Free and open source software in sub-Saharan Africa: development through information

Donors have been promoting information and communication technologies as central to development. But the enforcement of intellectual property rights through the World Trade Organization will make it difficult for developing countries to use proprietary software on a large scale. In sub-Saharan Africa, free and open source software may be a cheaper and more appropriate alternative.

An article from Lancaster University, UK, looksat the feasibility of using free and open source software (FOSS) to promotedevelopment through information, in sub-Saharan Africa. The FOSS movement inAfrica is defined as a non-proprietary or non-copyrighted approach to software.

Developing countries joining the World Trade Organization will soon besubject to the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs)agreement. They will then be barred from using cheap counterfeit copies ofproprietary software such as Microsoft’s Windows XP. As it is, sub-SaharanAfrican countries already pay US$24 billion annually to western softwarecompanies.

Information and communication technology (ICT)infrastructure is still very limited in sub-Saharan Africa, and indeed may notbe a top priority relative to other developmental needs. Groups such as FOSSFor Africa have, however, rapidly expanded, as mobile telephones and communitycentres have meant that Internet connectivity is no longer limited to urbancentres.

In Africa, FOSS is seen as an alternative toproprietary software because of:

• the cost of ownership: the averageAfrican would need to work 10 months to buy a copy of Windows XP
• the possibility of modifying the software to localrequirements, for example by changing the language used
• the development of a knowledge base in programming andother skills, which could give Africa a competitive advantage if FOSS gainsground globally
• the possibility ofestablishing independent national capacity in a key technology, with localoperators having significant cost advantages over foreign service providers.

FOSS is expected to boost the advantages of spreading ICTs acrosssub-Saharan Africa. But there are several challenges to overcome:

• The financial and educational ability to take advantageof any sort of computing is unevenly distributed, and spreading FOSS will needenough users familiar with the technology.
• Some African governments are less aware of thepossibilities of local FOSS-based development, and may choose to useestablished software either because of the perception of their dependability,or because of heavy lobbying from software companies.
• Different groups, both public and private sector, mayhave very different priorities as to the software systems they want to use.
• The costs of switching between software systems onceexpertise has been gained and files have been generated and stored are veryhigh: donor programmes may be tied to proprietarysoftware, and compatibility among business partners may be a problem.

African governments pursuing an developmentstrategy through information need to consider how FOSS might serve them for thefuture, given the rapid expansion of ICTs already installed. The difficulty ofavoiding compliance with TRIPs suggests a FOSS strategy may be necessary fortechnological independence in ICTs tailored to local needs.