Digital divide a tough challenge to overcome – Deputy Minister
The digital divide remains government’s most stubborn obstacle as Africa’s reliance on imported products keeps the cost of communication devices high, Telecommunications and Postal Services Deputy Minister Professor Hlengiwe Mkhize said on Wednesday.
Addressing delegates at the eighteenth AfricaCom, held in Cape Town, she said the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services had clear targets and policies to tackle the hindrances to Internet connectivity in South Africa.
However, the country struggled to narrow the digital gap, with the bulk of connectivity development focused on South Africa’s main cities.
“There is clearly growth in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, but the challenge is that it tends to be concentrated in the golden [areas], such as Gauteng, Cape Town and Durban,” she explained.
While much work had been done by the private sector – progress that Mkhize said was appreciated – government had an important role to play in aligning policies to guide the development of the sector.
However, policy development for the digital divide remained a struggle, with Africa, as a whole, relying heavily on imported communications products, such as end-user devices, while the cost of communications remained “unreasonably high”.
“If you import virtually every aspect of connectivity, it becomes unaffordable in the areas where it’s needed the most,” Mkhize commented.
Mobile technology has become a game changer for development, with citizens in most rural areas having access to mobile phones; however, the country had not fully leveraged the benefits.
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