Information Technology - A Veritable Tool For National Development

Abstract

Purpose: Information Technology has become an indispensable tool in the achievement of remarkable feats - advances in health, agriculture, education, effective and efficient business solutions in the western world; whereas, in the African domain, only meager efforts has been made to exploit and leverage the merits of IT. The focus of this paper is to elucidate the concept of IT, its evolution, and challenges in the African setting; and ultimately a roadmap is proffered on how to leverage IT for National development.

Methodology: To produce tangible inferences tailored at the solutions to the challenges mitigating the optimal utility of IT in the African setting,  relevant data focused on IT, its evolution, challenges, advances, current state, and usage were gathered from literature most relevant to the subject matter via eBooks, articles, and first-hand observation. The modeled concept here constitutes a discuss on the meaning and applications of IT; the evolution of IT; a survey of national development constraints of African countries, threats and impediments to IT utility in the African domain; and ultimately a roadmap for IT in improving National development with better policies in Africa.

Results: Based on the problem domain, the findings of this study imply that the drawbacks to the optimal utility of IT in the African setting are primarily socially induced, economic-related, driven by lagging policies, and less of technicalities or gadgetry. The proffered solutions focus on the adjustment of regulations, policies, and individual efforts that promote healthy IT practices to facilitate National development.

Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: This study brings to light the major drawbacks mitigating the leveraging of IT in National development in the African setting; it further demonstrates that a blend of an adjustment of policies and regulations, and healthy IT practices/habits by individual as novel approach play a key role in curbing the challenges in question and ultimately yield a significant improvement in the utility of IT in fostering National Development in the African setting.