Dear Colleagues, I am sure there are several ongoing projects addressing the issue of Information Technology in the institutions of learning in the so-called developing countries. Of course Africa as a continent can still use more of such work force training.
The issue is not that of allowing a country to do E-Commerce, but that of having the proper framework for proper and secure implementation, that will allow for global virtual enterprise. As pointed out by the Moderator: > Cyber-security is essential to e-commerce. Businesses must establish > trust with their potential customers. Countries need to prevent > cyber-fraud that can cripple e-commerce activity. Yet, developing > countries face special obstacles in their efforts to safeguard their > companies' e-commerce activities. Many lack a legal infrastructure that > can thwart digital crime. These countries also have conditions that > foster cyber-crime: many people with sophisticated computer skills and > very low incomes, in an environment of expanding organized crime. The e-Centers, as Electronic Commerce Resource Centers, can draw on any sector of the society, especially the small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs) in Africa. The involvement of the government is very essential because the policies and legal framework have to be coupled with the business standards and enforcement. In addition, the government is the biggest customer in most of the African countries. Therefore, all the stakeholders that understand running of a Virtual Enterprise infrastructure should be attracted to come up with a viable solution in each country. As I pointed out in my previous e-mail, in the US, out of the seventeen Electronic Commerce Resource Centers (ECRC), only two of the centers are run by Universities, the rest are run by private business enterprises with technology hubs, and they were all funded and supported by the government at the inception. A Virtual Enterprise needs the cooperation of all the stakeholders, be it government, educational institution or business entities, to build trust with their customers and create a legal framework that can thwart digital crime. The industrial environment of today consists of numerous organizations working together as a virtual enterprise. As I pointed out in my previous e-mail, the Global Trade and Investment Management Network (GTIM) group in Nigeria and US are taking measures in working with stakeholders in building trust among members and seeking partnerships with organizations interested in cyber-security for Africa. I thank you for your input. Best Regards, O. Olatidoye GTIM US Coordinator On Wednesday, September 29, 2004, Ajay Gupta wrote: > I do believe the first and most critical step towards a allowing > developing countries (e.g., countries on the African continent) to more > fully take part in electronic commerce and the deployment of a secure IT > infrastructure is to institute educational training programs in > Information Technology and the Secondary and Post-Secondary level. > > E-Centers and CSIRTs can more easily be implemented by educational > institutions that are developing the necessary and qualified work force > in the first place. > > Further, the educational institutions, if self-managed, provide at least > one degree of separation between governments and the e-Centers and > CSIRTs often raising the credibility of the latter organizations. ------------ This DOT-COM Discussion is funded by the dot-ORG USAID Cooperative Agreement, and hosted by GKD. http://www.dot-com-alliance.org provides more information. To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd For the GKD database, with past messages: http://www.GKDknowledge.org
