namibia ict access book chapter

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Public Access to Information and Communication Venues

An Overview of Public ICT Access Points in Namibia

Tina James (icteum consulting, South Africa)Milton Louw (ICT Alliance Namibia)

Contact informationTina James

icteum consultingP O Box 72267

Lynnwood Ridge0040 South Africa

[email protected])

August 2008

University of Washington. All rights reserved.Prepared by Tina James, icteum consulting, South Africa with the

support of the University of Washington, Center for Information & Society,for Public Access to Information and Communication Venues.

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on the public access to information and communication landscape inNamibia, with specific focus on four types of public access points public libraries, Schoolnets,educational institutions and commercial internet cafes. SchoolNet Namibia is the only

significant provider of public ICT access points in the country, although there is a new initiativeto create Community Information Resource Centers (CIRCs) through libraries, schools andmultipurpose community centers.

The study includes desktop research and a fieldwork component which assesses userperspectives on information needs, access to information and perceived barriers to gaining accessto information and communication. The lack of information about existing ICT access points, thelack of ICT infrastructure (telecommunications networks, computers and Internet access), lowlevels of ICT skills and access to ICT training, and the need for considerably more ICT accesspoints emerge as key factors.

The study makes recommendations on aspects such as the undertaking of a situational analysis,the need for more public ICT access points, ICT literacy training and the provision of relevant e-government services.

Keywords: Namibia; ICT; information and communication; telecenters; public libraries;SchoolNets.

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Table of Contents

Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 3Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... 4

1. Country Overview ................................................................................................................... 61.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 61.2 Geography ........................................................................................................................ 61.3 Political/geographic divisions .......................................................................................... 6

2. Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 82.1 Team qualifications .......................................................................................................... 82.2 Literature review .............................................................................................................. 82.3 Venue selection ................................................................................................................ 82.4 Inequity variables ............................................................................................................. 82.5 Data collection.................................................................................................................. 9

3. Overall Country Assessment................................................................................................. 103.1

Public Access to Information ......................................................................................... 10

3.2 Access, Capacity, Environment, Inequity environment in the country .......................... 113.3 Information needs of the underserved communities ...................................................... 113.4 Economic, policy and regulatory environment .............................................................. 123.5 Collaboration practices already existing across venues, and future opportunities ......... 133.6 Buzz factor: perception of what is cool, what has momentum ...................................... 133.7 Legitimate use: who decides what legitimate use of information/resources is .............. 133.8 Shifting media landscape ............................................................................................... 13

4. Venue Assessment ................................................................................................................ 144.1 Overall venue landscape assessment .............................................................................. 144.2 Public Libraries .............................................................................................................. 144.3

SchoolNets ..................................................................................................................... 15

4.4 Internet Cafes ................................................................................................................ 164.5 Educational institutions .................................................................................................. 17

5. Success Factors and Recommendations................................................................................ 175.1 Summary of Lessons in Country .................................................................................... 175.2 Success factors and recommendations for promoting public access to ICTs ................ 17

5.2.1 Success Factors ....................................................................................................... 175.2.2 Recommendations ................................................................................................... 17

6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 18

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Executive Summary

Introduction

This research study examines the public access to information and communicationlandscapes in Namibia, with specific focus on public libraries and schools, to understand

the information needs of underserved communities, public access to information andcommunication venues, and the role of ICT. Namibia, classified as a lowermiddle incomecountry with a GDP of 4.1%,1 is a sparselypopulated country with a population of 2.1million and a population density of about 2.5/km. Overall ICT access is very limitedthroughout the country, with SchoolNet Namibia providing most of the available ICTsthrough schools.

Methodology

This research study was initiated in early 2008 and consists of two phases Phase I combineddesktop research, telephonic and face-to-face interviews with about 30 key decisionmakers andexperts, three group discussions, and selected site visits to readily accessible venues in

Windhoek and Gobabis. Phase II included a field survey which was undertaken during June andJuly 2008. Four types of venues were researched public libraries (2), schools (3), educationalinstitutions (2) and commercial internet cafs (5). . Venues were chosen based on accessibilityto the community, the availability of ICTs at the locations, and the presumption that there wouldbe more than 20 users per day. The limited availability of public ICT access points (outside ofSchoolNets) resulted in a very limited sample for this study.

Findings

There is pentup demand for the use of ICTs, given the huge distances and geographicisolation of large parts of the population. The provision of electricity is a particularchallenge and alternative energy sources are in use and/or being investigated e.g. solar

power and wind energy by MTC (mobile operator) and SchoolNet Namibia. There is a largedigital divide between those living in urban versus nonurban environments.

There is a distinct difference between the usage patterns of those over and under 25 yearsof age. Most users above 25 use the Internet for work and keeping in touch with theirbusiness colleagues. The Internet is seen as an information source and very little time isspent on using it as an entertainment medium. Many of the younger users (below 25) haveaccess to ICTs for which they do not have to pay. They use mobile services to keep in touchwith their social network (chat) and to make appointments with one another (SMS). Theirusage of the Internet is for emails, but most prefer social network sites where messages aresent across the network rather than to an individual friend. If they download from the

Internet, they access music and films, mostly through pirated means. There are very fewgender differences in terms of usage.

1 Source: National Planning Commission (2006 figures).

http://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdf

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Success Factors and Recommendations

There is a need for better coordination between the government departments regarding ICTrollout to ensure the optimal utilization of limited resources. The Government has designated thatall constituency offices (13 regions with 107 constituency offices) should be equipped with ICTs.The proposed Community Information Resource Centers will require shared use of the fiber-

optic backbone already rolled out to these constituency offices, as well as alternative powersources for those venues not on the electricity grid.

Recommendation 1: Introducing ICTs into libraries represents a significant opportunity sincethere are only two libraries in the country that are connected to the Internet.

Recommendation 2: An extensive ICT literacy campaign is required in government as well thebroader population. ICT training should be included more prominently in the training ofteachers and librarians, as well as civil servants.

Recommendation 3: A situational analysis is needed to identify all the existing community

access points (clinics, libraries, schools, recreational centers, craft centers, etc.) and identify bestpractice.

Recommendation 4: eGovernment services need to be identified and implemented. Governmentwebsites must become more functional.

Recommendation 5: More research is needed to assess the availability of content in locallanguages, the extent to which this is required, the likely levels of demand and the type ofcontent that could be developed for future use in libraries, schools and youth developmentcenters.

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1. Country Overview

1.1 Introduction

Namibia, classified as a lower-middle income country with a GDP of 4.1%,2 is a sparsely-

populated country with a population of 2.1 million and a population densityof about 2.5/km.Due to the largely arid and semi-arid nature of the country, and the large distances betweentowns, most of the population lives in the larger towns of Windhoek, Swakopmund and WalvisBay, and more than 65% in the smaller towns of northern Namibia.

1.2 Geography

Namibia lies on the Atlantic coast in southern Africa and is bordered by Angola, Zambia,Botswana and South Africa.covers an area of 825,418 km2 and is the worlds least populatedcountry after Mongolia. It have five different but overlapping geographic areas which range fromdesert, dunes and gravel plains, to the central escarpment which has the only arable land in thecountry (less than 1%).3

1.3 Political/geographic divisions

Namibia is a democratic multiparty republic with an independent judiciary. The country isdivided into thirteen regions and 107 constituencies, with the regions being managed through 13regional councils.

Namibia only gained its independence from South Africa in 1990 (and the town of Walvis Bay in1994). This has meant that the legacy of apartheid, as in South Africa, has left hugediscrepancies along racial lines in the country. The Black population (which included the blackand mixed-race communities) were denied access to good education, lived in areas whereinfrastructure was minimal (water and electricity), roads were generally in poor condition and

this part of the population had to travel long distances to employment in the cities and towns.Presently the situation has improved but there are still wide discrepancies in income, access toeducation, living standards and career advancement opportunities often due to lack of educationand sufficient role models. Namibia liesamong the countries with a very high GINI Coefficient(74.3%) and in 126th place in the world.4

1.4 Demography

Blacks Africans are in the majority, making up 87.5% of the total population and comprising of anumber of ethnic groups Oshiwambo, Nama/Damara, Herero, Lozi, Kwangali and Tswana.The white population is estimated at 6%, and those of mixed origin 6.5%.English has become the language of choice for the younger generation, although Afrikaans is

spoken widely.

2Source: National Planning Commission (2006 figures).

http://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdf

3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia#geographyAccessed21August20084http://www.swivel.com/data_columns/spreadsheet/1748283?page=2. Accessed9April2008

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http://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia#geographyhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.swivel.com/data_columns/spreadsheet/1748283?page=2http://www.swivel.com/data_columns/spreadsheet/1748283?page=2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia#geographyhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdfhttp://www.npc.gov.na/publications/National_Accounts_1996_to_2006.pdf


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1.5 Conclusion

The small population size and vast distances throughout the country present huge challenges forthe rollout of ICT infrastructure.

Map showing the location of Namibia in relation to countries in Southern Africa5

1. Caprivi 4. Karas 7. Kunene 10. Omusati 13. Otjozondjupa

2. Erongo 5. Okavango 8. Ohangwena 11. Oshana

3. Hardap 6. Khomas 9. Omaheke 12. Oshikoto

Map of Namibia, Showing the Thirteen Provinces6

5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia#Geography Accessed21August20086 Regions of Namibia, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Namibia. Accessed21 August 2008

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia#Geographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Namibiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Namibiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia#Geographyhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Namibia_Regions_numbered.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:LocationNamibia.svg


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2. Methodology

2.1 Team qualifications

The Namibian research team consisted of two researchers with a wide range of ICT experience,and supported by a small team of field researchers who assisted in the survey work for Phase II.Tina James has more than 25 years experience in ICTs in Africa and has worked across a rangeprojects in ICT policy and strategy development, technology management, foresighting androadmapping, as well as on ICD projects dealing with telecenters, school networking and supportsystems for SMMEs.Milton Louw has been involved with the Internet and ICT activities since1992 when he was responsible for Information and Communication at the Namibia Chamber ofCommerce and Industry. He is presently the Secretary for the ICT Alliance and on the Secretariatof the Cabinet taskforce on ICT.

2.2 Literature review

There is very limited research material on ICTs in Namibia - about 15 20 research documentswere reviewed by the research team, in addition to background information obtained from onlinesearching.

2.3 Venue selection

There are very few public ICT access points outside of those offered at schools. SchoolNetprovides access to rural and remote schools, but most of these schools do not provide ICT accessto the community. The provision of ICT services by SchoolNet falls into two categories - inschools and as community centers in partnership with other stakeholders. For this reason, schoolswere included in the Namibian survey. Only two libraries in the country have ICT access thenational library in Windhoek and the community library at Katatura, an outlying area on the

outskirts of Windhoek. Both were included in the survey.

Four types of venues were therefore selected: 1) Public libraries as well as libraries operated byinternational agencies such as the UNDP and the US Information Services (USIS); 2) Schoolsand educational institutions; 3) Community centers (CIRCs) and 4) Internet cafs (commercialand the post office).

The following towns were chosen for the study so as to provide a better representation of venuesthroughout the country: 1) Windhoek, the capital city; 2) Gobabis and Okahandja, small townswithin a 200km radius of Windhoek; 3) Ondangwa in the north of Namibia and 4) Rehoboth,about 90km south of Windhoek. .

2.4 Inequity variables

Seven inequity variables are of relevance in assessing public ICT access points in South Africa:

Socio-economic status. Apartheid has left huge discrepancies along racial lines in the countrywhich still persist.

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Educational level. Primary school enrolment rates are estimated at 99.3% with a 76%completion rate for men and 85% for women. Girls outnumber boys in both primary andsecondary education. The secondary school enrolment rate is estimated at 56.3 %.Adult literacy has increased rapidly in recent years, with 83.5% of women over the age of 15regarded as literate as compared to men at 86.8%.7 This compares well with the 1990 statistics

at 74.9%.

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ICT literacy is very low in the country, which is in turn hampered by the lack of vocabulary forICTs in Afrikaans, the language of choice for over 70% of the population

Age. The 2001 Population Census shows that the country has a relatively youthful populationwith 39% of the population under 15 years of age and only 7% over 60.9 93% of those surveyedin the Phase II research were under the age of 35.

Gender. Women make up 50.4% of the population (2004) and 44% of the total labor forcewhich is estimated at 1million. 47% of the users of the venues were female.

Location. The location of service delivery facilities was previously closely connected to theracial groups as defined above. There are distinct differences between urban and non-urbanenvironments in terms of access to infrastructure such as water and electricity and service pointssuch as clinics.

Access to reliable infrastructure and facilities. During apartheid, large numbers of the blackpopulation were forced to live far from urban areas but close enough to provide labor for thecities. Others were forced into rural areas. In this study, the emphasis was on underserved areas.

Local languages. Namibia has 21 distinct languages, although English is the main language usedin schools and in the business community. Most citizens are conversant in Afrikaans.

2.5 Data collection

During Phase I more than 30 individuals were interviewed, either face-to-face or throughtelephonic discussions. 19 site visits were carried out during Phase I.

The Phase II user survey took place over a two-week period in June and July 2008. Twoquestionnaires, one for users and one for operators, were used. The questionnaires werecustomized for local conditions. Due to the size of the country, a team of locally-basedfieldworkers was deployed. The venues were all notified in advance. The UN libraries andInternet Cafs were visited several times, both morning and afternoons, to assess if there wereany users. Several problems were encountered during the course of the survey, the major one

being that respondents did not have time to assist. The survey approach is also relatively7WorldBankGroup. GenderStats.http://devdata.worldbank.org/genderstats/genderRpt.asp?rpt=profile&cty=NAM,Namibia&hm=home Accessed8April20088 Millennium Development Goals for Namibia, World Bank, http://ddp-

ext.worldbank.org/ext/ddpreports/ViewSharedReport?&CF=&REPORT_ID=1305&REQUEST_TYPE=VIEWADV

ANCED&DIMENSIONS=1079 Government of Namibia website,

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unknown to most people in Namibia,. Some respondents were also concerned that their ICTusage might be limited if they assisted in the survey.

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ata capturing and analysis was done centrally. In total 165 users were surveyed, in addition toperators at each of the venues.

Table 1. Overview of Phase II Survey Responses from Users

PublicLibraries

SchoolNets InternetCafs

EducationalInstitutes

# ofurban venues surveyed 2 1 1 -# ofsemi-urban venues surveyed - 2 4 2# of respondents in urban venues 50 37 5 -# of respondents in semi-urban venues - 25 17 31

3. Overall Country Assessment

Overall, ICT access is very limited throughout the country. There is limited activity in theprovision of information services and there is little evidence of active e-governmentimplementation, despite this being a component of the governments service to the citizen. Thismay be partially attributable to the low levels of ICT skills and capacity within the governmentitself. There is limited material available in local languages, and most is produced in English.

3.1 Public Access to Information

A recent household survey indicates that the Internet is mainly accessed at the workplace orthrough schools.10 Out of a total of 854 households surveyed in urban and rural areas, only 51

had household members that had used the Internet and of these members only 3.9% had an emailaddress. A recent government study

11found that more than 94% of people had access to radio,

70% had access to mobile phones, 13.4% to computers and only 8.8% access to Internet.

Internet access is unreachable for many due to the limited number of fixed lines, the high costs ofInternet access (despite slowly decreasing prices), the lack of electricity and the lack ofbandwidth availability. The Namibian population is however characterized by high mobile phoneusage, due to extensive geographic coverage (>65%) and 100% coverage along all the arterialroads. Mobile telecommunication is likely to be the area where the most significant advances inICT access can be made in Namibia. A significant means of communication can be foundthrough the publication of SMS messages in local newspapers. This is offered free of charge to

readers.

There is no significant local content, government websites do not always work, and theinformation required is often not available.

11 Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (2007). Service Delivery Assessment Report. Full reference?

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3.2 Access, Capacity, Environment, Inequity environment in the country

Due to Namibia being a part of South Africa until 1990, it fell under the apartheid laws enforcedat that time. The Black population (which included the black and mixed-race communities) weredenied access to good education, lived in areas where infrastructure was minimal (water andelectricity), roads were generally in poor condition and this part of the population had to travel

long distances to employment in the cities and towns. Presently the situation has improved butthere are still wide discrepancies in income, access to education, living standards and careeradvancement opportunities often due to lack of education and sufficient role models. Thedistribution of income in the country is generally recognized as among the most unequal in theworld.12.

There is pent-up demand for the use of ICTs, given the huge distances and geographic isolationof large parts of the population. Namibians over the age of 25 will use ICT and more specificallyInternet applications primarily for work purposes. Most people under the age of 25 are usingICTs for personal and social interaction with their peers, as well as for personal entertainment(movies, music, and games).

The high level of literacy and formal education means that most Namibians, once given access,would be able to make use of information sources with very little assistance. The level oftechnological skills, from PC engineers to graduate degrees, is quite high. This has beenprimarily due to the investment in human capital by the mining and financial services sectors.The provision of electricity is a particular challenge and alternative energy sources are in useand/or being investigated e.g. solar power and wind energy. The extent of the problem isillustrated by the fact that only 6.1% of rural households have access to electricity. In urbanareas, access to fixed line telephony is the major limiting factor.

The large proportion of young people in the country (almost 40% under the age of 15) points to

the need to focus on this target group, and particularly on the use of ICTs in improving thequality of education. The governments intention is to introduce ICTs into schools and hasallocated budget for this purpose. This does point to a possible future need for expanding theestablishment of multipurpose community centers, or providing existing facilities with ICTaccess. This has been recognized by the Cabinet and a directive has been given to a newly-formed ICT Taskforce to audit what programs are in place and find a way of improvingcollaboration across various government efforts.

3.3 Information needs of the underserved communities

The general public, according to a government study undertaken in 2007,13 has informationneeds that cover the following areas: crime; health matters; corruption; HIV/AIDS; employment

creation; violence against women and children; poverty reduction and agriculture.

The present research study found that more than 50% of respondents were looking for education-related material and finding work-related information, for example job opportunities andinterview techniques. However, very little of this type of information is available. The need for

12http://www.usaid.gov/na/overview2.htm13 Ibid.

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this information is directly related to the younger user base at these facilities. There have beenvarious programs to provide employment search functionality from different Ministries, mostnotably the Ministry of Labor, but none have thus far been able to keep their online informationup-to-date.

3.4 Economic, policy and regulatory environment

A new Ministry of ICT has recently been created, which is expected to oversee the creation of animplementation body (commissions) that would allow Namibia to harness the power of ICTs astools to accelerate socio-economic development. The Ministry will be responsible for developingpolicy and regulating the business being done in ICT and related sectors; ensure access to all itscitizens; and protect civil liberties. The Ministry will focus on three areas (possibly through thecreation of agencies): 1) Namibian Communications Commission, which will deal with allregulatory aspects of communication; 2) Namibian Computer Agency, which will promote theaccelerated diffusion of IT in every socio-economic sphere; and 3) Central Informatics Body tooversee the implementation of IT in government and ensure that civil servants are literate

The telecommunications and regulatory environment is challenging, with a monopoly in fixedline telephony, two mobile operators, and no provision for the use of VOIP by the public (VOIPis not illegal, only the reselling of such a service on a commercial basis). The lack of certainty inthe regulatory environment has been a limiting factor and there is a need for service- andtechnology-neutral licenses.

The policy environment is in flux as the existing ICT policy is in the process of being updatedduring 2008. Several working groups were established to draw up recommendations for thedevelopment of an ICT strategy. A taskforce was appointed and this has recently identified twoactivities which are most critical in the short-term: 1) public access to information and 2) theimproved administration of the .na domain. There is also an increased emphasis on ICT skills

development. The creation of a Ministry of ICT and the delegation of ICT services to the publicis a step in the right direction. The Ministry is presently preparing a strategic plan and isexpected unveil its plan of action before September 2008. Mixed signals have however beennoted in the budget of the Minister of Finance in 2008. Close to US$ 131 000 was allocated forthe creation of an ICT Policy in 2007. However, less than (US$ 26 300) was allocated for itsimplementation in 2008.

The Government of Namibia is spending more than US$314 million over five years (2006-2011),on the upgrading of the Education sector, referred to as the Education and Training SectorImprovement Programme (ETSIP). This includes the upgrading of teacher and student skills inICT. It has however indicated that this is insufficient in the short-term. ETSIP includes theTech/Na! component which aims to roll out ICTs in schools. As of June 2007, about 40 schoolswere connected.14 The rollout has however been slow and there have been recent newspaperreports which indicate problems in the delivery of computers to schools. This may point to apotential capacity problem in being able to deliver. TechNA! includes secondary schools inthe first phase, but the intention is to roll out ICTs to all schools by the end of Phase 2. All

14 Frederick Philander. Namibia: First Phase of ETSIP On Track. New Era, Windhoek 21 June 2007http://allafrica.com/stories/200706210651.html Accessed 28 February 2008

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libraries are included as part of the second phase. Youth centers in the regions also offercomputer training.

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3.5 Collaboration practices already existing across venues, and future opportunities

The creation of Edunet, an ISP specifically geared towards educational institutions, is a good

example of collaboration. The partners in the provision of subsidized Internet access are TelecomNamibia and SchoolNet Namibia and a trust was created in 2003, the XNet Development Trust,to drive forward this initiative. It is an integral part of the TechNa! (ICT in Education) initiativeof the Ministry of Education.

SchoolNet Namibia has established collaborative relationships with schools and a fewcommunity centers in which they provide technical support, training and computers (hardwareand software). Various international donors have been collaborating with the Government ofNamibia in the provision of ICTs among others e.g. Millennium Challenge Account, Finland,Sida (Sweden), UNESCO, Book Aid International, and the Luxembourg Agency forDevelopment Cooperation.

At this stage, there are few institutional opportunities beyond schools and, to a more limitedextent, in libraries. The governments intention to roll out CommunityInformation Resource Centers (CIRCs) in all the regions creates an opportunity for the sharing ofscarce resources within specific geographic locations potential areas of collaboration includeshared training, first level technical support and the sharing of content development in aparticular region.

3.6 Buzz factor: perception of what is cool, what has momentum

Mobile telephone usage is key in such a sparsely populated country, with high uptake among theyouth. Schools lacking water and electricity use wireless technology combined with solar power

and diesel generators. Base stations have been set up in the north of Namibia for this purpose.

3.7 Legitimate use: who decides what legitimate use of information/resources is

The youth see the use of social networks and chat as necessary for their future. A few in the usersurvey indicated they would think twice before accepting a job with a company that does notallow access to social networking sites. The boundaries between trivial and legitimate arebecoming blurred, as can be seen in the business community where many are also joiningnetworks for the sharing of ideas and opportunities, increased networking and social interactionssuch as birthday reminders and the exchange of personal information.

3.8 Shifting media landscape

Mobile phones have been the technology with the most pervasive impact, even in poorcommunities. Its potential as a content tool has however been underexploited and no attentionhave been given to the use of mobile for the provision of government services.

The MXit message exchange program for mobile phones (GPRS/ 3G) has become a hugesuccess among the Namibian youth. The technology allows mobile users, at an extremely lowcost of less than US$ 0.001 per minute, to chat to people on their computers and to other MXit


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users on their mobiles, from anywhere in the world. Messages of up to 2000 characters can besent.

4. Venue Assessment

4.1 Overall venue landscape assessment

Four types of public access points were selected for inclusion in this study - public libraries,SchoolNets, commercial Internet cafs and educational institutions.

4.2 Public Libraries

There are 56 functional community libraries with an additional three to be opened by theend of 2008. Most libraries are small with only one room to accommodate ICTs, shelves anda service counter. Plans are underway to build regional libraries with more space.Computers are available in 21 libraries, but only five have internet access. A further tenlibraries will have computers by the end of the 2008/09 financial year and an additional 10libraries per year will be provided with computers until 2010/11. These are generally

provided for administrative access, but librarians may also provide access to the public ifrequested.15 The National Library in Windhoek has seven computers for computer andinternet access, although these are very old and are to be replaced by the end of 2008. Inaddition there are a number of specialist libraries and resource centers for teachers (about17), and adult education (about 3), but these do not provide broader public access. Acommunity library based in the less developed area of Greenwell Matonga in Windhoek iscurrently being renovated and will provide a computer lab with 10 computers. Fourlibraries were visited but user surveys could only be carried out in two. The research revealed thefollowing findings:

Libraries are generally used by younger members of the population such as schoolchildren,students and job seekers. 89% of the users were aged between 15 and 35 years, and the

remainder (11%) under the age of fifteen. 98% of the users were Black with the remaining2% being White.

Most of the users visited the library daily (52%) or about once a week (26%). Web browsing (47%) and emails (35%) are the most common uses for the internet in the

eNational library. A rather large number, 20.6%, were just marking time and not using thcomputers for any specific reason. 5% were using the computers to play games.

Libraries tend to be situated in the central business districts of the smaller towns.Although generally Namibian towns are not very large, this would still mean thatpreviously disadvantaged communities would have to travel longer distances to reachlibraries, either by taxi or walking.

The few libraries that offer Internet access do so free of charge. The library membershipfees are also low.

Libraries play a significant role as places of study. For example, the National Library inWindhoek has small meeting rooms and private facilities for study as well as desks inthe main library area. There are generally used by students. In contrast, the GreenwellMatongo Community Library consists of a single large room which houses books, as

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15 National Library of Namibia Website, list of all libraries http://www.nln.gov.na/nis/address.html Accessed 2 March 2008. Updatedinformation provided through personal communication, 11 March 2008.
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The users in the SchoolNet venues are mostly using email (35%) and web-browsing (45%),the latter being used mainly for researching school projects.

Users tend to use the venue on a regular basis and often daily (47%). It is presumed that mostof them stay in close proximity to the center.

The biggest barriers were identified as not enough services available (31%) and the operatinghours (32%)

The SchoolNet areas at schools are well supported and most students see it as a privilege tomake use of these facilities. Some students even skip their regular classes to make use of thefacility.

4.4 Internet Cafes

The commercial provision of Internet services is flourishing in Namibia. Most major urbanareas have multiple internet cafs catering for browsing, email and gaming. LANing(gaming over a network) has also taken off and there are regular competitions. The PostOffice and Telecom also provide internet access at some of their venues. Quite a few bankshave started providing a small working area within the bank where clients can do Internet

banking. The hardware and software available is state of the art, however the connectionpeeds are still very slow. As these are commercial entities, a fee is charged per hour (+/s

N$30). This is not affordable to the majority of the population.

The legal framework is still pending as the Information and Communication Bill has stillot been tabled. In the policy framework, Government has clearly indicated that Internetafs will be allowed to provide additional services such as VOIP.

nCNi

ine Internet cafs were visited but only five were included in the survey (four commercial sitesn Windhoek, three in Rehoboth and one in Okahandja). Research reveals that:

The Windhoek Post Office provides three Internet access points, but these do notappear to be wellused. According to available information, no other post offices in thecountry provide ICT access.

Most of the users are not locals, but tourists or visitors from other countries. Most areusing the internet for browsing (45%) and emails (36%). The users are also generallyolder perhaps because it is during the day when most younger people are at school, orthe costs are too high. Just over half (50%) are older than 25. (Fewer than 30% of allusers interviewed were over 25).

The staff sizes are generally small (around one staff member per five computers), butare technologically welltrained.

The regularity of visits was much lower than all the other venues (fewer than 10% werevisited daily). Also the type of service required was described as adequate by users andonly 14% wanted more services.

The biggest complaint from users is that some venues do not allow the use of memorysticks.

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4.5 Educational institutions

Two educational venues were included in the research, both with ICT access but allowinglimited access to the public. The InstituteofInformationTechnologyWindhoekprovides ITtraining to students, generally from higher income backgrounds. The facility has over thirtyterminals with access to the Internet and is also an ICDL 16 testing center. The NamibiaInstituteforEducationalDevelopment(NIED)is located two kilometers from the small townof Okahandja and is an educational building complex for teachers, trainers, curriculumdevelopers. A site visit showed that the library is well stocked with books but the Internetconnection is erratic. The venue is very difficult to access with public transport and hasvery few users from outside.

5. Success Factors and Recommendations

5.1 Summary of Lessons in Country

This research study has confirmed that there is little ICT activity in the country outside of theextensive activities of SchoolNet Namibia. There has been positive movement in the ICT policyenvironment and the creation of a Ministry of ICT should contribute towards strongercollaboration between government ministries, NGOs working in the ICT training/provisionarena, and the private sector.

5.2 Success factors and recommendations for promoting public access to ICTs

5.2.1 Success Factors

The rollout of ICT to schools appears to have been the most successful project in Namibia,despite the difficulties of dialup access, little available bandwidth, long travel distances to

provide technical support and the difficulties of providing reliable 24/7 internet access.

There is a need for better coordination between the government departments regarding ICTrollout to ensure the optimal utilization of limited resources. The Government has designated thatall constituency offices (13 regions with 107 constituency offices) should be equipped with ICTs.The proposed Community Information Resource Centers will require shared use of the fiber-optic backbone already rolled out to these constituency offices, as well as alternative powersources for those venues not on the electricity grid.

5.2.2 Recommendations

Five key recommendations can be made which should positively impact on extending the reachand uptake of public ICT access points:

Recommendation1: A situational analysis is needed to identify all the existing communityaccess points (clinics, libraries, schools, recreational centers, craft centers, etc.) and identifybest practice.

16 International Computer Drivers License certification for ICT literacy.

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Recommendation2:Introducing ICTs into libraries represents a significant opportunitysince there are only two libraries in the country that are connected to the Internet.

Recommendation3: An extensive ICT literacy campaign is required in government as wellthe broader population. ICT training should be included more prominently in the trainingof teachers and librarians, as well as civil servants.

Recommendation4: eGovernment services need to be identified and implemented.Government websites must become more functional.

Recommendation5:More research is needed to assess the availability of content in locallanguages, the extent to which this is required, the likely levels of demand and the type ofcontent that could be developed for future use in libraries, schools and youth developmentcenters.

6. Conclusion

In conclusion, Namibia represents a challenging environment for the rollout and uptake of ICTs

and the provision of information services. The very low level of ICT penetration presents achallenge as well as an opportunity. The Government of Namibias efforts to address ICTsthrough the Education Sector is laudable and should create an opportunity, through schools, toextend ICT access to the largely youthful population of the country. Likewise the efforts toplace ICTs in libraries should have an impact in meeting the clearly pent-up demand for broaderICT access. The pervasive presence, even in poorer communities, of mobile phones indicates theneed for government to strongly consider this technology for its future provision of governmentinformation to citizens.

namibia ict access book chapter

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