Abstract
Many developed countries today claim the status of knowledge societies as they have invested heavily in human capacity building as well as the development of efficient information infrastructure and physical infrastructure comprising of a network of roads, railways, airports and harbours. However, for many countries on the African continent the „last mile‟ to the information and knowledge society has the potential to become the lost mile as there is limited capacity building in African countries. These countries cannot successfully utilise their ICT infrastructure due to a shortage in human capacity and therefore have an inability to benefit economically from the application of modern ICT. It has become imperative that information infrastructure and physical infrastructure development go hand-in-hand with aggressive investment in human capacity building and development. Africa will only bear the economic fruit of investment in information technology if it is supported by the further development of its people with regard to literacy and education. Without these there can be very little economic progress or progression towards the information and knowledge society.
Recommended Citation
Holmner, M.; Britz, J.J.; and Ponelis, SR, "The last mile or the lost mile? The information and knowledge society in Africa" (2010). GlobDev 2010. 7.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/globdev2010/7