Information Technology and Development in Africa: The Case of Eritrea By DR. RAVINDER RENA [EIT – Mainefhi]

The adoption of promising technologies is hampered by a poor understanding of the challenges faced by their users. Research has established not only that there is considerable variation in adoption patterns and benefits that firms derive from technology deployment, but also that user ignorance and perceptions have led to gross underutilization of systems such as e-mail and Internet.

Technology accounts for the wide economic development discrepancy observed between African countries and developed nations. Although information and communications technology (I.C.T.) is a key driver of economic growth, I.C.T. access remains a serious problem throughout Africa particularly in Eritrea. Underutilization of I.C.T. in the region has persisted despite major growth in an installed information technology (I.T.) base in line with global trends, leading researchers to seek solutions in human behavior.

Firms should enhance their technical capabilities in terms of manufacturing, marketing, and product quality in order to remain competitive. Adopting new technologies is essential for sustained competitive advantage in all industries and produces tangible market benefits. I.T. plays a strategic role in the long-term survival of a firm. It is thus a necessity as opposed to a luxury or option. While many people in the developed world enjoy easy access to information through the Internet, e-mail, and telephony, billions in the developing world do not. The digital divide is not a problem in itself, but rather a symptom of the deeper, more important divide of income, development, and literacy. Fighting poverty is more than transferring money to the poor or direct job creation for the poor; it is providing tools that will empower people to be more productive. One tool is facilitating more effective mobile telephony penetration at the grassroots, because this is the most sensible and powerful way of using technology to promote bottom up development while effectively responding to the digital divide.
Eritrea is one of the youngest nations in the world, officially becoming independent from Ethiopia in 1993 after a debilitating war that lasted more than 30 years. It is located in northeast Africa with a total area of 124,432 square kilometers and a coastline on the Red Sea of almost 1,000 kilometers. Eritrea is bordered in the north and west by Sudan, in the south by Ethiopia and Djibouti, and in the east by the Red Sea. It has an estimated population of about 4.3 million with a population growth per annum estimated at 2.9 percent. It has nine ethnic groups and six administrative provinces.

In 2005, the number of people living in Eritrea was estimated at 4.2 million. According to the United Nations' Human Development Report 2005, Eritrea is ranked 166 out of 177 on the Human Development Index. The grading order is based on life expectancy, literacy levels, manpower development, and health distribution. Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa opined that "As long as poverty, injustice, and gross inequality persist in our world, none of us can truly rest. Alleviating poverty is not an act of charity. It is an Act of duty." The people living below the poverty line in Eritrea are reported to be 66.6 percent. Thus, Eritrea is cited as a country that is unlikely to reduce poverty levels by half by 2015 because of the huge gap between the rich and poor. Even if Eritrea were to achieve a 1 percent per capita growth rate on current distribution patterns, it would not halve poverty until 2030. The global policies and unjust trade rules are some of the major hindrances that continue to deny millions of people in the world's poorest countries an escape route from poverty and perpetual inequalities.
Harnessing the full potential of I.C.T.'s will help fulfill the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals. There is great need to formulate improved models for overcoming impediments. Most importantly, however, we must connect the ordinary citizen to these solutions through the necessary info-resources, technology, and organizational capacity locally, regionally, and globally.

Accelerated effort must be taken to better address the limited know-how to access and utilize I.C.T.'s. The tremendous potential of young people should be freed so that they can contribute in meaningful, substantive, and sustainable ways to effectively address the greatest challenges at the heart of our development agenda: poverty, conflict, H.I.V./AIDS, democracy, good governance, harnessing the benefits of science, technology and I.C.T.'s, trade, and investment.
We are often the leading innovators in the use and spread of I.C.T.'s, and all young people are uniquely positioned to effect change in the exponential because of their energy, creativity, enthusiasm to remain pioneers in the I.C.T. movement, and most importantly, dedication to sustainable development in their local and global communities. As both business and social entrepreneurs, young people are creatively using technology to address community needs and meet global challenges.

In many developed countries, it is estimated that over half of all capital investment by firms goes into I.T. systems. The adoption of new technology is hampered, however, by a requirement for new routines and behavior. Apart from underutilization, these requirements may lead to technology rejection and nonuse. This frequently results in failure to meet objectives and frustration on the part of senior managers. Understanding how and why variations occur will help firms avoid the common and expensive failures witnessed in technology adoption projects. Deployment and use of new I.T. systems is key to competitiveness. Globally, investments in I.T. are characterized, however, by uncertainty over expected benefits and huge irreversible costs. Although the flow of technology from the West into Africa has been on the rise, there is growing concern over low returns and failed technology implementations in the continent. Blind deployment of technology without complete evaluation of factors that influence user acceptance behavior can be dangerous for firms in Africa because of the region's unique culture. Socio-cultural settings are an important factor in technology acceptance and account for variation in user behavior.

Factors Affecting Technology Usage Studies in the developed world have indicated a positive correlation between deployment of information technologies and rise of productivity. In Africa though, there has been growth in the installation of system and articulation of benefits, underutilization has persisted. Additional training and support is required if performance is to improve.

Liberalization of the I.C.T. sector in Eritrea in the last 15 years of independence has led to a rapid growth in technology deployment in the country. However, the low density of I.C.T. infrastructure, congestion, and costs are significant impediments to technology usage. As a result, I.C.T. access and user exposure to technology are limited (with four service providers like Telecommunications Service of Eritrea (TSE), Tfanus, Ewan Technology, and Computer Training Services (CTS). It is observed that a majority of the users depend on public cyber cafés or institutions for access to Internet and e-mail.

Apart from the inadequate I.C.T. framework, what little technology is deployed in Eritrea is underutilized. Although a majority of firms and institutions have an infrastructure that can support e-commerce, this potential is not utilized but largely used for Internet surfing and e-mail-chatting. In the few firms where managers are willing to accept new technologies, only partial implementation has been done.

Eritrea has a very low density of personal computers and Internet deployment compared to some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The spending on I.C.T. is low due to other pressing needs such as famines. Information technology is perceived as foreign and there is little attention paid to factors that affect adoption such as lack of infrastructure and skills. This has led to wide intercountry disparities in I.T. usage arising from a weak regulatory platform, low education levels, and social economic differences. Therefore, educating users on the benefits of technology is as important as teaching them how the technology works, as ignorance is a contributing factor to failed technology implementations. There is little use of wide area networks (WAN), extranets, and high-speed digital lines in Eritrea partly because of the poor understanding of performance gains from their use. In Eritrea, performance perceptions vary. People believe I.T. skills provide a competitive advantage in the job market and expect to integrate the skill either in jobs or in their own private business for better performance. I.C.T. and Expectations

Users prefer e-mail systems to postal service because e-mail is easier to use. Users of e-commerce prefer to send e-mail photo attachments to potential customers rather than send samples through DHL International Ltd., partly because it takes less effort to send e-mails. E-mail is more readily accepted and used, as both telephone and courier services are expensive. Thus, other than the ease of use, the performance benefits achieved through cost savings tend to increase usage and satisfaction of technology. The extent to which people are able to learn from one another is critical to adoption of new technologies in developing countries. Users in Eritrea observe and seek information from close friends. Cooperation within groups and development of trust at informal levels is therefore an important factor in user acceptance behavior.

The traditional cultural discrimination against women coupled with a large power distance in Eritrea has a significant social influence on acceptance and usage of technology. The government departments in Eritrea use computers as more advanced typewriters. Age is a significant moderator of social influence in Eritrea. Senior positions tend to be filled by older workers who are presumably wiser within the Eritrean cultural context. Such cultural bias limits the ability of the older workers to learn since they do not want to be seen struggling.
In general, technology developed for Western markets is not appropriately customized to the Eritrean culture. Technology is developed for use within a social context. Consequently, there are challenges in implementing technologies from developed countries within Africa. The major difference between Western cultures and African and Eritrean cultures is the culture dimension of uncertainly avoidance and large power distance. Information technology systems tend to increase power among the skilled worker. Subsequently, the technology is likely to be favorably received by the lower cadres within an organization but resisted by their immediate managers.
In Africa, tribal affiliation is an important cultural aspect that is manifested in firms through personal influence and tribal patronage in personnel recruitment processes. Hiring of expatriates, as often happens with new technologies, and the efficiencies that are meant to come with the new systems threaten existing social and power structures leading to resistance and underutilization. Users tend to be more satisfied with technology adapted to their culture. Even in the West, new technologies redefine job activities, and interactions and power relationships within an organization. We should no longer be seen as a huge jobless liability, but as what we really are: assets, great leaders in the making!

By Dr. Ravinder Rena
Asst. Professor of Economics, Dept. of Business and Economics, Eritrea Institute of Technology (Under Ministry of Education), Mai Nefhi, The State of Eritrea.