Title: Approaching the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa: technological determinism or social constructivism?

Authors: Alea M. Fairchild, Efuwa A. Quansah

Addresses: Vesalius College, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, Brussels 1050, Belgium. ' Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium

Abstract: This paper addresses the causes and effects of the digital divide on the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the region of Africa south of the Sahara Desert, also known as |Black Africa|. We examine the intrinsic challenges that present barriers to closing the digital divide in the African subregion with a literature review which analyses dominant discourse on technology for development, as well as policies and strategies which can be adopted by SSA countries to bridge the digital divide. Ghana, a selected SSA country, is presented to identify the successful strategies and tactics used to increase ICT access and participation.

Keywords: digital divide; human development; capital investment; social constructivism; technological determinism; Ghana; Sub-Saharan Africa; ICT access; information technology; communications.

DOI: 10.1504/IJKL.2007.016836

International Journal of Knowledge and Learning, 2007 Vol.3 No.6, pp.612 - 627

Published online: 24 Jan 2008 *

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