Exploring ICT Skills Dynamics in Mozambique

The current state of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Mozambique is inadequate in terms of education, skills, infrastructure, government support, language, and culture. There is poor education available at all levels, and there is a lack of basic ICT skills countrywide. Language and cultural differences constitute barriers to ICT, due to English not being commonly spoken. The infrastructure of the country remains insufficient to fully reap the potential of ICT. As there is insufficient literature regarding ICT as a field in Mozambique, this study lays some of the groundwork in this regard, by inductively exploring the dynamics around ICT skills supply and demand, as perceived by local actors. The study was guided by a Case Study-Grounded Theory Methodology (CS-GTM), with data collected through in-depth interviews with various local stakeholders implicated in the ICT skills ecosystems. The findings reveal a never-ending loop of a lack of the supply of ICT opportunities (employment, education, and training) to gain ICT skills on the one hand, and a lack of skills available to demand ICT skills in the country as a result of the lack of current conditions for ICT growth, aided by a lack of support from the government for ICT on the other. Some of the dynamics raised that were insufficiently covered within the literature review were the centralisation and reliance on the capital city, the hierarchy of the different regions of the country, and the heavy reliance on foreign companies and talent. For future research, studying the role of the government may assist in better understanding the different dynamics at play. Interviewing participants from the different parts of the country will broaden understanding. Lastly, comparing the dynamics in Mozambique to dynamics in similar countries (in terms of development indicators) may provide further insight

Role Of Industry Technologies in Information Systems Education

Determining the appropriate industry technology or software products1 to use for practical teaching or demonstration purposes is a well-known challenge in technology-related education. As industry technologies continue to evolve and considering the vast number of existing proprietary as well as extant open source technologies, the task of selecting the best one for a particular competence, lesson, or course is also becoming more complicated. This research explores the selection and implementation of industry technologies in an Information Systems educational context. Data was collected through interviews with lecturers and students as well as analysis of course documents in an Information Systems Department at a South African university. The findings point to alignment with industry needs, affordability, availability of supplementary resources, and software functionality as some of the important criteria used by educators when selecting software products

The state of the digital skills ecosystem in Zimbabwe: An exploratory analysis

There are many ongoing efforts globally to address the skills requirements gaps created by the high pace of technological changes often referred to as the 4IR. The challenge is particularly acute in developing countries grappling with many high-priority socioeconomic challenges, including low levels of digital literacy. This study represents initial efforts to understand a developing country\u27s local digital skills landscape, explicitly focusing on Zimbabwe. The study was conducted through a literature analysis to explore the digital skills discourse in Zimbabwe based on published academic papers. The findings point to a discourse focused on applied digital skills within specific fields and professions, such as education, health, and accounting, to name a few. The study also highlights the limited discussions on developing advanced as well as new emerging digital skills, specifically within the information technology profession. Further research will be necessary to establish an in-depth understanding of the reasons and implications of the current state of digital skills discourse in Zimbabwe

A systemic landscaping of the software industry of an emerging economy : a case of the Western Cape, South Africa

Includes bibliographical references.This study is an attempt to address that need focusing on Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. Making use of case study research strategy, the research aimed at identifying the major pressure points in the software industry, their interactions (impact on each other) as well as impact on the overall industry. Data was collected through interviews with industry leaders operating in the province, analysed and synthesised abductively making use of systems thinking techniques to generate key insights for the industry. Research findings reveal an increasing frustration amongst businesses in dealing with a continuous decline of quality and quantity of software related skills, tension from competitors (mostly India) and absence of a nationwide or even regional software strategy which is an outcome of lack of leadership in the sector. The study concluded by highlighting the need for the government to take leadership and systemically organise the collective efforts of industry stakeholders such as business, academia, as well as NGOs into addressing the identified challenges

The State of Information Systems Education Research in Africa

Africa is well known as the continent with the largest youth population. Digitisation of the continent is an essential part of making sure that its youths can actively participate in the digital economy. Efforts to digitise various sectors of the economy have encountered several challenges including that of skills shortages. The Information Systems (IS) discipline, as one of the computing disciplines, has a role to play in addressing the skills shortage. However, there’s limited research that provides macro analysis of the state of IS education research in the continent. To address this gap, we conduct a systematic literature analysis of publications focusing on IS education. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 25 publications were analysed. The findings highlight some interesting discussions on issues such as context, model curricula, skills, stakeholders, geographical focus, theoretical lens, pedagogy, role of IS and education level

Experiences of African women in STEM careers: A systematic literature review.

The discourse on women\u27s underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) mainly centres on the global north, leaving a gap in understanding the perspectives of African women in STEM. To address this, a systematic literature review was conducted to explore African women\u27s experiences in STEM careers and education. After applying inclusion and criteria, 18 published articles were analysed. 8 key issues emerge: work environment, education system, work-life balance, gender-based stereotypes, racial bias, sexual harassment, inadequate support/mentorship, and self-imposed limits. These themes intertwine, with some aspects influencing others. Grasping the complexities and interactions of these factors provides insights into challenges along the \u27demand side\u27 of the leaky pipeline. By addressing these challenges stakeholders can develop more targeted interventions to create a more inclusive environment and sustain the participation of African women in STEM fields. This research contributes to ongoing efforts to promote gender equality in STEM disciplines in Africa

ATTEMPTS TO EMBED GREEN VALUES IN THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS CURRICULUM: A CASE STUDY IN A SOUTH AFRICAN SETTING

Environmental Sustainability is a persisting problem and it is incumbent on educators in Higher Education to address this urgent need. In the spirit of creating awareness of this real life problem and to adequately prepare students for professional practice, an attempt was made to embed content about environmental sustainability into the Information Systems (IS) curriculum at the University of Cape Town. This paper reports on a case study where five teams of undergraduate students were tasked with examining power consumption and paper wastage on campus and conducting experiments aimed at reducing consumption. The theoretical framework of Green Information Systems developed by Ijab which draws on the IS lifecycle framework proposed by Diez and McIntosh was implemented in this study. The most important contributing factors for success of the student experiments were found to be communication, a phased approach and the application of De Bono’s concept of serious creativity. The study further demonstrated that awareness of environmental sustainability was increased through a process of guided reflection during project execution. A key observation, worthy of future research, was the experience by the students of resistance to change by participants, who reverted to environmentally-unfriendly practices on conclusion of the experiments

Organizational & knowledge challenges faced during an ERP implementation: The case of a large public sector organization

Many large organizations are now dependent on Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems for their daily operations. ERP systems allow enterprises to integrate various processes across different functional areas in an attempt to increase productivity, efficiency and to sustain their competitive edge. However, despite the various positive outcomes of adopting ERP systems, the implementation process poses a number of challenges for organizations. The implementation process is described as costly, complex and risky whereby firms have not able to derive benefits from the systems despite huge investments. This research reports on the case of a failed ERP implementation in a large South African organization and looks into the organizational and knowledge challenges that contributed to the failure of the ERP system. While ERP implementations within large organizations have been well researched, there has been relatively fewer studies focusing on the organizational and knowledge challenges faced by organizations. The study seeks to close the identified gap, hence contributing to the existing body of knowledge

A Systemic View of South Africa’s Software Industry

Computer software are increasingly becoming an integral part of how businesses and society at large can innovatively use technology to increase efficiency, set up new business models as well as improve their overall productivity. Developing countries are also realising the potential impact of a successful software industry on structural transformation, education, innovation, service delivery, job creation and export revenue. While these positive impacts of a successful software industry have been well documented, there is also evidence that failure to establish the right policies can severely hinder prospects of a country in realising the benefits. The paper makes use of system thinking techniques to explore the systemic issues implicated in the South Africa’s software industry and advocates for the government to take an active role in spearheading an industry that can have a sustainable and meaningful impact to businesses and the society at large. This requires the government to carefully and strategically mediate the efforts and interests of stakeholders in private sector as well as academia

Online Platform Privacy Policies: An Exploration of Users’ Perceptions, Attitudes and Behaviours Online

In January 2021, Meta (then Facebook) published an update to its WhatsApp privacy policy which included, among other things, a decision to share some user data with Facebook. This action, together with previous events like the notorious Cambridge-Analytica data breach, has sparked debates about the protection of online privacy, specifically the balance of rights and responsibilities relevant to the protection of social media user data. This qualitative study contributes to that debate by exploring the perceptions and reactions of South African WhatsApp users to these policy changes. The findings highlight the significance of platforms like WhatsApp in the daily socio-economic activities of users in developing countries. This reliance on social media for communication and access to vital information creates an imbalance of power between users and platform owners. The situationis worsened by the lack of effective regulatory frameworks that governments and institutions in developing countries can use to enforce their privacy laws, leaving users vulnerable to potential exploitation from digital platforms. This study contributes to the broader discourse on safeguarding online privacy as Western technology companies continue to gain access to data that is generated by an ever-increasing global user base