Dibussi Tande: Scribbles from the Den

The State of Information & Communications Technologies in Cameroon: A Government Perspective

Cameroon: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Third Annual Progress Report
Published: July 18, 2006
Series: IMF Country Report No. 06/260 (70 Pages)
Format: Electronic (free) & Paper (US$15.00)

The IMF today made public Cameroon's Third annual Progress Report which was submitted by that country's Government in February 2006,. The report is based on data which was valid as of December 31, 2005. According to the IMF, these country progress reports “describe the country's macroeconomic, structural, and social policies in support of growth and poverty reduction, as well as associated external financing needs and major sources of financing.”

Creative Appropriation of the Internet by Africans

By Francis B. Nyamnjoh

Culled from Africa's Media, Democracy and the Politics of Belonging. London: Zed Books. (May 2005). 320 pages. Cost: Hardback: £ 60.00 $85.00; Paperback: £ 18.95 $29.95

1. Africa and the Information Superhighway: What Future? (pp. 14-15)
Politically and socially, the Internet once fully developed and widely installed, could indeed offer Africans many avenues to address current predicaments and promote good governance (Berger 1998; Jensen 2000; Leslie 2002).

Cameroon among the World’s Scientifically Lagging Countries – Alongside Chad and Fiji

By Dibussi Tande

“Caught up with daily survival, people in these societies do not necessarily see the value in building [Science & Technology] capacity because the payoffs are not generally immediate. Indeed, the need to meet external debt servicing requirements and other urgent short-term priorities make it very difficult even for honest policymakers to allocate their meager national budgets to improve infrastructure, education, science, and health” - The Rand Corporation

Stuck on the Fringes of the Knowledge Economy

By Dibussi Tande

"The ability of a society to produce, select, adapt, commercialize, and use knowledge is critical for sustained economic growth and improved living standards. Knowledge has become the most important factor in economic development." The World Bank.

The email from the IT department of a US-based company was a simple one:

"Due to civil disturbances in Bangalore, India, there is limited IT Services staff available in our Bangalore help desk location to provide telephone support. Our help desk locations in Ottawa and Dublin are providing extended services to alleviate this situation, but you may experience extended delays when contacting IT Services via phone.”