Inadequate government support is hindering the implementation of the Nepad e-schools programme. This delay is frustrating private sector partners, who want to move at a faster pace.
This is according to professor Peter Kinyangu, a consultant and former coordinator of the Nepad e-schools initiative.
Kinyangu was speaking at the Nepad e-schools stakeholders conference, in Kempton Park, this morning.
He says communication is at the heart of the problem experienced by the initiative.
According to him, governments have verbally committed to the project, but have not provided the resources necessary to get the job done.
"The commission was starved of resources right from the word go," he said. "The executive deputy chairman spent more time looking for resources than on his real duties. The commission was also starved of personnel.
"Were it not for the support of the South African government, specifically the Department of Communications, I don't know if we would have come this far."
The Nepad e-schools initiative aims to provide Internet connectivity to schools across the continent. The initial plan was to roll-out in 20 countries, but to date this has happened in only 11 states.
Lacking clout
"Commitment must be matched with action," was Kinyangu's message to African government this morning.
He said private sector partners are growing irate as government implementations lag.
In countries where high-level government support was experienced, implementations have moved faster, he noted, although he did not want to single out any one country other than SA.
Kinyangu maintains that the initiative's various country-coordinators must have the clout to be able to go to ministers and discuss problems.
He adds governments must also honour their memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the initiative.
He would again not name the countries that were not cooperating, but asked: "Why should a whole set of ICT equipment lie in the customer's warehouse for eight months?" in reference to an actual case.
The government in question has, as part of its MOU, made a commitment that the ICT equipment should be cleared from customs at no cost, yet it failed to do so.
Great expectations
Kinyangu says expectations were high when the initiative was first launched with "all the bells and whistles".
"We gave the impression that Africa is awake and that in 10 years all schools, across the continent, would be connected, and since that was not matched with action, the result is that Africa may not be taken seriously by the rest of the world."
According to Kinyangu, "delays could bring some cynicisms about Africa's ability to see a project of this scale through".
Kinyangu maintains the project is still viable, even though it has not been tried elsewhere. He recommends that those countries that can move faster be allowed to do so while the rest move at their own pace.
He also noted that the e-Africa commission should have done a quick survey on the ICT readiness of the 20 countries in the initial phase.
"Perhaps that would have satisfied the private sector more," he speculated.
The Nepad e-Africa commission has a complete business plan that countries can implement, should they choose to.
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