THE TELEMATICS FOR AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIUM

AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

by Neil Butcher, Bob Day and Nebo Legoabe

Introduction

Like many developing countries, South Africa is grappling with the challenge of harnessing information and communication technologies (ICTs) effectively to accelerate social development. Most debate in this area tends to centre on the extent to which the adoption and use of these technologies can contribute to reducing the massive inequity that exists between and within societies. More often than not, Africa is used as a focal point for discussion. Some observations about the potential of ICTs have been repeated to the point of cliché. They tend to reflect a simplistic conviction that Africa will benefit from the development of ICTs. This type of observation is sometimes tempered with some awareness of the danger that the explosive growth of ICTs may serve to entrench disparity, rather than eradicate it. However even where these practical difficulties are acknowledged, the underlying conviction most often remains.

Of course, in recognizing the potential role of ICTs in accelerating social development in Africa, these types of observations are not incorrect. Moreover, they abound in the literature about development challenges facing South Africa. There is, however, a nagging sense of unease the more one is exposed to this rhetoric. Repetition of rhetorical statements about the developmental potential of ICTs soon starts to ring hollow, raising more questions than it answers. Why has the promise not been fulfilled, although the rhetoric can certainly no longer be described as a new phenomenon? Why is it that the many structures established as a consequence of this rhetoric have had so little impact? If this rhetoric is not supporting the implementation of sustainable solutions to the continent’s problems, in whose interest is it to continue to push it and why? Whose vision for Africa, and South Africa, is actually being articulated, particularly when so much of this rhetoric is the output of international agencies, written by people not even based in Africa?

Unfortunately, this line of questioning easily leads to cynical interpretations of unfolding events and the motives behind them that make no useful contribution to the challenges facing South Africa. Furthermore, such interpretations are often based on unrealistic expectations of what can be achieved and in what time-span. In this way, they often gloss over achievements at the micro-level in favour of painting gloomy statistical pictures of macro problems.

This can lead to a debilitating, pessimistic rhetoric, which is as unhelpful as that outlined above. It ignores the reality, articulated above, that left to itself the development of ICTs will serve only to entrench or widen the gap between those who have resources and those who do not. Of course, this should not be taken to imply that articulating problems is not an important first step in solving them. When, however, this is not accompanied by strategies to solve the problems—even if those strategies turn out to be inappropriate—it can do little other than create a sense of despair.

Rather than falling into either of these traps, this paper will describe briefly the work of the Telematics for African Development Consortium, a project that has worked primarily to investigate practical strategies for harnessing ICTs effectively to accelerate social development in South Africa.

The Origins of the Consortium

The Internet has seen unprecedented growth recently from a loosely organized, text-based communication system used mainly by the military and academics, to a vast source of disparate information being used increasingly by the private sector. It is clear that the emerging technologies in telematics all share one common feature—convergence. As is well known, convergence is being driven by the “digital revolution:” digitization of existing and new content; digitization of switching and transmission processes; development of computerized signalling and network management techniques; decentralization of network intelligence; and rapid growth of computer-based, value-added telematics services. By the year 2000, it is predicted that this convergence will have created the world’s biggest industry, with annual revenues of US$3.5 trillion split about equally between computing and consumer electronics, telecommunications, and the media and publishing industries.

The Telematics for African Development Consortium was established in August 1995 with a vision of using information and communications technologies to improve Africa’s access to and use of information for community development and education. The initial conceptualization of the consortium was based on a belief that it is important to prove concepts and show what is achievable using pilot projects instead of the “big bang” approach for several reasons. These include:

--            the risks associated both with the technologies and their implementation can be assessed and reduced at relatively low cost;

--            the issues associated with sustainability and replicability can be evaluated in context and involve all stakeholders; and

--            the fast emerging technologies in this dynamic environment can be quickly and cheaply evaluated and incorporated, where appropriate, without undue wastage.

The consortium aimed to contribute to find sustainable solutions to several problems. These are:

--            content on the Internet and related education systems is often not relevant to users in the developing world since it is primarily focused on developed world issues;

--            this lack of relevant content means that demand, and hence usage, in the developing world is low;

--            coupled with this lack of demand, the lack of infrastructure is causing the developing world to fall ever further behind in the Information Age; and

--            appropriate delivery and learning environments, tailored to the needs and realities of developing communities, are also lacking.

The founding members originally established the consortium as a strategy for raising funds to finance various pilot projects. They compiled a package of projects intended to improve access to education services by less favoured communities in South Africa. These projects targeted the establishment of local content; delivery over low cost, high-bandwidth wireless infrastructure; and the creation and testing of interactive, multimedia usage environments. They were as follows:

"          Content Creation

--            A prototype Standard 7 Biology syllabus and course for secondary level teachers and students (St. Alban’s College): A prototype computer-based lesson on “the cell” was developed to demonstrate the possibility of providing a wide range of curriculum resources via the World Wide Web.

--            A prototype academic English reading skills course for 7,600 tertiary level, first-year English medium students (University of South Africa): the Academic Reading Construction Kit is a computer-based prototype lesson to teach academic English to under-prepared students wishing to enter first year study at the University of South Africa or other tertiary institutions.

"          Usage Facilitation

--            Tools that will facilitate and accelerate further development of distance education (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research—CSIR): The prototype Curriculum Management Tool automates the management of formatting and links between web pages created using HTML (hypertext markup language). The tool enables the creators of educational curriculum content to enter their material into a database using a simple interface and text editor, without needing to know HTML or the structure of the database. Participants need no special software other than a suitable web browser.

--            Informal, essential information and education services to the disadvantaged community in Mamelodi near Pretoria (Mamelodi Community Information Service and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research): MACIS uses database and interactive computer technologies to provide relevant information services in a disadvantaged community. The information provided is based on a needs analysis of the poor; covers products, services, resources, issues and events in the community; and promotes participation in community affairs. These services aim to provide educational information concerning basic life skills and transparent governance, and to promote the development of small business. It is in this environment that the essential but as yet poorly understood role of the information/education facilitator(s) will be investigated and formalized.

"          Delivery Infrastructure

--            Wireless, wide area high-bandwidth connectivity (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research): The Community Information Delivery Service (CIDS) focuses on implementation of the “last mile” networking infrastructure to unconnected communities. CIDS is a low cost, high-bandwidth (effectively 1.3 mbps) spread spectrum packet radio system that can be deployed within days. The initial pilot project connects the teachers’ training college, the library and two high schools in Mamelodi.

In April 1996 the consortium received funding for these projects from the World Bank’s InfoDev Programme. Prototypes of the projects were demonstrated at the Information Society and Development Conference in May 1996 in Midrand. The InfoDev task manager also organized brief study tours to Brazil, Egypt, Mozambique and Russia, which involved many of the most important players in distance learning in each of the countries with a view to sharing experiences of the projects.

Evaluation

Although full evaluation of the pilot services was unfortunately not built into the original proposals, various processes allowed for the development of feedback including an exhibition, and showing funders the concepts along with their participation in follow-up seminars, where they unanimously voiced their appreciation of the project.

Most importantly Professor Michael Moore of Pennsylvania State University in the United States, an internationally-recognised expert on distance learning, spent a month with the consortium to assess the projects. He concluded that the prototype materials in the three educational sectors have been produced and tested, but with considerable variation in the quality of the testing and variation regarding their current appropriateness and readiness for use in the previously disadvantaged communities for which they were designed. Professor Moore said that:

--            the Mamelodi community information project had achieved its goals;

--            the University of South Africa project had achieved its goals after a working prototype of the Internet form of the mind-maps, flowcharts, tree diagrams and tables has been subject to evaluation;

--            the St. Albans project will achieve its goals after it has been subjected to formative evaluation by learners and teachers drawn from the populations who will eventually use it; and

--            the related projects will have achieved their goals after they have been tested and reported on.

Professor Moore also noted that the participants in the consortium had achieved a high degree of success under difficult circumstances and had learned important lessons from the first stage of the project.

These lessons are summarized below.

--            “Discoveries” were made as the consortium evolved and its components developed.

--            There is tremendous value in an energetic facilitator/networker/motivator played by an objective, knowledgeable individual of international stature.

--            Alliances based on core competencies and mutual enthusiasm are essential, and the interdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach is crucial.

--            Pilots can create synergies between existing initiatives as well as stimulating new initiatives.

--            There is a need for two types of funding: short-term funding is essential for pilots with six-month life cycles, and long-term funding is necessary for larger projects. Ideally, the latter should follow on from the former.

--            Development projects should be seen as a regional initiative rather than a national issue.

--            The international dimension introduced by the international workshops has short- and long-term value. It promotes both technical and educational learning, as well as reducing wasteful duplication. It also stimulates the potential for further international collaboration, and positions the consortium in the minds of major players throughout much of the world.

--            Evaluation has been inadequate in the projects. All future project plans should have evaluation included from inception.

--            Sustainability of initiatives in distance education depends, among other things, on private sector involvement. It was found that the business sector would like to participate, but they require a short project life-cycle (about six months or less). To the extent that it takes longer (particularly delayed co-funding), the decision-making process imposes too much risk for the private sector.

--            The multi-disciplinary nature of the projects resulted in the involvement of several contributing organizations. Hence the need for recognition and funding up front of high-level project management of the sub-projects of each contributor, which is not a simple process.

--            InfoDev’s mechanisms and processes are too vague. Guidelines need to be provided in a user-friendly way.

--            InfoDev’s objectives are very relevant to the developing world. However, InfoDev will be inaccessible to most developing countries if the financial resources are only disbursed a year after the project is initiated.

Turning the Consortium into an Information Network

The consortium evaluation said respondents with whom the evaluator held interviews were almost unanimous in the value they attached to the consortium and their wish for its work to continue. To this end, the evaluation recommended establishing a secretariat for the consortium, which it said would help in overcoming several obstacles. “Most notable has been the lack of communication and collaboration among the funded projects,” it said, “that has had a deleterious effect on all the projects…. Nothing could be more important for the future of the Consortium and for developing the networking and inter-relationships among the nearly 100 agencies and institutions that now are in one way or another its members, than implementing this plan.”

The founding members, coordinated by CSIR, initiated an “open-door” policy to allow other organizations to participate in the consortium’s activities. They did this by receiving information on the above-mentioned package of projects and by sharing experiences from their own projects. In this way, the consortium grew from a small group to a large forum with over 90 participants for the exchange of ideas. The South African Institute for Distance Education (SAIDE) was approached to function as the consortium’s secretariat, a role it took on in late 1997. Since SAIDE took over as secretariat, the figure has grown to over 440!

The consortium is now an open information network, which includes a number of government organizations, foundations, NGOs, private sector enterprises and educational institutions. All consortium members wish to see the development of Africa’s information infrastructure, and more importantly African human resources. While they may have different ideas about how to achieve these objectives, the only condition for any organization wishing to join the consortium is that they make no conditions. Although the consortium began in South Africa, it is not in any way limited to South African organizations or South African branches of international organizations.

The Telematics for African Development Consortium will offer members a variety of services, which are listed below.

--            Member organizations will be able to gain access through a single networking structure to a wealth of information on telematics-related development activities in South Africa, and slowly throughout Africa. This will be available both through regular meetings of the consortium, its various working groups, and via a consortium website. Within the consortium, there will be a strong focus on disseminating examples of best practice in the use of telematics and related technologies, as well as establishing links with other projects and initiatives in this area to ensure that there is no duplication of effort. For example, the consortium has established a partnership with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to gather information on relevant South African initiatives as part of the Southern African Development, Culture, and Communication Network (SADECCON). In this project, the consortium provides a crucial network to SADECCON, while the HSRC fulfils a vital role of information gathering about consortium-related activities. Similarly, the consortium is working with the Technology-Enhanced Learning Initiative of Southern Africa (TELISA) to provide information networking services to avoid duplication.

--            Member organizations will gain an important additional outlet for sharing information that they have gathered and for publicizing their own activities.

--            Member organizations will be exposed to a range of other organizations and structures with which future partnerships might be pursued and which, through opportunities for contact provided by the consortium structures, might serve to broaden horizons. This will gradually be augmented by the additional contact provided with initiatives throughout Africa.

--            By channelling information through a single networking structure, member organizations will be much better placed to engage with identified national initiatives from a position of some strength as producers and not only consumers. The benefits of this have already been demonstrated in the consortium’s collective response to the Department of Education’s Technology-Enhanced Learning Investigation.

--            A single coordinating structure also means that information on telematics-related development activities is more easily accessible internationally, thus giving valuable exposure to initiatives of the member organizations.

In addition to the above benefits to members, the secretariat also aims to provide the following secretarial services, some subject to raising additional funding.

--            Running Consortium Gatherings: Perhaps the most important role of a secretariat for the Telematics for African Development Consortium is to take responsibility for ensuring that all meetings run smoothly and are of value to consortium members. The secretariat conducts all necessary preparations for consortium meetings, ensuring that members are informed well in advance of meeting agendas and topics for discussion. It also writes reports on the main conclusions and action plans of gatherings and circulates these to all members, thus ensuring that those unable to attend are still kept informed.

--            Responsibility for Consortium Communications: A key function of the consortium secretariat is to ensure ongoing communication between members. The primary function of a consortium is to provide tangible benefits to members emerging from their ongoing contact with a range of other parties with similar interests to their own. People will soon lose interest if these networking functions are not carried out in an organized and sustainable way. In the absence of extensive funding, the consortium’s communication strategies currently rely almost exclusively on the use of e-mail and fax, but new communications strategies will be added when more funding is obtained.

--            Information Functions: In addition to undertaking the communications functions outlined above, the secretariat also takes responsibility for accessing, collecting and disseminating information relevant to the activities of its members. This information includes policy statements, relevant newsletters, research papers, information on local and international organizations of interest, and other resources. The consortium does this primarily through an electronic newsletter service.

--            Publicity Functions: A key to the success of any consortium is growth through the addition of members who bring new ideas and insights. Simultaneously, it is essential to ensure that these additions do not impede the activities of the consortium by creating a need for lengthy “catch-up” exercises that are repetitive for existing members. For this to happen effectively, it is essential that there is ongoing publicity about the consortium and its activities. The secretariat takes responsibility for coordinating publicity activities.

--            World Wide Web Site: All of the above functions would be greatly facilitated by the establishment of a World Wide Web site on the Internet. When resources for this become available, SAIDE will manage its development and maintenance.

Invitation to Participate

The Telematics for African Development Consortium is open to participation by anyone interested in joining. There are no financial or other obligations, and participation suggests no commitment to any particular philosophical or ideological approach other than the sharing of information about important activities and initiatives. Anyone interested in receiving information from the secretariat should e-mail Neil Butcher at <neilshel@icon.co.za>.

Compilation of this article relied on initial input from Bob Day, Nebo Legoabe, Hennie Ras, Grant Nupen, Casper Schutte, Nic Swart, Michael Groenewaldt and Glen Jordan.

Voices from Africa no. 9