SA now ranks only 47th, lagging behind Tunisia, which is Africa’s most highly placed nation in 35th position. Mauritius and Botswana have also slipped down by making less progress than other emerging nations.
The US has also taken a tumble, with Denmark dethroning it to become a surprise leader in the technology charts. Sweden and Singapore come second and third.
The Networked Readiness Index from The World Economic Forum analyses 122 economies, and is the world’s most respected assessment of the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on each nation’s degree of development and competitiveness.
It examines the ICT regulations and infrastructure, the readiness of individuals, businesses and governments to use technology, and to what degree they are actually doing so.
Overall, sub-Saharan Africa presents a negative picture, with every country except Nigeria losing ground.
The traditional champions — SA, Mauritius and Botswana — dropped 10, six and 11 places to 47th, 51st and 67th respectively.
Although the region has quickly increased its ICT penetration rates in recent years and its markets retain great potential for investors, it has not moved fast enough compared with the rest of the world, the report says.
Governments take the blame, with the report citing a lack of infrastructure, over-regulated business, poor governance and low standards of education.
SA had already lost ground last year to rank 37th, down from its heyday in 34th position as other nations made greater strides.
Last year’s dip was caused partly by SA’s lack of progress in the roll-out of broadband internet access and stifling legislation that prevented the use of cheap technologies to carry voice calls over the internet.
This year, the pace of decline has accelerated for several reasons. Chief among them are long delays in the arrival of Neotel to break Telkom’s monopoly, the slow pace of regulatory change that stifles competition and allows Telkom’s monopoly to flourish, and lack of quality education to teach computer literacy.
Indecision and a lack of staff at the Independent Communications Authority of SA have also allowed the high price of fixed and cellphone calls to continue and done little to force down the price of internet access.
In contrast, Denmark’s clear government vision and efforts to improve the penetration of technology have achieved impressive levels of internet and PC usage, a high degree of e-government services and a dynamic e-business environment, the report says.
Nordic countries all scored well thanks to their strong focus on education, culture of innovation, well-functioning public institutions that have created a business-friendly environment, and a strong readiness to adopt new technologies.
Using technology well was becoming an essential way for countries to ensure continued prosperity for their people, said Irene Mia, a senior economist at the World Economic Forum.
Denmark had benefited from very effective government leadership, reflected in early liberalisation of the telecoms sector, a first-rate regulatory framework and widespread availability of e-government services.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Lesley Stones
Quelle/Source: Business Day, 29.03.2007
