Impediments to the Growth of Information and Communication Technologies in Africa’s Least Developed Countries, LDCs

Abstract

The paper under took a critical examination of the impediments to the growth of the ICTs in Africa’s Least Developed Countries, LDCs. It began by exploring the “window of opportunities” ICTs hold for the LDCs. The paper however argued that these benefits can only touch on the lives of this section of the world if ICTs are made affordable, and the issue of poverty is adequately addressed. Among the several road bumps against ICT diffusion in LDCs that the paper identified are illiteracy, poverty, poor ICT infrastructure, and weak policy and regulatory framework. It is the paper’s position that these obstacles, no matter how daunting they look, are surmountable given the right government policy and collaboration among the government, the private sector and civil society. The work offered elaborate measures of how to dismantle the road blocks against ICTs’ penetration in LDCs.

Key words: Impediments, Information, Communication, Technology, Least Developed   Countries