Abstract:
Many developed countries claim today the status of knowledge societies, since they have
invested heavily in human capacity building as well as in the development of an efficient
information infrastructure that is supported by a physical infrastructure comprising a
network of roads, railways, airports and harbours. For many countries on the African
continent this has become a highway less travelled, as these countries lack efficient and
cost-effective information infrastructure development. This goes (in many cases) hand in
hand with an inability to benefit economically from the application of modern information
and communication technology (ICT). However, it has become imperative that information
infrastructure investment should go hand in hand with aggressive physical infrastructure
development. Africa will only bear the economic fruit of investment in information
technology if it is supported by the further development of its roads, railways, airports
and harbours. Without these there can be very little economic progress.
