Information Technology In Africa:2

Information Technology education in Africa

May 20, 2006

Last week we discussed the IT industry in Africa. This week we will discuss IT education in Africa, as education is vital for development of any industry.

As we discussed last week, the IT industry in Africa is still in its infancy. South Africa and Kenya, which have comparatively better infrastructure and educated talent pools, have seen a raise in outsourced IT projects coming to their countries. They have also attracted foreign investment and joint ventures in developing the industry. But in other African countries, IT industry is still far from reaching its true potential.

In South Africa, the rise in IT-based businesses is largely due to increased investment in IT education and training. The University of Pretoria's Computer Science department, established in 1977, is leading the way in research and development in the region. With the total number of students exceeding 1300 and major emphasis in research-based education, students graduating from the university are providing significant contributions towards the development of the IT industry.

Like other developing regions, Africa is facing the problem of brain drain, where talented and trained people leave the region to work in developed countries in the West or in the USA. South Africa is not untouched by this, but there is a positive side to this too. South African IT graduates who leave the country to work in US or Europe are able to present a different picture of Africa, different from the usual land of safaris or exotic wildlife. This aides in attracting foreign investment to IT-based business. Indian engineers working in Silicon Valley in the early nineties were able to do the same for the Indian IT industry.

The private sector in South Africa is also setting up efforts to provide computer training to the people and raise awareness about IT. One such organization is Shuttleworth Foundation. For more on the organization's programs, please visit www.shuttleworthfoundation.org.

Here are some of the websites on IT education in South Africa, Kenya and other African nations:

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