A project introduced by the University of Cape Town (UCT) to help small African organisations set themselves up for e-commerce at minimal cost has been awarded the IBM Faculty award.
IBM funding of more than R162 000 will enable the University to create an ICT resource toolkit aimed at assisting small African businesses to determine their readiness for e-commerce, using a self-assessment test.
Originator of the project, UCT head of Information Systems Professor Jean-Paul van Belle, says many small businesses in Africa are not yet using ICTs effectively. This is due to a lack of resources in an accessible format, an absence of skills and Internet access, remote location, institutional barriers, vendor bias, and software costs.
Once an organisation has assessed its maturity and decided which ICT areas to target, a set of resources will assist it in implementing the changes. These include how-to guides, checklists and other self-help materials customised for Africa.
The toolkit will be free online as well as on CD or DVD. The project has already been prototyped, following seed funding from NGOConnectAfrica.
“We believe this will not only increase the efficiency and effectiveness of organisations, but also help SMEs and NGOs to leap over the digital divide using mobile Internet access, customer relationship management, digital storytelling, and open source platforms,” he adds.
Van Belle notes that a feedback loop to larger IT organisations will develop, sensitising them of the needs and challenges of small organisations in the developing world, and opening up engagement with this market.
“This project by UCT's Information Systems department will help address specific ICT needs of smaller African organisations, while exposing them to some of the programmes IBM has which are targeted at the SME and NGO markets in Africa,” states head of IBM University Relations for sub-Saharan Africa, Sean McLean.
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