The Global Media Forum
Africa: doubts the panacea of digitization
High expectations of the “digital Revolution” in Africa, but it is not long since arrived anywhere. Straight women often remain outside. Young entrepreneurs want to change that.
Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu: Kenyan Judith Owigar is the major cities of your country. But the list of places with good Internet had exhausted the connection, almost: “Even cell phone reception for many people in the country is a Problem.”
Owigar is also the founder of the non-profit educational institution Akirachix, which promotes computer education of women. At the Global Media Forum in Bonn, they discussed the winners and losers of digitization in Africa – and outraged: “How can we speak of a digital Revolution, when most of the people have no access to Internet, computers, or mobile?”
Judith Owingar from Kenya wants to encourage young women in technology. reset
If in the past years about the so-called digital Revolution in Africa has been debated, sprayed, experts and activists, mostly just so full of optimism. The Internet and other digital technologies, so the unanimous opinion, that would trigger within a short time, a profound change in all areas of life, and the way to a better and fairer future. Finally, even those people in Africa should have access to education, Jobs and services, which until then had been often on the outside: women, the poor and the rural population.
The digital Revolution has not reached everyone
But the reality is different. Only in the past year the world found the Association of mobile operators GSMA, much less African women own a mobile phone than men. The “Gender Gap” in scientists call this phenomenon, and only in South Asia, the discrepancy between the sexes is even greater than in Africa. And also, in economic terms, the development is lagging behind: According to the world Bank, the Internet’s contribution to the gross domestic product of African countries is rates, despite the high growth so far, hardly worth the trouble.
At the Global Media Forum in Bonn (from left): Catherine Lückhoff from South Africa, Judith Owigar from Kenya, Russell Southwood (Moderator), Binta Coudy Dé from Senegal and Costa Mwansa from Zambia
Especially on the subject of digital infrastructure, so the availability of Internet, TV and mobile, there is a lot of catching up to do. For example, the Senegalese government was still busy, a digital strategy. “Imagine,” calls on Binta Coudy Dé, the audience. “This means that we have not even started, via concrete measures.”
Mobile phone reception? Wrong!
Coudy Dé is the founder of Jjiguene Tech Hub Senegal’s first technology centre for women. Your observations coincide with those of the Kenyan Owigar: While the mobile network was expanded around the capital, Dakar, in the meantime, is good, but even along the main roads of the country, hope is often in vain for a cell phone signal.
However, even where there is access to the digital world exists, there are difficulties – as, the panelists agreed. For example, if people with the Knowledge they lack with the new technologies, governments popular Social-Media-blocked platforms, for political reasons, or women would be denied, for traditional reasons, a career in IT Professions.
Binta Coudy Dé from Senegal has founded together with colleagues the first technology centre for women in your country – for many girls, she is a great role model
Facebook as a “gateway drug”
However, the young generation of Entrepreneurs in Africa is to let these problems discourage you. “It is up to us to make change,” says Costa Mwansa, the managing Director of the Zambian television station Muvi TV and next to the Moderator of the only man in the round. To give the politicians the debt was too easy. “Our continent is destined for Great things and to achieve our goals, we do not need new politicians, but a new mentality,” says Mwansa.
Catherine Lückhoff from South Africa looks the similar. She has established the music platform NicheStreem and finds it particularly important to inspire young people for technology – able to chat even if their Motivation is limited, with friends. “Maybe this is the gateway drug that leads to later programmers, engineers, or fiber-optic cable specialists,” hopes Lückhoff.
The possibilities and opportunities of digitization for Africa are still major, doubts, none of the podium guests. But to change the structures that need it before all the hard work and time, says Judith Owigar, the teach with your organization to girls in the program. “Sometimes I think that I will not finish this work in my life time.” But you think it is because with the proverb: “wise men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit.”