Information Society Watch

2005, S. J. Jacobs and Marlien E. Herselman, International Journal of Education and Development Using ICT

The purpose of this article is to present the development of a model for successful implementation of ICT in a rural South African community and to make recommendations for better sustainability. Communities and locations with poor Internet availability are likely to be considered less favourable places for economic investments, thereby limiting enterprise development and job creation and restricting economic growth. THe authors propose an ICT - Hub structure that enables communities to manage their own development, by providing access to appropriate information, facilities, resources, training and services. The ICT - Hub is seen as a sustainable physical centre with the necessary infrastructure to provide generic services like telecentres, desktop publishing, business support, application development, training and information services to the community. Based on a detailed analysis of the South African case, the authors contend that assisting people to improve their access to and skills in ICT will be an important means for governments in developing countries to grow an inclusive, innovative economy for the benefit of their countries (Adapted from authors).

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