Barriers to knowledge sharing in Africa

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Talking about African knowledge consumers, François Stepman (FOMETRO) talks about the bias towards content produced in the north and argues that the Africans need to be much more self-confident about their products.

During the Africa-Europe knowledge exchange roundtable, he suggests that Africans are not consuming the information and knowledge produced on the continent for a lack of confidence in their own capacities to produce relevant content.

At the same time, sharing information and knowledge among peers is far from seen as a win-win situation. It often does not happen due to a "survival reflex." For many people in difficult situations, keeping information is still seen as the best way to compete.

Africa-Europe Roundtable: Food for thought

Brussels, 4 June. The plenary session of the Roundtable 'Towards more effective Africa-Europe information exchange, communication, and knowledge collaboration' kicked off with contributions from three people working with African information and media.

Joseph Ngawi of the Southern Africa Research Documentation Centre (SARDC) presented its Virtual Library catalogue of publications on Southern Africa. SARDC coverS six programme areas: THE environment, gender, human development, sustainable governance, media and regional development. The services allow you to search the site library, experts database and the southern africa media network. Many of the SARDC featured publications are available online such as the Mozambique national development report produced in conjunction with UNDP.

This major resource is not well known enough in Europe and Joseph would like to work with partners to make the virtual library known more widely through information sharing and exchange.

Africa-Europe Internet

David Barnard introduced Sangonet which began life as an alternative communications network in the 80s. In the 90s Sangonet developed into an ISP for NGOs in Southern Africa. Sangonet believes that by improving information flows, the development process can be improved. Sangonet is now a faciltator rather than a service provider.

Linking civil society through ICTs is achieved through 3 activities: a) ICT advocacy, b) civil society information services, and c) ICT services. The historical context needs to be understood before sharing collaboration and communication can be maximised. Cost of information and technology is a major limitation - as are the digital differences between Europe and Africa (see map).

"No development without communication for development and no communication for development without the media." This was the message from Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard of the Pan-African Press Association.

The association has 2700 subscribers from African media organisers who receive 35 press releases a day from APPA. Their subscribers come from all over Africa with 50% being francophone. The APPA webcast is a new way to allow African journalists to cover international events - they can hear a conference through skype.

The three presentations all presented different interventions that support a similar purpose - the need for more communication. As Nicolas said: "No Development without Communication"

After the presentations, participants in one of the small groups exchanged ideas on the issues arising from the presentations. Check out 10 ways to improve Africa-Europe information exchange.

Story by Chris Addison

Europe Africa roundtable chat show highlights

Brussels, 4 June. Some people got their first taste of being in a chat show towards the end of the Monday afternoon roundtable on improving information links between Africa and Europe. Following presentations and small group discussions, Catherine Fisher from IDS played host quizzing three brave participants on their perspectives. The 'audience' got into the spirit of things with plenty of applause and cheering but restrained themselves from any Jerry Springer-style behaviour.

Thought-provoking comments from the guests included:

Networks can be incestuous and working with close, likeminded organisations may just reinforce like-mindedness and stifle innovation

A lot of local research is not read by local policy makers - unless it has been 'rubber stamped' by an influential EU donor. But it takes too long for EU donors to recognise the value of local NGOs. They are only just starting to credit local knowledge.

Local culture: In a survival economy, you don't necessarily share information as you think people will profit from it (to your cost) e.g. I am funded by such-and-such donor. Where people don’t want to share, we need to re-think many of our assumptions on the 'free' exchange of information.

More than creating local content – it isn't necessarily increasing local content that will make people read it, but increasing the capacity in making it interesting to read. Sometimes, having a 'northern' co-author gives local content some authority.

Is it more important to improve African to African linkages, than to inclrease Africa to Europe linkages?

NGOs are sometimes in competition and that’s ok.

Can you knock Europe out of the equation? Don’t think you can: If we look at the EU strategy for Africa, and negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements, it is essential that the African public and African NGOs need to be linked to the networks that are trying to push for equal negotiating ground between Africa and Europe.

Often, We still focus on the written text and ignore oral communication – the new media tools will be much more useful in African context e.g. mobile telephones for agricultural extension, HIV patients, etc. We should be more creative, looking at what is the local way of communicating before you jump to using ICTs.

Story by Cheryl Brown

Ten ways to improve Africa-Europe information exchange

Brussels, 4 June. The following 10 lessons were drawn from a series of presentations, a world cafe session and a final chatshow forming the Africa-Europe Roundtable: Towards more effective Africa-Europe information exchange, communication, and knowledge collaboration.

1. Trust - There was some discussion on the need for trust in collaboration. There is sometimes a mistrust of actors from the North and donors and a need to emphasise learning from the ground. It is often easier for governments to engage with each other at international levels than for local NGOs to get together.
2. Understanding dialogue opportunities - New opportunities for a virtual dialogue are limited by access to technology. Many organizations use face to face dialogue linked with virtual discussions. Africa has the opportunity for NGOs to influence the African Commission through the forum organised by the African Commission for Development and Human Rights which is held prior to African Commission meetings.
3. Realistic time limits - For effective dialogue and exchange, sufficient time needs to be allowed. There was a worry that too many exchanges are held with unrealistic time limits.
4. Link to media - In order to ensure a wide audience, it is necessary to engage with the media. This was lacking in some of the projects discussed.
5. Validation of content - It was argues that African research is not valued as highly in Africa as as materials published in the north. It is not jut an increase in locally generated information that will lead to it being read. It needs to be validated.
6. Culture - In a survival economy, it is usual not to share information. Before introducing information exchange projects it is important to establish the local method of communication.
7. Alliance capacity - Capacities need to be built to form alliances across different sectors and different actors.
8. Imbalance between Africa Europe - Africa-Africa communication needs to be improved, direct communication is lacking and there is a need for much more peer to peer discussion.
9. Competition - The exchange of information between Africa and Europe is hindered by the degree of competiton between actors. Wher national governments and donors may have been the incumbent information providerss, NGOs now innovate, collaborate and compete.
10. New tools - Possibilities to exchange video and audio in electronic form and by internet change the nature of the exchange between Africa and Europe. Mobile telephone and voice over internet provide a new platform for creative opportunities to exchange information ideas and viewpoints.
    

Story by Chris Addison

Africa-Europe Roundtable participants share communication 'solutions'

Brussels, 4 June. After the presentations, participants in the Africa-Europe Roundtable formed small groups to exchange and examine issues arising from the presentations. The starting points were that: communication and information exchange is key for better development; that there is an unequal distribution of access to information, particularly linked to poor ICT access in Africa.

One table asked itself how an effective information bridge between Africa and Europe can be built? how can knowledge be employed for global cooperation? and how can benefit from European research?

Some of the solutions identified:
• Hosting web space for Southern partners so that they can upload their own content;
• Support the dissemination of information produced in Africa to the media;
• Produce less press releases, with clearer messages and better quality;
• Include a focus on print media:
• Use radio to broadcast relevant information;
• Bring African and their knowledge to Europe.

The lack of internet access was perceived as a major obstacle. This is why some participants saw the solutions rather in non-electronic media.

All ideas approach the same problem from a different direction: Some assist in delivering information and stimulating information flows, whereas others focus on capacity building of African partners instead of providing information coming from outside.

Story by Birthe Paul