The need to use PC and Internet technology more productively in African societies
Africans need to open up to technology
Too many times I see people in 21st century African societies clinging to old ways of doing things, almost as if they are afraid of the new and sometimes radically different ALTERNATIVE ways now made possible by technological advances.
A perfect example of this is easily seen in the prevailing attitude towards the use of PC/Internet technology. I have traveled to various African states and cities in my own country, Nigeria. The problem remains: people have an apparent aversion to putting these powerful and profitable tools to productive use.
Do not misunderstand. We are using these tools. BUT it’s what we use them for most of the time, what I struggle with. Forget 419 Yahoo! Email scammers. Yours is a consequence of THIS. Information Technology is for the use of a THINKING society in the creation and development of value-added resources that benefit others. What I see is that many of us love to buy, own and SHOW OFF our IT tools, instead of exploiting them to get to the next level.
The vast majority of our people continue to be amazed by Internet technology, instead of seeing it as the greatest leveler of all time, which TODAY makes it possible for any willing person anywhere in the world to have a meaningful impact on people and places around the world. all the world. without physically getting there!
Why don’t our schools use PC/Internet technology well?
Why, for example, don’t we have a proliferation of educational institutions using the Internet to impart knowledge to their students cheaply in a way that allows them to pay LESS tuition, if any?
No, I do not accept that what schools and some universities are currently doing by having computer centers is what I am describing here. What I am looking for is the ACTIVE use of PC and Internet technology as a means to more effectively deliver knowledge to students inside and outside the local environment.
THAT is NOT happening in our institutions right now. Yes, they do teach computer and internet appreciation classes, BUT that’s where it ends. Little or no effort is put into using these tools to CREATE and INNOVATE. This is why our educational institutions cannot boast of having a website (if they have a website at all!) visitors who regularly come to browse and download useful learning materials developed by their OWN teachers/students or professors/students.
Many times it is the members of OUR institutions who go online to the websites of OTHER institutions in developed societies to search for and download information about our own societies! Even if you were patriotic and tried to find websites run by Africans living in Africa, your chances of finding the exact (and up-to-date) information you are looking for would be slim.
Africans in the diaspora use the Internet better and MORE
Often when we have Africans keeping reasonably up-to-date websites, a little perusal soon reveals that the site is run by Africans living in developed societies. However, the truth is that it is NOT that our local environment makes it difficult to use PC/Internet technology in this way. My personal experiences confirm it.
It’s simply a matter of some kind of mental “barrier” or limit that we have imposed on ourselves and that each of us must break if we are to have any chance of harnessing these life-enhancing tools. 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 to visit websites maintained by universities in African countries like South Africa, Egypt and a few others, you will almost think that they are not based here.
ANY individual can profitably use the Internet
As a self-employed individual in a society where sales/marketing costs can be quite high and erratic, I have successfully established and maintained a fairly high profile web presence in line with my business vision.
My email subscriber database has grown as more people request some free offers provided in my articles. Keep in mind that they do this of their own volition and that suggests that they not only found my article interesting enough to be useful, but were also impressed enough to go the extra mile and request copies of the additional information I offered on the body of my writings
If I can do the above, with the limited resources I have, then ANY African individual or organization can achieve similar if not better results.
It actually costs VERY VERY little to maintain a website
And to think that it can cost less than $50 naira equivalent to paying for domain name registration and simple site hosting. Add to this the fact that various website design tools now allow even a novice to build and maintain a decent website presence. One wonders then, what are many of us waiting for?
