Information and Communication Technology experts want African government to increase their support for computer students to develop cheap software if the region is to access cheaper software.
Nnenna Nwakanma the African Regional Coordinator at World Wide Web Foundation said most African countries have not developed the human capacity to engage in developing local content software.
This is why there is a flood of patented software in the region which has made ICT utilization very expensive.
He was speaking last week at the 7th African Conference on Free and Open Sources Software (FOSS).
James Saaka, the Executive Director of the National Information technology Authority –Uganda (NITA-U) told participants during the three-day event, Uganda like other countries has registered more software, but it’s costly. This is because it also requires to be upgraded routinely if the end user is to be protected from fraud.
“There is still over reliance on proprietary software largely influenced by little knowledge about the alternatives which is why the ICT Ministry is developing a FOSS policy and strategy to provide guidance on the development of open source software and the use of open standards in Government,” Saaka said.
Participants agreed the current market price of patented software has made the application of ICT in most government agencies difficult due to the considerable money needed and dependence on imported patented software.
The alternative is for local developers to develop devices that are more affordable or subsidized prices of foreign software.
Saaka said the adaptation of FOSS has comparative advantages to the software ecosystem especially in the least developing countries that are keen on expanding their markets , diversifying their technologies base and developing their indigenous capacity and local human capital.
He said most African governments will not be able to rollout e-Government services if the cost of software remains high.
Uganda’s ICT minister, Frank Tumwebaze said the government will adopt FOSS because of the cost effective advantages.
He said the government spends about $40 million annually on patented software.
“Adopting the use of FOSS will result into enormous savings that can be re –injected into other underfunded areas in the economy,” he said.
He said ICT sector currently features predominantly in the 23 national priorities for the next five years. It was adopted by the Cabinet as an extension of the 17 priorities pronounced by President Yoweri Museveni.
According to a 2012 survey carried out by NITA-U, the top computer applications used in government and the private sector were all proprietary.
The government wants to lift Uganda to middle-income status by 2020. One of the targets is to substantially increase the proportion of ICT goods to the total exports from below 5% to 40% by 2040 but for this to be achieved it requires significant shift in the way the government approaches ICT investment.
Countries like Malaysia which adopted and promoting FOSS have been able to reduce software costs significantly by 80% on licensing fee 58% in software development and 7% support services totalling an overall cost reduction of 30.5% in 2006. Today Malaysia proportional of ICT goods to total exports stands at 45%.
Commenting on the conference, General Seun Ojedeji who chairs the Free Software and Open Source Foundation, “They want to build skills and a network of FOSS players in Africa focusing on technology and bring wider spectrum of FOSS players in an intensive, skill sharing environment.”
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Samuel Nabwiiso
Quelle/Source: East African Business Week, 28.08.2016
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