The emerging technological issues managed by information systems in organizations.

Introduction

The digital processing and transmission of information is now generally referred to as Information Technology (IT). Information Technology (IT) demands design, installation, configuration, training and maintenance of infrastructure. Information Technology (IT) makes the management of information more efficient and effective. IT is now a force and driver of modern technological development and globalization, and is generally accepted as a key enabler of economic and technological growth. IT adoption has shown to propel the economies of nations to greater productivity and creates jobs.

Modern global economy is built on Information Technology and telecommunication infrastructure which now serves as a platform for national and global development. Information Technology has such great potential to improve business operations, education, technology and economic growth. This technology could help contribute to poverty alleviation in developing economies if used to meet local and national needs. There is an unequal access to Information and communication technology between developed and developing nations (Macharia & Gituru, 2006). There are now global efforts from different international organizations, governments and companies to make IT available to developing nations.

However, in making IT available to developing economies, there are some major difficulties experienced by implementers. The objective of this study is to increase knowledge about some of the challenges associated with the adoption of Information Technology in developing nations.

Technological Issues managed by information technology 

Government Policy

Governments are to provide strategic policy framework for the acquisition and use of IT for social and economic growth. The development of IT infrastructures in emerging economies has been lagging behind those in developed countries because of poor policies and insufficient investments in the IT sector, (Laryea, 1999). Most developing countries have ineffective information technology policies and this has created problems in the growth and application of Information Technology. Governments of these countries acknowledge the need and importance of IT, but little concrete action has been taken in this area, (Enakrire & Onyenania, 2007).

Developed countries have been investing in the development and maintenance of IT infrastructure, while developing countries have done little. Most developing countries do not have the resource to develop Information Technology in their respective countries. Rather, they depend on substantial foreign aid to ensure the development of Information Technology. Developed countries have also not done much to assist emerging nations to develop their information technology infrastructure, (Laryea, 1999). Nwaka, (2005), noted that funding from developed countries has been ineffective because they try to find local problems to suit pre-package assumptions and solutions, and do not incorporate local expertise in the process of solving the problems. Akubue, (2002), stated that many developing countries import technologies and its innovations without modification to suite their environment and culture. In 1996, member states of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) adopted an objective of creating an African Information Infrastructure through access to a global information infrastructure for development needs and to build their own National Information and Communication infrastructures. This has met with limited success. 

The Nigeria Information Technology Developing Agency (NITDA) developed a national IT policy to make Nigeria a key leading player in the information and computer technology by the year 2005. Some of the objectives of the policy include developing IT infrastructure, integrating IT into the mainstream of education and training, empowering Nigerians with effective IT skills and preparing them for global competitiveness. These objectives have not been fully met. In stressing the importance of effective national policy and adequate IT training Aniebonam (2005), called for a Nigerian Civil Service Enhancement with particular reference to IT capacity which will increase productivity and make Nigeria digitally competitive.

Infrastructure

 Information Technology infrastructure consists of computers, software and all components of telecommunication systems necessary to facilitate efficient data transfer and management (Enakrire & Onyenania, 2007). It also includes IT experts to design, install, maintain and fix systems, and skilled IT personnel to operate the system efficiently (Laryea, 1999). Poor Basic Information Technology infrastructure is the major cause of stagnation to the development of Information Technology in African and other developing countries (Omekwu, 2003). The essential infrastructure and networks to facilitate IT transfer, implementation and development is lacking in developing countries. This has made the accessibility to affordable telecommunication, computer and Internet difficult (NEPAD, 2003).

Basic national IT infrastructure which is accessible to the people and connected to the world is of utmost importance in any country, and should be effectively integrated into the socio-economic and business life of the country. These IT resources are still scarce in many developing countries including access to hardware and software. Omekwu, 2003 noted that inadequate telecommunication infrastructure poses a major hindrance to IT adoption in developing countries. Some developing countries have only a few telephone lines. These are only in the big cities and they are unreliable. These telecommunication problems vary from one country to another, depending on the level of development. Nigeria has a comparatively low teledensity in sub Saharan Africa even though there has been a substantial increase recently (Akpan-Obong, 2007).

In terms of broadband, while there are efforts to increase its availability to large segment of the internet population in the developing regions, these regions are still far behind when compared with other regions of the world. Fibre optic networks are the infrastructure which all nations shall require in future. For all cities and countries interested in internet technology broadband is the only technology that can handle their requirement. To deploy fibre-based infrastructure developing countries need vision and recognition of the fact that many of their problems can be solved with ICT. About 120 countries, realizing the importance of broadband now have policies in place and recognize that broadband infrastructure is vital to their social and economic development.

Training and Qualification

Developing countries lack enough skilled IT persons who can design, program, install, configure and maintain Information Technology in this constantly changing industry. Lack of qualified and globally recognized IT professionals in this region is seriously hampering IT adoption and development. The acquisition of some professional and technical skills by few professionals in developing countries, or the relocation of advanced technical equipment from industrialized nations to developing countries does not constitute technology transfer.

Udo and Edoho (2000) noted that technology transfer takes place when the recipient country has corresponding technicalinformation to enable it use the hardware in an effective and efficient manner. This would make it easy for effective communication and interactions with the transferring agents. It may be easy to relocate equipment; it is more difficult to transfer capacity which is human-embodied. Development skills should be aligned with development goals, and both require human skills. Developing countries do not have enough graduates and technologists in science and technology, though there is now a growing awareness of the importance of Information Technology for development. Despite global availability of the Internet, universities and polytechnic institutions have limited access to the Internet and modern computing.

Conclusion

Sustainable development and the role of IT make it imperative for developing nations to acquire and adopt the use of Information Technology. Ineffective government policies, poor infrastructure and inadequate training and qualification are contributory factors in creating challenges in IT transfer and adoption in this region. The insights gained in this study are helpful in understanding the difficulties associated in IT transfer and adoption in developing countries, and provide areas for future research on this issue.

A critical examination of government policies in selected countries with a view of professing suggestion will be one area of future study. Infrastructure in terms of provision of uninterrupted power supply and the availability of broadband media for Internet should also receive attention. Lastly, the dynamic nature of IT requires that educational provision to supply manpower in it must be an evolving one. Most of the developing nations do not have dynamic IT curriculum to keep them abreast of new development in hardware, software and communication. A study to bring out the nature of future infrastructure will greatly assist the developing nations.