• Telecentres & kiosks

Telecentres and kiosks

This surveys looks at the software used by public-access computer labs in Namibia, South Africa and Uganda. It compares the benefits of using Free/Open Source (FOSS) products rather than their commercial alternatives, looking at:

• the range of factors that affect software choices
• the realities of the current situation in Africa
• the long-term implications of software choices for Africa.

The key obstacles which characterise the software choice for public computer labs in Africa include: labs lack awareness of the implications of software choices; staff do not have the necessary skills or time to investigate software options; labs cannot afford to buy proprietary applications or download FOSS applications from the Internet; and often local procurement channels are not available to provide information and deliver software.

The report finds that both FOSS and proprietary software can be used effectively in public computer labs in Africa, but different challenges must be addressed depending on the type of software used:

• FOSS has been used with success in large, carefully-designed, well-implemented projects
• FOSS use in small, independent, remote computer labs ( where technical skill are often low) has proven more difficult. Familiarity and experience with proprietary software are more widespread and lab managers are more likely to find help from a friend or colleague if they use the most common applications
• the fact that FOSS is available free of license costs has little financial benefits for African labs, which almost never pay for the software they use because of donations and unlicensed copies
• software choices can help reduce the cost of hardware, which constitutes the most significant expense in public computer labs. Specifically, the popular thin-client systems found in many FOSS labs can offer very good value for money, because they run on cheaper (usually older, and less powerful) hardware. When well-configured and installed on reliable hardware, these software systems also require little ongoing maintenance.

But ICT projects struggle with fundamental difficulties that go beyond the choice of software. The current models for public computer labs in Africa are not self-sustainable, regardless of whether they are using free/open source or proprietary software. And subsidies are harder to come by as projects fail to deliver concrete social impacts.

The report also reflects on policy issues around ICT investment. Specific software applications (whether FOSS or proprietary) that could make computers more useful to local communities (such as putting ICT to work to improve healthcare and education, and designed with cultural factors in mind) are still missing.

If proprietary software vendors pay closer attention to the practical problems facing public computer labs, and build on the commitment to deliver on social and development goals, their value proposition for Africa remains high.

The momentum in Africa is currently in favour of FOSS, whose supporters are riding on a growing wave of enthusiasm based on successes in other developing countries. FOSS supporters in Africa have an opportunity to capitalise on this enthusiasm, but need to overcome serious hurdles to translate the hype surrounding FOSS into tangible benefits. Above all they need to support communities of software developers who have the means and interest to develop and maintain locally relevant applications. [adapted from author]

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