April 2006 - Using Technology And The Internet To Teach(& Encourage Software Entrepreneuring) Across African Societies)

One of the strategic objectives I have for maintaining this mini site is to use it as a medium to document/promote ideas about creative, cost-effective ways by which African communities can achieve prosperity through the use of technology and the Internet to develop their intellectual capital base.

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Africans Need To Open Up To Technology

Too many times I see people in African societies clinging to old ways of doing things - almost as if scared of the new and sometimes radically different ALTERNATIVE ways now made possible by advancements in technology.

A perfect example of this is readily seen in the prevailing attitude towards the use of PC/Internet technology. I have been opportuned to travel to a number of African states, and of course have lived/worked in a number of cities in my own country NIgeria. The same problem persists: People have a seeming aversion for using these powerful and cost-effective tools to make doing their daily activities easier and faster.

A large majority of our people remain in awe of Internet technology, rather than seeing it as the greatest leveler of all times, that TODAY makes it possible for any willing person from any part of the world to exert a felt impact on people and places worldwide, without physically getting there!

Why Don't Our Schools Use PC/Internet Technology Well?

Why for instance is it that we do not have a proliferation of educational institutions using the Internet to cheaply pass on knowledge to their learners in a way that will allow the latter to pay LESS tuition - if at all any?

No, I do not accept that what schools and some universities are currently doing by having computer centers equates to what I am describing here. What I am after is the ACTIVE use of the PC and Internet technology as a means of more effectively delivering knowledge to learners within and beyond the local environment.

THAT is NOT happening in our institutions currently. Yes, they conduct computer and Internet appreciation classes, BUT that's where it ends. There is little or no effort put into using these tools to CREATE and INNOVATE. That's why our educational institutions cannot boast of having website (if they have a web site that is!) visitors that come regularly to browse and download useful learning materials developed by their OWN teachers/pupils or lecturers/students.

Many times it is the members of OUR institutions that go online to websites of OTHER institutions in developed societies to search for and download information about our own societies! Even if they were to be patriotic and tried to find web sites run by Africans living in Africa, their chances of finding the exact(and up to date) information they want would be slim - if at all any.

Africans In Diaspora Use The Internet Better - & MORE

Frequently, when we do have Africans maintaining reasonably up to date web sites, a little checking soon reveals the site is run by Africans based on developed societies. Yet, the truth is that it is NOT that our local environment makes it difficult to use PC/Internet technology this way. My personal experiences confirm this.

It is simply a matter of some kind of mental "barrier" or limit we have imposed on ourselves and which needs to be broken through by each of us if we are to stand any chance at all of taking advantage of these tools to improve the lives of our people.

SOME EXCEPTIONS: By the way,. there are exceptions to this general problem in Africa that I complain about here. If you try visiting web sites maintained by universities in African countries like South Africa, Egypt, and a few others, you will almost think they are not based here. But they are. Later in this writeup, I suggest that interested individuals and/or organisations consider contacting those responsible for creating these exceptions, to learn how they can adopt their solutions for use.

ANY Individual Can Use The Internet Profitably

As a self-employed person in a society where the costs of running a business can be quite high and erratic, I have successfully established and maintained a considerably high profile web presence in line with my business vision of offering certain custom services online for a fee. As a matter of fact I am currently doing some heavy articles marketing towards boosting my online credibility and achieving name recognition to help me command patronage from people in developed societies.

My email subscriber database grows weekly as more people from different continents are added to it, when they request some free offers provided in my articles. Note that they do this of their own free will and that suggests they not only found my article interesting enough to be useful, but they were also impressed enough to go one step further to request copies of additional information that I offered in the body of my writings.

Most significantly, I have gotten requests for my trial services from some of them. Considering the fact that Nigeria-Phobia pervades the Internet, I believe the foregoing is no mean achievement. The signs definitely suggest in the near future I will have built adequate credibility to get more trusting clients more frequently online.

That is why I am launching my newsletter for use in building a relationship with visitors to my site. Click here to read the current issue of my Performance Enhancement SDAc's Update Newsletter which offers FREE Performance Enhancement Information for Entrepreneurs, Decision Makers, Employees, Parents, Teachers and Students.

If I can do all of the foregoing, with the limited resources I have, and record the type of results I just shared with you. AND, if I can do it while communicating with a predominantly foreign and non-African audience, then ANY african individual or organisation can achieve similar if not better results.

The following questions have long bothered me, as I struggle to find answers to them that are justifiable:

1. Why is it that when African students want to research topics on the net for their studies, they hardly ever find any web sites run by persons/bodies based in Africa offering useful content they can download and use?

2. Why for instance is it that the Harvard Business School's web site is so loaded with current, and very useful educational material for visitors who may not even be interested in studying at the school?

3. How come they always have some research survey going on online and results of others available for visitors to see?

4. Why is it that universities in developed societies have web sites where they capture your email address as a visitor - and those in African societies don't?

(These aforementioned universities typcially maintain e-mailing lists through which they stay in touch with all visitors, keeping the latter informed about updates, and activities taking place in the university.)

5. Why do the graduates of Computer and Internet related courses from our higher institutions NOT launch business interests or vacations based on their areas of study and expected expertise? Why do they all seek paid employment, including working in banks - oftentimes in positions that have little or nothing to do with their areas of professional training!

Or put it this way: Why don't we have young African software developers(or creatives) selling THEIR own 100% locally developed software(or services/products e.g books etc) on the Internet to an International audience, the way many others do from Asia, America etc?

I could go on. But I am sure you get my drift by now. In the developed world, there is a marked level of commitment towards using technology and the Internet to achieve greater "reach" and "impact" on target audiences.

It Actually Costs VERY VERY Little To Maintain A Web site

And to think that it can cost as little as $72.00 to pay for domain name registration and hosting for a simple site. Add to this the fact that various web site design tools now exist that allow even a novice build and maintain a decent web site presences. One begins to wonder what the problem is with us out here in Africa.

Corporate Sponsors Vs Internet Browsing Resources Centers

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