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Karima BOUNEMRA BEN SOLTANEDevelopment Information Services Division

Economic Commission for Africa

Freedom of Expression in the Information SocietyParis, 15-16 November 2002

What are the obstacles?

an African perspective

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freedom of expression in the information society in Africa

a pre-requisite:to access and use communication facilities

the right to communicate should be recognized

all citizens should be provided with the means of using ICT networks as a public service

Every citizen should be guaranteed freedom of expression and protected access to information in the worldwide public domain … in all media including new multimedia

systems

Bamako 2002 – Africa preparatory meeting to the WSIS

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therefore

the main obstacles to freedom of expression in the information society in Africa

in addition to reasons related to the lack of democracy and good governance

are

the obstacles to the development of this information society

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what are the main obstacles?

• ICT infrastructure

• lack of friendly legal and regulatory frameworks

• lack of awareness

• human and institutional capacity

• lack of relevant content, especially in local languages

• lack of adequate financing mechanisms

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ICT infrastructure• THE major issue• limited access to ICT

• 2.62 telephone lines / 100• average time to get a line: 2.4 years• 1% of internet users

• high costs• installation• utilisation

inequity of access chances / rights• geographic: rural vs urban • gender: women vs men • age: young / elderly people• purchasing power• etc…

main telephone lines

Asia38%

Europe31%

Americas28%

Africa2%

Oceania1%

telephone subscription cost as % of GDP per capita 1999

1.13.3 3.1

12.7

5.5

0

5

10

15

Africa Asia Europe Americas Oceania

what are the main obstacles?

Source: ITU WTDR 2002

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lack of friendly legal & regulatory frameworks

• for information and communication in general

• particularly serious in the area of ICT• integration with media rights, laws and regulations• effective regulation, competition and private sector participation• security and privacy • property rights

• Africa is absent from global negotiations• ICT standards • Internet governance• WTO

what are the main obstacles?

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lack of awareness• decision makers in general

• need for stronger leadership / ownership• policy formulation• definition of priorities for the implementation plans

• national consultations can be more participatory• top-down process in general

• link with social and economic development challenges• how can ICT serve social and economic development > MDGs• better articulation with NEPAD objectives

what are the main obstacles?

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human and institutional capacity • a real weakness

• human capacity• gaps at several levels: policy formulation, analytical capacity, programme

planning, -implementation, -monitoring and evaluation• inadequate resources allocated to ICT training • existing curricula do not match the real needs• brain drain

• institutional capacity• linked to the regulatory & legal environment• independence of the structures• sustainability

what are the main obstacles?

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what are the main obstacles?

relevant content• limited availability of information & knowledge

systems that address African needs• the consumption is external, as shown by the information flows• 0.2% of internet hosts

• lack of user friendly interfaces• limited use of local languages• limited interfaces for illiterate people

number of Internet hosts

Europe10.84%

Asia7.47%Oceania

1.93%

Africa0.19%

Americas79.57%

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what are the main obstacles?

financial mechanisms• inadequate investment in the ICT sector

• especially in support of infrastructure development

• very limited participation of the private sector• because the process is not inclusive enough?• the environment is not attractive

• need for more innovative solutions• clearer perspectives and programmes are required• the NEPAD Financing Conference (Senegal, April 2002) made

proposals

• lack of user friendly interfaces• limited use of local languages• limited interfaces for illiterate people

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what are the main obstacles?

democracy and good governance• inadequate investment in the ICT sector

• especially in support of infrastructure development

• very limited participation of the private sector• because the process is not inclusive enough?• the environment is not attractive

• need for more innovative solutions• clearer perspectives and programmes are required• the NEPAD Financing Conference (Senegal, April 2002) made

proposals

• lack of user friendly interfaces• limited use of local languages• limited interfaces for illiterate people

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how are these issues

addressed?

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infrastructure• is a focus of the NEPAD short term action plan

policy level• decision-makers more supportive• + flexible regulatory frameworks• more NICI (National Information and

Communication Infrastructure) plans

sector applications• pilot projects, sector ICT strategies defined at national

level• development of local content• priorities: education (SNA, AVLIN, ALN), health,

ICT and governance, business and trade

Development of National ICT Policies

13

30

1616

10

21

Countries with policy

Countries in the process ofdeveloping a policy

Countries where there is no policydevelopment process

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training and capacity building • national efforts• ITU centres of excellence• ITCA (information technology centre for Africa) for

decision makers + identification of African expertise

financing mechanisms • more efforts are still needed• NEPAD recommendations endorsed by Bamako 2002,

the African preparatory meeting to the WSIS

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regional framework for ICT development• launched in 1996 by African Ministers in charge of

planning• endorsed by the 1996 OAU Heads of States Summit• welcomed during the G7+1 Denver Summit

designed to address Africa’s economic and social development challenges

the regional framework for the ICT component of NEPAD infrastructure cluster

the African Information Society Initiative

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today AISI is:• a vision for ICT development in Africa > 2010

• series of sector applications defined according to Africa’s priorities

• an implementation process

• evaluation of results and impact:• ADF’99• Bamako 2002 and Bamako 2002• Scan-ICT project

• synergies created through open partnerships

the African Information Society Initiative

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• ATAC: the African Technical Advisory Committee. Advises on the implementation of the AISI

• PICTA: Partners for ICT in Africa Partnership established in 1997

• UN ICT ASN: the African Stakeholders Network of the UN ICT Task Force. Launched in January 2002.

• NEPAD: ICTs are part of the infrastructure component. Led by Senegal

• UN ICT TF

• GKP: Global Knowledge Partnership > Africa day, Addis Ababa, April 2002

• G8 Dot Force Network: follow up of the G8 Dot Force initiative. Recommended by the Calgary meeting. Approved by the Kananaskis Summit

• ICANN

• Bi-lateral, multilateral support to ICT4D

several actors address these issuesin addition to Member States themselves, & most of the UN agencies

+ the African preparatory process for the WSIS

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freedom of expression and AISI

part of AISI visionInformation and knowledge are disseminated and used by business, the public at large and disenfranchised groups such as women and the poor, in particular, to make rational choices in the economy (free markets) and for all groups to exercise democratic and human rights (freedom of speech and freedom of cultural and religious expression)

its absence is recognised as an obstaclerestrictions on freedom of expression, including measures to ensure law and order or national security, which may be inappropriately applied to electronic information services

what should governments do?African Governments should encourage the free flow of information within their countries and to/from the rest of the world by ensuring that laws and regulations protect the freedom of speech and ensure easy access to information and the provision of value added services

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considered as a basic right for building the African Information Society

– ADF’99, Bamako 2000– UNESCO Regional info-ethics workshop September 2000

– April 2001: APC Internet rights Charter

– Bamako 2002, especially during the pre-conferences• NICI strategies• African languages and internet• Media and ICT Forum• Gender and ICTs• Cultural diversity and knowledge ownership• African NGO consultation• Review and appraisal of ICT impact: Scan-ICT Project• Private sector forum• Free software: the stakes for Africa• Law and the Web• Local communities and ICTs• Training:LDCs participation in WSIS activities

– May 2002: launch of the African broadcasting charter

– workshop on ICT and civil society

freedom of expression in the information society

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now

it is time for real action

in order to move from rhetoric to concrete results

and mainstream these ideas and recommendations in the ICT strategies of the African countries

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I thank you

for additional information, please contact

the Development Information Services Division of the Economic Commission for Africa

ecainfo@uneca.org www.uneca.org/AISI

Tel: + 251 1 51 14 08 - Fax: + 251 1 51 05 12