Global E-Commerce: Africa - Ongoing Debate

ONGOING DEBATE

Everyone didn't agreed that e-commerce was the key to sustainable and democratic development in Africa. Some critics even insisted that the electronically driven globalization was akin to the patterns of colonialism that subjugated and exploited Africa throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries. According to such arguments, the nature of many African economies renders them largely dependent on raw export commodities, and the instant availability of rival commodity supplies from other parts of the world subjects the industries to excessively low prices—too low to meet the needs of the industries and the economies they support. In this way, critics claim, the prices of exports such as coffee, wheat, tea, timber, and other goods are removed from the process of negotiation based on quality and supply and into the hands of international financiers, who, treating these items as mere commodities, take no account of such factors.

In response, e-commerce proponents insist that trade and economic growth could flourish only if African governments gave up protectionist measures and point to successes like the tourism industry, where the opening of e-markets has produced positive results. For instance, many governments charge high international tariffs discouraging international ISPs from setting up efficient networks. There was growing international pressure on African governments to dis-mantle their telecommunications monopolies and open their doors to greater competition in the ISP sector.

Ultimately, of course, e-commerce is only part of the equation. African countries aren't likely to achieve sustainable, long-term democratic development only on the commercial possibilities of e-commerce. Rather, analysts insist that the adoption of Internet technologies must proceed in an integrated fashion, addressing the specific needs of the particular populations and utilizing the technology to further educational policies and open the channels of communication so opinions can flow freely within and between countries.