Covergradations in digital inclusion lse research online. Exploring the aspects of digital divide in a developing country. Digital divide and afghanistan muhammad aimal marjan the digital divide and its impact on the socioeconomic developmental outcomes of developing countries has in the last couple of years been a key development agenda at major international fora. Digital inequality the technological determinism of such positions is reflected in the sdg focus on the digital divide and the use of icts to deliver on other sdg go als. But as he explains, much has to change before nigeria can become part of the online world. Profiles of innovators and leaders who make a difference pdf. Oct 29, 2007 the economist updates the situation in africa and reports that little has changed the digital gap, 20 october 2007 print edition. We simply dont have the data in developing countries, and in global statistics, to know what the status quo is or whether the digital divide is being closed. Proclivity, production intensity, and prosumer typology among college students and general population, louisa ha and gi woong yun. Committee on technology in government, new york city council. We then look at the policy document, which critically discusses the approach of the government. The digital divide, or the digital split, is a social issue referring to the differing amount of information between those who have access to the internet specially broadband access and those who do not have access. The digital divide is a complex, and dynamic problem which has political, cultural, and ethical dimensions ahmed, 2007. Instability has risen among the nigerian youth as they are overwhelmed by the capabilities and power of icts.
The policies and strategies to bridge it focus primarily on supply side and. Turning africas digital divide into digital dividends. The inequalities for nigerians in accessing the internet and the world wide web, the. In respect of knowledge and digital divide the situation remains worrisome. Nigeria s youth population has also been significantly affected by the digital divide. The evolution of the digital divide the digital divide turns to inequality of skills and usage jan a. The digital divide is a phenomenon linked not only to the topic of access to the internet, but also to the one of usage and usage benefit.
Nigeria into a knowledgebased economy and will be used to develop action plans. Are some benefiting from a digital economy, while others are left behind or on the sidelines. The impact of digital divide on elearning in nigeria pdf. Twothirds of this total is made up by private consumption of internetrelated services and equipment, including smartphones. Associate dean, faculty of management sciences, enugu state university of science and technology esut enugu, nigeria. Digital divide is inequality in access, distribution and use of.
Purpose of the research paper the purpose of this paper is to investigate what digital literacy is and its implications on digital libraries in nigeria. To overcome poverty and function effectively in the emerging global economy, one must master a new set of knowledge and competencies. Nigeria digital economy diagnostic report world bank documents. The survey report on internet development in rural china 2009, published by the china internet network information center last month april, is the fourth such annual report.
Yet some parts of the population are still excluded from using these new methods. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves. What will it take to bridge africas digital divide. The word divide suggests a significant barrier, one on a massive scale and hard to shift as in continental divide or great divide. Even as technology becomes more affordable and internet access seems increasingly ubiquitous, a digital divide between rich and poor remains. According to the gsma, in 2015 mobile technology and services generated 6. White paper bridging the digital divide in nigeria collaborating to expand opportunities nigeria is one of the bright stars of subsaharan africa. In nigeria, for example, 77% of people over 16 use their mobiles to access internet while only % who use computers to go online itu, 2011 pg 110. The global digital divide and the effects of technology use. Closing the digital gap in cameroonian secondary schools.
The private sector can help close the digital divide. The four digital divides the digital divide is widely regarded as a unitary phenomenon. Learn about nigeria s challenges and achievements, and see what best practices are emerging from this. Efforts are currently being made to reduce the digital divide in nigeria. Digital inclusion network, an online exchange on topics related to the digital divide and digital inclusion. The continents most populous country, nigeria has rich oil reserves, a growing middle class, a young democracy and. As ict technologies develop rapidly and become integrated into more verticals, the digital. Ideho masters thesis social and public policy development and international cooperation department of social sciences and philosophy. Thus, every country can show that its particular blend of policies has been successful. Building a digital nigeria eiu perspectives the economist. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject put new text under old text. This is measured in how many times and for what purposes teachers employ technology.
Although in a number of countries the gender dimension of the digital divide has been bridged, this is not so in nigeria where there is a huge differential between men and women in terms of access to and use of the internet. What is the digital divide uci school of education home. Social exclusion is more or less a deliberate act of negligence, wherefore group of people in society are disengaged from mainstream culture because of their background, geographical location and other demographical characteristics that demarcate them from others. This is, in terms of knowledge generation, penetration of ict, access to and usage of internet and telephone penetration fixed and mobile and. Northwest region of nigeria and to use a simulated environment to test the proposed model for viability. International journal of global business, 2 1, 181204, june 2009 182 this paper outlines the challenges, opportunities and potentials in the use of ict for education, research and development in nigeria. Digital inclusion digital inclusion is a set of public policies that relates to the installation, administration, expansion, creation and development of content on wired or wireless public networks in countries, regions and communities. Executive summary 3 navigating the new digital divide. Digital inclusion and sustainable development in nigeria. Expanding digital opportunity in new york city public schools. Nigerias digital divide refers to the inequality of nigerian individuals, groups, or organizations with regards to access to information and communications technology infrastructure or to the internet for municipal use within the nigerian community. Keywords telecommunication, 3g networks, 4g networks, northwest nigeria 1.
Digital divide is emphasized much on digital divide issues of hard work, technical infrastructure and connectivity loom large but these are not the only dimension of the digital divide. Today the digital transformation provides new avenues for the economic empowerment of women and can contribute to greater gender equality. Nationaltelecomspolicynational%20policy%20on%20telecommunications. Benefits derivable from bridging the digital divide such as making large regional, national and even global markets. Education, lack of electrical infrastructure, income, and urban drift, and a variety of other social and political factors contribute to nigerias growing digital divide.
In this paper we take a look at the global digital divide. Indeed, the earliest itu statistics on telecommunications published in 1871, recording data on telegraph operations since 1849 show a clear divide between the member states of the union, mainly within western europe at. Digital divide ict information communications technology. A holistic look at information poverty and the regions digital divide. Some people consider the digital divide to be a national crisis, while others consider it an overhyped nonissue. Click here to start a new topic please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes new to wikipedia. Digital divide definition is the economic, educational, and social inequalities between those who have computers and online access and those who do not. Overcoming the digital divide in developing countries. Bridging the digital divide in nigeria white paper supported by the intel world ahead program, nigeria is moving to bridge the digital divide and increase opportunities for jobs, education and participation in the global economy. In absolute scores, therefore, nearly all countries will.
The term digital divide refers to the disparity in terms of access that has emerged. Africa and the digital divide enterra solutions, llc. Fairlie university of california, santa cruz prepared for adoption of ict enabled information systems for agricultural development workshop tokyo, japan august 24, 2008. Digital libraries are emerging concepts in nigeria, and digital literacy is a necessary tool or skill needed in making use of resources in the digital library. The divide has been conceptualised, measured and targets set in relation to connectivity. This paper discusses the gap created by an international digital divide in africa. Impact of the digital divide on computer use and internet.
The paper focuses on bridging the digital divide that exists between the developed countries and africa, especially in the use of the internet and global system mobile gsm communication services. The digital divide can be understood as inequalities in four successive types of access. Bridging the digital divide in africa it news africa. Issues like bridging the international digital divide, digital divide and africa, bridging the digital divide in africans universities and libraries, the revolution of gsm in africa, and effects. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the digital divide in nigeria article. The digital divide in south africa is real michalsons. Inclusive and shared internet 4th world internet conference. Total brazil china indonesia india mexico nigeria computer penetration rate gap 47. Introduction nigeria which is the most populous country in africa has the africas largest mobile market with almost150 million subscribers1. Elearning is a method of stimulating education, learning through the merging of internet and electronic medias, and is one of systems the nigerian. What is the digital divide, and what implications for society and the individual are seen to arise from this. Bridging the digital divide in the eu summary digital technologies play an important role in the everyday life of most europeans. To develop and utilize the full potential of ict in nigeria, thereby bridging the digital divide, there is nee d to set up an effective ict taskforce with representatives from all stakeholders.
Some even go so far as to suggest that a pc is a barrier to digital inclusion and that smart phones and tablets are better for teaching digital. Illiteracy rates for young men and women are also very high in the rural and urban settlements. Improving internet access in the developing world through affordable services and diverse content by darrell m. That gap, the new digital divide, puts at risk much more than just online shopping revenue. Nigerias digital divide refers to the inequality of nigerian individuals, groups, or organizations. The digital divide the gulf between those who have ready access to information and communication technologies icts such as computers and the internet and those who do not does exist in. In this paper we take a look at the global digital divide concerning africa, we analyze the situation with the help of macrodata and by discussing specific examples ghana, south africa. Bridging the urbanrural digital divide and mobilizing.
Smart phones and digital inclusion in the developing world. The digital divide reflects various differences among and within countries. According to lei, gibbs, chang, and lee 2008, there are two main different thoughts about how to deal with the digital divide. Federal assistance programs congressional research service 1 introduction the internet became publically available in the 1990s, and has evolved since that time as information has continually become digital e. A digital divide threatens to exacerbate alreadywide gaps between rich and poor, within and among countries. Learn about nigerias challenges and achievements, and see what best practices are emerging from this. An electronic wordofmouth communication perspective, xiao hu, louisa ha, simeng mo, and ying xu. As used here, the term digital divide refers to the gap between individuals, households, businesses and geographic areas at different socioeconomic levels with regard both to their opportunities to access information and communication technologies icts and to their use of the internet for a. The ability of individuals and businesses to take advantage of the internet varies significantly across the oecd area as well as between oecd and nonmember countries. The nigerian digital divide signifies the disparity among individuals who. When it comes to computing power, the gap between africa and the broadband world is still a grand canyon.
Children, young people and the digital divide is there a digital divide among children and young people. There is a digital divide in africa between those with hitech connections and those without. Technology is now the bringer of economic prosperity in the region. Clearly, this gap is different in nature from the standard notion of digital divide that describes socioeconomic differences based on access to information technologies. Doc the digital divide, causes and solutions david. The internet, digital platforms, mobile phones and digital financial services offer leapfrog opportunities for all and can help bridge the divide. Pdf the global nature of information and communications technology. A study of internet use in calabar metropolis, nigeria purpose the paper aims to. School of media and communication faculty publications. Developing technology needs assessments for educational. Bridging the digital divide and maximizing digital.
One, the mass penetration of mobile phone usage in many developing countries may be masking the general lack of computer skills, and two. The paper aims to discuss and investigate the prevalence of digital divide in nigeria, using university of calabar in calabar metropolis as a case study. The evolution of the digital divide universiteit twente. Some have argued that the digital divide is not a useful concept from an analytical perspective. Education and learning lie at the heart of these issues and their solutions. The gap between those who have access to digital technologies and those who do not. Technology is very critical and the moment we start to appreciate this, the better nigeria will be. The digital divide, ict, and broadband internet ict information communications technologies. What follows then is a short discussion about the emergence of digital government in ghana and the problem of the digital divide. The paper focuses on bridging the digital divide that exists between the. The digital divide is a concept frequently used for addressing this issue, but what exactly it means is imprecise. Digital will be critical to the future of the store not the cause of its demise.
This is the case with the computer and internet access centres ciac project implemented by the association for development, communication and environment adcome. The first level outlines the need for equitable access to ict as well as technical support personnel within the school. The influence of digital on instore shopping, a dynamic deloitte calls the digital influence factor, is radically changing how customers shop and make decisions instore. Todays supergirls are standing up and speaking out about the innovative solutions they need, working to bridge the digital divide and empower themselves and their generation. An untapped resource to close the gender digital divide introduction the power of universal, affordable internet access to drive economic growth and social development is underscored by its inclusion as a goal in the united nations sustainable development goals sdgs, as well as.
The global digital divide and the effects of technology. These include basic academic skills such as literacy, foreign language, math and science skills and the ability to use information and communication technology. Human development index digital divide mobile telephony african nation international telecommunication union these keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. Idi is a composite index combining 11 indicators to monitor and compare developments in. The global digital divide and the effects of technology use on educational outcomes robert w. A refined understanding of the digital divide that emphasizes. What is the digital divide, and what implications for society. Exploring the aspects of digital divide in a developing. Facebook, for example, recently announced plans to use landbased and satellite technologies to provide better internet access to african countries. The digital divide a term that refers to the gaps in access to information and communication technology ict threatens the ict havenots, whether individuals, groups or entire countries. Bridging the digital divide and maximizing digital dividends for all, by yang shaolin, managing director and chief administrative officer, the world bank group, at the minister dialogue. Beijing despite recent rises in internet use, a wide digital divide still separates rural and urban china, according to a new report. In dollar terms, africas igdp is estimated at usd 18. The concept of a digital economy is essentially a new economy stream that brings with it a new momentum.
Most nigerian libraries are faced with challenges in library usage and services due to inadequate literacy and digital skills required to make maximum use of digital library. Nigerian remy olukoya, who runs ok computers ltd, is setting up six community resource centres as part of a us initiative to bridge nigeria s digital divide. This paper describes the digital divide in africa with special reference to nigeria. Further, the government of nigeria has submitted the nigeria postal commission bill which would enable nipost to optimize its capacity by leveraging ict to diversify service and bridge the digital divide in local communities. The digital divide and what to do about it eszter hargittai papersateszterdotcom sociology department princeton university this is a preprint version of the book chapter to appear in the new. Social exclusion is an omnibus term, which encompasses many multidimensional social variables such as inequalities of opportunity. Request pdf bridging the digital divide in nigeria. Digital divide definition of digital divide by merriamwebster. But public investment and involvement will be necessary to reap the digital dividends. Bridging the digital divide in rural areas globalgiving. Exploring the impacts of digital transformation on. Nigeria executive summary nigeria has a relatively high internet penetration rate, driven primarily by a rapid expansion of mobile platforms.
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