kirkman, G. S. et al., (eds.), 2002, Global Information Technology Report: 2001/ 2002: Readiness
- for the Network World, Center for International Development and World Economie Forum, USA.
- Klein, Hans, 2002, 'Creating the Illusion ofLegitimacy', Cyber Federalist, No. 14, 8 August 2002,
- Newsletter of the Civil Society Democracy Project of the Computer Professionals for Social
- Responsibility (CPSR).
- Kostecki, Michel, 1999, 'International Trade in Services', in Brain Hocking and Steven McGuire
- (eds.), Trade Politics: International, Domestic and Regional Perspectives, London: Routledge.
- Lembke, Johan, 2002, Defining the New Economy in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of EU Technology
- Infrastructure Policy, 1995-2001, Stockholm University.
- Levey, LisbethA. and Stacey Young, (eds.), 2002, Rowing Upstream: Snapshots of Pioneers of the
- Information Age in Africa, Johannesburg: Sharp Sharp Media.
- Mansell, R. and Uta Wehn, 1998, Knowledge Societies: Information Technology for Sustainable
- Development, UK: Oxford University Press.
- Mbeki, Thabo, 1998, Africa: The lime has Come: Selected Speeches of Thabo Mbeki, Cape Town:
- Tafelberg Publishers.
- NEPAD, 2001, The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), Abuja, Nigeria.
- Norris, Pippa, 2001, Digital Divide? Civic Engagement, Information Poverty and the Internet in
- Democratic Societies, US, Cambridge University Press.
- OECD, 2001, Understanding the Digital Divide, (www.oecd.org).
- Rodrik, Dani, 2001, 'The Global Governance ofTrade as ifDevelopment Really Matters', UNDP paper on
- Trade and Human Development, UNDP.
- Schechter, Danny, 2001, 'Are the New Media Good for Democracy?', Paper
- presented at the Media Forum during the Democracy Forum 2001 organized by International IDEA in
- Stockholm, Sweden, 27-29 June r ·
- Soltane, Ben and Karima Bounemra, 1999, 'Globalization and the Information
- Age: Role of the African Information Society Initiative', Paper presented at the African
- Development Forum on Globalization and the Challenges of Information Age to Africa, UNECA, Addis
- Ababa, October 1999.
- Sy, Jacques Habib, 1996, Telecommunications Dependency: The African Saga (1850-1980), Nairobi:
- Regal Press.
- Third World Network, 2001, 'A Development Perspective of the Multilateral Trade System', A report
- prepared by the Third World Network for the UNDP Workshop on Trade and Human Development, held in
- Accra, Ghana, September, 2001.
- fomlinson, John, 1996, 'Cultural Globalisation: Placing and Displacing the West',
- The European Journal of Development Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, December. Torres, Raymond, 2001,
- Towards a Socially Sustainable World Economy: An
- Analysis of the Social Pillars ofGlobalization, Geneva, ILO.
- UNDP, 2001, 'UNDP Thematic Trust Fund: Information and Communication Technology for Development',
- on the UNDP's website (www.undp.org).
- UNECA, 1996, The African Infonnation Society Initiative (AISI): An Action Framework to Build
- Africa's Information Infrastructure,Addis Ababa, UNECA. UNECA, 1999a, National Information and
- Communication Infrastructure: Country
- Profiles, Addis Ababa, UNECA.
- UNECA, 1999b, 'The Way Forward to a People-centred African Information Society Report of the First
- African Development Forum (ADF '99)', Addis Ababa, UNECA.
- United States Internet CounciI (USIC), 2001, 'The State of the Internet, Annual
- Report of the USIC for the year 2000' (www.usic.gov).
- Varoglu, Zeynep and Cedric Wachholz, 2001, 'Education and ICTs: Current Legal, Ethical and Economie
- Issues', in TechKnowLogia, September 2001 edition (www.techknowlogia.org).
- Ya'u, Y Z., 2000, 'Extending Access to ICTS Through Telecentres in Nigeria:
- Current Practices, Problems, Prospects and Future Directions', Paper presented at the SecondAfrican
- Internet Summit (AFRINET 2000) held at Abuja, August, 2000 organised jointly by NCC and USAID.
- Ya'u, Y. Z., 2002a, 'Confronting the Digital Divide: An Interrogation oftheAfrican
- Initiatives at Bridging the Gap', paper presented at the CODESRIA/fWN Conference on African and the
- Challenges of Development in the New Millennium, Accra, Ghana, April 2002.
- Ya'u, Y. Z., 2002b, 'ICTs, Globalization and Democracy: LocatingAfrica in the
- World Wide Web', Paper presented at the Damina Research Methodology Training Programme for
- Postgraduate Students on the theme Globalization and Democracy in Africa, organised by Centre for
- Research and Documentation '.CRD). Kano, 18-30,August, Kano.
References
Bangura, Yusuf, 2001, 'Globalization and African Development', Paper delivered
at a seminar onAfrica in the New Millennium, organised by the NordicAfrican Institute andAfrican
Heads of Mission in Stockholm, 14 May, 2001.
Bell, Richard, 2002, 'The War is Only Just Beginning!', in Computers and Telecommunications in
Africa, February/March edition, published by AITEC, UK.
Berners-Lee, Tim, 1999, Weaving the Web, London: Orion Business Books. Bridges.org, 2001, Spanning
the Digital Divide: Understanding and Tackling the
Issues, Bridges.org, South Africa.
Capling, Ann, 1999, 'Intellectual Property', in Brain Hocking and Steven McGuire (eds.): Trade
Politics: International, Domestic and Regional Perspectives, London: Routledge.
Cogburn, D. L. and Adeya Catherine, 1999, 'Globalization and the Information Economy: Challenges
and Opportunities for Africa', Paper presented at the African Development Forum on Globalization
and the Challenges of Information Age to Africa, UNECA, Addis Ababa, October 1999.
De Alcantara, Cynthia H., 2001, 'The Development Divide in the Digital Age: An Issues Paper',
UNRISD Programme on Technology, Business and Society, PP TBS 4, August 2001.
Dedrick, Jason and Kenneth L. Kraemer, 2000, 'National 1T Policies for Developing Countries', in
WIDERAngle, Newsletterofthe World Institute of Development Economies Research of the United Nations
University (UNU/ WIDER), Helsinki, Finland.
DOT Force, 2001, Global Bridges Digital Opportunities: Report of the DOT Force, (www.bellanet.org).
Friedman, T., 1996, 'The Revoit of the Wannabes: Globalization Suffers a Backlash', in New York
Times, 7 February, quoted in Helen O'Neill, 'Globalization, Competitiveness and Human Security:
Challenges for Development Policy and Institutional Change', The European Journal of Development
Research, Vol. 9, No. 1, December 1997.
Hatkin, Nancy and Kate Wild, 2002, 'ICTs inAfrica: The Challenge to Donors in a Globai Information
Society', in Levey, Lisbeth A. and Stacey Young (eds.), Rowing Upstream: Snapshots of Pioneers of
the Information Age in Africa, Johannesburg: Sharp Sharp Media, pp. 69-80.
Hamelink, Cees, J.,1998, 'ICTs and Social Development: The Global Policy Context', Paper presented
at the Conference on Information Technologies and Social Development, June 22-23, 1998, Geneva,
UNRISD.
Hamilton, Paul, (ed.), 2002, The 2002 African Communication Infrastructure
and Services Report, AITEC, UK.
Howkins, J. and Robert Valantin, (eds.), 1997, Deve/opment and the Information Age: Four Global
Scenariosfor the Future of Information and Communication Technology, Toronto, Canada, IDRC.
:nfoDev, 1999, 'infoDev is..', in infoDev eXchange, Quarter/y journal of infoDev,
October-December 1999.
[TU, 2001, Telecommunications Statistics, (www.itu.org). [TU, 2002, Telecommunications Statistics,
(www.itu.org).
Jensen, M., 1999, 'Policies and Strategies for AcceleratingAfrica's Information Infrastructure
Development', Paper presented at the African Development Forum on Globalization and the Challenges
of Information Age to Africa, UNECA, Addis Ababa, October 1999.
Keet, Dot, 1999, G/obalization and Regionalisation: Contradictory Tendencies,
Counteractive Tactics, or Strategic Possibilities, FGD Occasional Paper No. 18, The Foundation for
Global Dialogue, SouthAfrica.
Khor, Martin, 2002, 'A Perspective on Globalization and lts Implications for Developing Countries
', Paper circulated at the Conference on Africa and the Development Challenges of the New
Millennium, organised by CODESRIA and Third World Network, Accra, Ghana, 23-26, April 2002.
Kirkman, G. S. et al., (eds.), 2002, Global Information Technology Report: 2001/ 2002: Readiness
for the Network World, Center for International Development and World Economie Forum, USA.
Klein, Hans, 2002, 'Creating the Illusion ofLegitimacy', Cyber Federalist, No. 14, 8 August 2002,
Newsletter of the Civil Society Democracy Project of the Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility (CPSR).
Kostecki, Michel, 1999, 'International Trade in Services', in Brain Hocking and Steven McGuire
(eds.), Trade Politics: International, Domestic and Regional Perspectives, London: Routledge.
Lembke, Johan, 2002, Defining the New Economy in Europe: A Comparative Analysis of EU Technology
Infrastructure Policy, 1995-2001, Stockholm University.
Levey, LisbethA. and Stacey Young, (eds.), 2002, Rowing Upstream: Snapshots of Pioneers of the
Information Age in Africa, Johannesburg: Sharp Sharp Media.
Mansell, R. and Uta Wehn, 1998, Knowledge Societies: Information Technology for Sustainable
Development, UK: Oxford University Press.
Mbeki, Thabo, 1998, Africa: The lime has Come: Selected Speeches of Thabo Mbeki, Cape Town:
Tafelberg Publishers.
NEPAD, 2001, The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), Abuja, Nigeria.
Norris, Pippa, 2001, Digital Divide? Civic Engagement, Information Poverty and the Internet in
Democratic Societies, US, Cambridge University Press.
OECD, 2001, Understanding the Digital Divide, (www.oecd.org).
Rodrik, Dani, 2001, 'The Global Governance ofTrade as ifDevelopment Really Matters', UNDP paper on
Trade and Human Development, UNDP.
Schechter, Danny, 2001, 'Are the New Media Good for Democracy?', Paper
presented at the Media Forum during the Democracy Forum 2001 organized by International IDEA in
Stockholm, Sweden, 27-29 June r ·
Soltane, Ben and Karima Bounemra, 1999, 'Globalization and the Information
Age: Role of the African Information Society Initiative', Paper presented at the African
Development Forum on Globalization and the Challenges of Information Age to Africa, UNECA, Addis
Ababa, October 1999.
Sy, Jacques Habib, 1996, Telecommunications Dependency: The African Saga (1850-1980), Nairobi:
Regal Press.
Third World Network, 2001, 'A Development Perspective of the Multilateral Trade System', A report
prepared by the Third World Network for the UNDP Workshop on Trade and Human Development, held in
Accra, Ghana, September, 2001.
fomlinson, John, 1996, 'Cultural Globalisation: Placing and Displacing the West',
The European Journal of Development Research, Vol. 8, No. 2, December. Torres, Raymond, 2001,
Towards a Socially Sustainable World Economy: An
Analysis of the Social Pillars ofGlobalization, Geneva, ILO.
UNDP, 2001, 'UNDP Thematic Trust Fund: Information and Communication Technology for Development',
on the UNDP's website (www.undp.org).
UNECA, 1996, The African Infonnation Society Initiative (AISI): An Action Framework to Build
Africa's Information Infrastructure,Addis Ababa, UNECA. UNECA, 1999a, National Information and
Communication Infrastructure: Country
Profiles, Addis Ababa, UNECA.
UNECA, 1999b, 'The Way Forward to a People-centred African Information Society Report of the First
African Development Forum (ADF '99)', Addis Ababa, UNECA.
United States Internet CounciI (USIC), 2001, 'The State of the Internet, Annual
Report of the USIC for the year 2000' (www.usic.gov).
Varoglu, Zeynep and Cedric Wachholz, 2001, 'Education and ICTs: Current Legal, Ethical and Economie
Issues', in TechKnowLogia, September 2001 edition (www.techknowlogia.org).
Ya'u, Y Z., 2000, 'Extending Access to ICTS Through Telecentres in Nigeria:
Current Practices, Problems, Prospects and Future Directions', Paper presented at the SecondAfrican
Internet Summit (AFRINET 2000) held at Abuja, August, 2000 organised jointly by NCC and USAID.
Ya'u, Y. Z., 2002a, 'Confronting the Digital Divide: An Interrogation oftheAfrican
Initiatives at Bridging the Gap', paper presented at the CODESRIA/fWN Conference on African and the
Challenges of Development in the New Millennium, Accra, Ghana, April 2002.
Ya'u, Y. Z., 2002b, 'ICTs, Globalization and Democracy: LocatingAfrica in the
World Wide Web', Paper presented at the Damina Research Methodology Training Programme for
Postgraduate Students on the theme Globalization and Democracy in Africa, organised by Centre for
Research and Documentation '.CRD). Kano, 18-30,August, Kano.