Development and Cooperation


	Contributions from the Column Facts and trends Information and communications Which is the proper yardstick: Departmental budget or ODA? What future for Africa? Germany supports Southern African Development Community (SADC) Where poverty and humiliation mix terrorism can flourish The Trade Justice Strong political support needed for land reform 01/2003		Information and communications technologies were a key element of industrial development and therefore particularly important for poor countries, said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, marking Africa Industrialisation Day on November 20. He said they could help reduce communications costs and open up new markets for African products.But that is still pure theory, as this year’s ‘Report on E-commerce and Development’ by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) made clear. It said that in 2001 the developing countries had a share of only slightly less than 5 per cent of the worldwide value of e-commerce totalling more than US$ 2,300 billion. UNCTAD said while it was true that Africa’s 46.4 per cent growth in new Internet connections last year was higher than anywhere else, the increase was based on a still very low level. Only one out of every 117 Africans had Internet access in 2001 compared to every second American. (uke)