Access and Management of Information and Knowledge to Enhance Innovation and Productivity

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Access and Management of Information and
Knowledge to Enhance Innovation and Productivity
Fifth Session of the Committee on Development
Information (CODI V)(2nd April 2007, UNCC, Addis
Ababa)

• Presented by
• Dr. M. Sola AFOLABI
• Director, Community Computer Centre
• ECOWAS Commission
• ABUJA, NIGERIA
• afolabi_at_ecowas.int www.ecowas.int

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OUTLINE

• Preamble Definitions
• Why Innovation and Productivity?
• Information Management Components
• Access to Information
• Risks, Challenges and Remedial Measures
• Conclusion

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A. Preamble Definitions

• A.1. Data, Information and Knowledge
• Data basic quanta of facts, figures, symbols
• Information is processed data
• Knowledge is an aggregation of related
  information
• Wisdom is the judicious application of knowledge

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A. Preamble Definitions (cntd..)

• A.2. Management of Information
• Activities
• Collection
• Processing
• Storage
• Dissemination
• Destruction

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A. Preamble Definitions (cntd..)

• A.3. Innovation
• Enhancement of existing procedures and
  technologies in the work process
• Not necessarily discovery or invention
• May use legal (if sometimes unethical) short cuts

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A. Preamble Definitions (cntd..)

• A.4. Productivity
• Maximizing output
• Minimizing input
• Profit thy name is productivity
• Productivity not synonymous with Activity

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A. Preamble Definitions (cntd..)

• A.5. Access to Information
• Features of desirable access
• available - media, form
• viable up-to-date
• relevant appropriate
• affordable cost
• prompt as required

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B. Why Innovation and Productivity?

• B.1. Features of the industrial and economic
  climate
• Meagre resources (financial and human capital)
• Low skill levels
• Low level (sometime primitive) technology
• Poor legal and institutional frameworks

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B. Why Innovation and Productivity? (cntd..)

• B.2. Enhancing Factors
• Access to an educated mass
• Low labour costs
• Virgin legislative and institutional structures
• Access to global information sets internet,
  Radio, TV, Print

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B. Why Innovation and Productivity? (cntd..)

• B.3. Innovate for Enhanced Productivity
• Therefore use what you got to get what you want.

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C. Information Management Components

• C.1. Infrastructure
• Equipment (computers, servers, systems software)
• Network (LAN, CAN, MAN, WAN)
• Telecoms (Mobile GPRS/3G, Fixed line, fibre
  optic, Broadband, WIMAX)
• Internet (The Web, VOIP, Intranet)
• Mass Communication Radio, Postal Services, TV,
  Print Media.

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C. Information Management Components (cntd..)

• C.2. Content Development
• Application Software
• Procedures Work Flows
• Cultural Specificities (language, religious)

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C. Information Management Components (cntd..)

• C.3. Human Capital
• Professionals (Engineers, Developers,
  Technicians)
• Sectoral Skills (Finance, e-Govt, Industry)
• Awareness (Political levels, Lifelong learning)
• Human Capital Development Vehicles
• Education
• Technical and Vocational Training
• Motivation
• Lifelong (Adult Education)
• e-Education (E-Schools, e-Learning)

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C. Information Management Components (cntd..)

• C.4. Management Techniques
• Technology Transfer and Management
• Intellectual Property
• Change Management
• Technology Financing

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D. Access to Information

• Rural Access Telecoms and Internet
• Low Cost
• Open Source
• Software
• Hardware (Internet Appliances)
• Targeted by
• sector (agriculture, manufacturing, etc)
• community (cooperatives, economic groupings)
• gender
• culture and language
• Integrated (Mass Communication, internet, mobile
  telephony)

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E. Risks, Challenges and Remedial Measures

• E.1. If you do not know where you are going, you
  are likely to end up somewhere else
• Corollary Have a Plan
• Remedial Measure (RM)
• Finalize and Implement CODIST in the agreed
  context of WSIS principles and Action Plan.
• Avoid thrashing forever organizing,
  restructuring, deliberating, reviewing,
  re-reviewing, evaluation, etc

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E. Risks, Challenges and Remedial Measures
(cntd..)

• E.2. Killing a fly with a hammer
• RM Use appropriate technology for economic,
  cultural, gender and age groups.
• Appropriate Technology that can be appropriated
  to enhance ownership and sustainability
• Select and focus on targets for maximum impact.

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E. Risks, Challenges and Remedial Measures
(cntd..)

• E.3. If anything can go wrong, it will
• RM Provide deliberate redundancy in
  infrastructure, staff, procedures (fall-back
  scenarios)

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E. Risks, Challenges and Remedial Measures
(cntd..)

• E.4. There is nothing new under the sun
• RM Use existing technologies and procedures and
  innovate.

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E. Risks, Challenges and Remedial Measures
(cntd..)

• E.5. Water finds its own level
• Corollary Globalisation inherently leads to
• Brain Flight
• Capital Flight
• Culture Flight
• If you do not use your own cheap labour, someone
  else will.
• RM Take measures to enhance intra-regional
  exchanges of intellectual property, goods,
  services and citizens

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E. Risks, Challenges and Remedial Measures
(cntd..)

• E.6. Maintain a level playing field
• Good governance is essential for citizens to
  imbibe a can-do spirit necessary for innovation
• Corruption 2 types
• Subsistence corruption
• Greed-driven corruption
• RM Provide for adequate
• Prevention (basic and social needs)
• Apprehension (open, firm, fair law-and order
  system)
• Deterrence (punishment incarceration, seizure
  of corrupt profit)

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F. Conclusion

• There is a time to speak and a time to keep
  silent

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Thank you for your attention.