An expert in Information Communication Technology (ICT) has voted Africa as the most potentially progressive continent in the world with the advent of internet.
“This is an age of information, a time when the most important tool of development is access to quality information, it is the time for Africa to take advantage of free access to information so that it can compete favorably with the rest of the world” said Dr Spio-Gabral, CEO of the Commonwealth Telecom Organization.
No doubt, the internet has bridged the information divide that once existed among rich nations and privileged few to create equal opportunity for people of all race and color. This opportunity is golden for Africa, a continent that has been described as backward and vulnerable to disease, climate change and poverty.
Spio-Gabral is of the opinion that if all Africans are granted access to information, it is capable of significantly reducing poverty and disease in the continent. “The monopoly of knowledge that the West used in dominating the continent is now a thing of the past. Africans can now thrive, the continent more than ever is equipped to compete with the rest of the world” Spio-Gabral said.
“In any discussion related to African development, the importance of internet should take the primary focus. It allows us to tell our story ourselves, we understand other people and have access to tons of information that can transform our minds” said Jamiu Kikeolu, an ICT expert in Lagos.
Kikeolu prescribed the use of internet as the most potent tool in branding African. “There are millions of people around the world that will have no physical opportunity to visit Africa, their view of Africa will be limited to the information provided in the internet….as you are aware, some of this information can also be manipulated for selfish reasons, so I encourage African people and government to invest in promoting their country as brand to the world through the internet,” she said.