Knowledge, culture & the internet in Africa: a challenge for political economists

The development and use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) are undoubtedly important in today's world. Not surprisingly this raises issues of ‘ICT and development’, ‘ICT and health’, ‘ICT and agriculture’ and above all of a ‘digital divide’ between those with permanent access to new technologies and those with none. Such topics are not unimportant but they should not obscure the need for a more profound, critical analysis of what these changes mean. ICT are only one element in a process of changing organisational forms and changing understanding of how information and knowledge can be applied for economic ends. It is argued that these changes are creating a new mode of production, one which may offer Africa more opportunities relative to the world economy than have been experienced in the past. Such opportunities are more likely to be generated, the more ordinary Africans get access to basic communication tools and use them for their own ends. Such a process, which can be either aided or obstructed by the policies of the state and international institutions, would inevitably lead to significant changes in economic and political relationships.