Organizational Information Technology Infrastructure in Developing Countries: A Comparative Analysis of National vs. International Research Organizations in Two Sub-Saharan African Countries

Abstract

This paper examines the imbalances in the availability and usage of information technology infrastructure between international and national research organizations in two sub-Saharan African countries. While national research organizations depend on the aid of the national government, international organizations have the resources to provide an adequate infrastructure sustaining their needs, without being greatly affected by operating environmental factors. Based on an empirical study, the imbalances can be broadly attributed to differences in funding, management and technical expertise, exposure to and awareness of available technologies, training, and other infrastructures like electricity, transportation, banking etc. To reduce these imbalances, we suggest that national governments provide adequate funds to build a sustainable IT infrastructure for their national organizations where it may not be feasible to build nationwide. For national organizations, we suggest that they study how international organizations have been able to provide and manage their own infrastructures despite the difficulties present in their environment.