A DEVELOPING COUNTRY'S INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE IN PERSPECTIVE: A VISION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Mhlanga, Fortune S.

Affiliations: Department of Computer Sciences, Faulkner University, Montgomery, AL, USA

Abstract: A global infrastructure is emerging in the 21ST century in which information and communication technologies (ICTs) are becoming more and more pervasive. Dynamic innovation processes continue to give rise to the social and technological capabilities that could release the potential of ICT for development. Products produced in this diverse field have a wide application in society. It is a field that developing countries need to harness and develop considerable technical competence. Governments, businesses and other stakeholders in developing countries need to coordinate their actions in order to amplify the social and economic benefits of ICTs and to reduce the risk of exclusion. This paper presents a perspective of the ICT infrastructure in Zimbabwe. The increasing spread of ICT opens new opportunities for Zimbabwe to harness these technologies and services to serve its development goals. By investing in its national information infrastructures, Zimbabwe can experience the predicted social and economic benefits of a global information infrastructure. The paper gives a detailed coverage of recommendations for the case of Zimbabwe.

Keywords: infrastructure, developing countries, information and communication technology

Journal: Journal of Integrated Design & Process Science, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 71-78, 2006