Up-to-date research and analysis on the impact of various forms of information on the development process is presented, including e-economic development and its impact on economic growth. Calling for greater attention to be paid to information as a key sector in national economic development, this exploration of African economics cites the advantages of better statistical data and geographic information for more effective economic planning, management, and forecasting in the digital age. Index, 232pp, NETHERLANDS. INTERNATIONAL BOOKS.

Bringing together in depth analysis and critical insights into the potential benefits of improved technology in Africa's development, the authors illustrate the central role of geotechnology and information and communication technologies can play in the delivery of efficient and effective services by government and agencies. The potential rewards of better digital technology are discussed, as is the important role digital networks could play in establishing greater political participation and empowerment and increased business profitability. Index, tables, graphs, 272pp, THE NETHERLANDS. INTERNATIONAL BOOKS, 9057270528

Examines the claims that new information and communication technologies (ICTs) are catalysts of democratic change in Africa. It takes optimist, pragmatist-realist and pessimist stances on various political actors and institutions, from government units and political parties to civil society organisations and minority groups. 276pp, UK. PALGRAVE.

Consolidates the science and technology programmes of the African Union (AU) Commission and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) as the instrument for the implementation of the decisions of the first African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technology held in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 2003. Gives practical meaning to the decision of Second Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU held in July 2003 in Maputo, Mozambique to integrate the NEPAD Programme into AU structures and processes. Col photos, 72pp, SOUTH AFRICA. NEPAD OFFICE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY.

2006 9780620376334 Paperback

Highlights the work of innovators from Africa and from the African diaspora from earliest times to the present. Cites inventions and patents in more than 70 countries. Index, bib, tables, 180pp, USA. GLOBAL BLACK INVENTORS RESEARCH PROJECTS.

The advances of information and communication technologies (ICT) in some Asian countries have led some people to proclaim a fundamental change in the world economy. This collection of essays attempts to make such an evaluation, taking into account the specific relationship of ICT with the wider social and economic system and the national system of innovation of each country. Includes essays on South Africa and Southern Africa. Index, 253pp, UK. ADONIS & ABBEY PUBLISHERS.

The story of the beginnings of rocket science in South Africa. Refs, b/w illus, 192pp, SOUTH AFRICA. UNISA PRESS.

Argues that integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into governance processes can greatly enhance the delivery of public services to all citizens and also transform relationships amongst stakeholders, thus influencing policymaking processes and regulatory frameworks. In the developing world, however, the potential of ICTs for effective governance remains largely unexplored and unexploited. This book presents the context, theory, and current thinking on the interaction between ICTs and local governance, particularly in Africa. It discusses the shift from government to e-governance, describes the role of local-level authorities, and presents the benefits and limitations of introducing ICTs in government operations. Case studies from Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda describe local governance/ICTs projects executed by civil society organizations, academic institutions, and government authorities. Bib, apps, b/w illus, 313pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.

A collection of essays by key experts in the field of international development looks at the role of science, technology and innovation in encouraging a risk-taking, problem solving approach to development cooperation in Africa. Central to this transformative agenda will be the role of science, technology and innovation, both as a driver of economic growth within the developing countries and as a core element in nurturing managerial and governance competencies. 129pp, UK. THE SMITH INSTITUTE.

Argues that the debate is no longer whether to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in education in Africa but how to do so, and how to ensure equitable access for teachers and learners, whether in urban or rural settings. This collection by 19 researchers from Africa, Europe, and North America, explores this question from a pedagogical perspective and specific socio-cultural contexts. 208pp, CAMEROON. LANGAA RPCIG.

A consideration of the introduction, adoption and utilisation of ICTs at community level in Africa exploring the question of community participation in ICTs in various geographical, technological, socio economic, cultural and institutional contexts. The author assesses in some detail how communities in sub Saharan Africa have responded to changes following the introduction of these technologies, discussing the opportunities and challenges they present for political and community development. BNS, 135pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA, 1552500012

With governance high on the agenda for Africa, governments are introducing innovations in their structure, practices and capacities as well as in the ways they use human capital and deliver services to citizens. But the potential for e-governance in Africa remains largely unexploited. Progress requires infrastructure improvement, the enactment of appropriate laws and policies, and capacity and content development. This book addresses the lack of evidence on ICTs in local governance in Africa. At its heart lies the conviction that ICT can enable local governments to engage citizens to participate in democratic processes and to engage in public sector management so creating socio-economic developments at local and national levels. It provides an important collection of studies and analyses on the transformative potential of ICT: citizens in Ethiopia use it to pay tax and complete legislative documents; in Mozambique the SchoolNet project has increased the secondary school literacy rate. Other studies in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, South Africa and Uganda explore service delivery, financial management, citizen registration, land management, local economic development and political inclusion. 352pp, UK. PAMBAZUKA.

In many urban and rural areas of Africa and the growth of mobile telecommunications is astounding: 1 in 50 users in 2000 to 1 in 3 by 2008. Such growth is impressive but it does not even begin to tell us about the many ways in which mobile phones are being appropriated by Africans and how they are transforming or are being transformed by diverse African societies. This volume brings together reflections on developments around the mobile 'phone by scholars of six African countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Sudan and Tanzania) who explore the economic, social and cultural contexts in which the mobile phone is being adopted, adapted and harnessed by mobile Africa. 184pp, CAMEROON. LANGAA RPCIG.

Why do national patterns of Internet expansion differ so greatly throughout Africa? To what extent do politics trump technology? Who are the information champions in the various African states? Addressing these and related questions, this collection explores the politics, economics, and technology of Internet diffusion across the continent. 237pp, USA. LYNNE RIENNER.

Non-formal education is an important aspect of training for agricultural extension agents and farmers. This study written as a field guide draws on long experiences of national integration production and pest management programmes in Asian countries, where the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation developed its concepts. By appropriately adapting these concepts to local field and farming situations in Ghana, the guide provides basic topics and exercises to enable the incorporation of non-formal education into training for farmers in West Africa. 130pp, GHANA. GHANA U P.

Science is still the great intellectual adventure, but now it is also seen as an instrument of profit, power and privilege. This short guide introduces a new way of thinking about science, moving away from simplistic ideas of perfect certainty and objectivity. We must accept uncertainty and ignorance in the field as well as the need for citizens' participation in the policies involving science. Index, illus, 142pp, UK. NEW INTERNATIONALIST.

This book provides guidance on how to take a participatory approach to needs assessment showing how to conduct participatory technology development while minimizing problems associated with on farm livestock experiments. Illustrates how a participatory approach can be applied effectively. Includes case studies set in Kenya, Mozambique and Sudan. Bib, index, tables, 320pp, UK. ITDG PUBLISHING.

A series of case studies which look at how and why science and technology must be popularised in Africa so that the next generation can narrow the gap between the industrialised countries and those of sub-Saharan Africa. Refs, tables, xv, 267pp, UK. COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT, 0850927420

The expression national systems of innovation was introduced in the 1980s to emphasize the interdependence between technical and institutional change in Africa. No continent has a more complex pattern of national boundaries or of ethnic, religious and tribal subsystems, interacting with sectoral systems; this work attempts to get to grips with that complexity in twenty one essays on diverse subjects, from manufacturing to trade barriers, telecommunications to NEPAD. Index, 361pp, DENMARK. AALBORG UNIVERSITETSFORLAG.

An anthology of twenty essays in the advances made in environmental sciences concerning African landscapes, its biodiversity and wealth of archaeological evidence buried in its soil. The sustainability of resources and the health issues concerning the continent are also addressed. Illustrated with colour photographs, diagrams and tables. Refs, maps, x, 246pp, SOUTH AFRICA. UMDAUS PRESS PTY LTD, 1919766235

An epistemological challenge to western models of numbering and by extension science, mathematics and logic. Based on the author's seven years of teaching in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Tables, figs, index, 277pp, USA. CHICAGO U P.

Essays examining Africa's scientific and technological literacy, production and consumption focusing on the constraints and challenges required to promote the advancement of information technology and biotechnology. Index, refs, tables, 628pp, UK. AFRICA WORLD PRESS, 1592211127

Mobile phones have become a valuable and reliable source of communication everywhere in Africa. To what extent this technology has revolutionalised the work of activists on the ground is yet to be fully documented. In this book, the contributors address a broad range of issues including inequalities in access to the technology based on gender and the discrepancies in usage between rural and urban population. It offers practical examples of how activists are using mobile technology to organise and document their experiences within their advocacy work. 150pp, UK. PAMBAZUKA (formerly FAHAMU).

Reviews research related to the crucial dimension of epistemological access to these key disciplines, which students need as much as institutional access in order to improve their chances of success. A feature f these research studies is that their empirical bases are highly localised, covering areas such as: research methods; access; curriculum, instruction and assessment; and the relevance of science and mathematics education in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Swaziland, South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Ghana and Lesotho. 418pp, SOUTH AFRICA. AFRICAN MINDS.

In the early 1900s the motor-vehicle (car, bus, lorry or motor-cycle) was introduced in sub-Saharan Africa. Initially the plaything and symbol of colonial domination, the motor-vehicle transformed the economic and social life of the continent. Indeed, the motor-vehicle is arguably the single most important factor for change in Africa in the twentieth century. A factor for change that thus far has been neglected in research and literature. Yet its impact extends across the totality of human existence; from ecological devastation to economic advancement, from cultural transformation to political change, through to a myriad of other themes. This edited volume of eleven contributions by historians, anthropologists and social and political scientists explores aspects of the social history and anthropology of the motor-vehicle in Africa. 300pp, NETHERLANDS. BRILL.

Second edition. The only detailed, multinational guide to the cost of construction work across Africa, with thirteen chapters cover individual countries (Algeria, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'lvoire, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Zambia). Each chapter provides: key data on the main economic and construction indicators; an outline of the national construction industry, covering structure, tendering and contract procedures, regulations and standards; labour and materials cost data; measured rates for a range of construction work items; approximate estimating costs for a range of building types; price index data and exchange rate movements against sterling and US dollars; addresses of public and private construction related organisations. Extensively revised and thoroughly updated with additional reference to civil engineering and infrastructure projects, this book provides more supplemen-tary information and includes costs based on locally-sourced materials to enable quick and useful comparisons. This new edition is the indispensable guide to African construction costs. 368pp, UK. ROUTLEDGE.

Draws attention to the hydra-headed problem of attaining sustainability in agro-ecosystems of the tropical regions and attempts to shape future agricultural research in these regions, where, the author argues, there is an over-reliance on solutions practised in more temperate climes. Topics include: the potentials of leguminous crop cover systems for sustainable agricultural production, managing carbon and nitrogen in tropical organic farming, the management of the genetic diversity of maize, and the management of fire in agro-ecosystems in forest and savannah ecotypes in Nigeria. 235pp, NIGERIA. COLLEGE PRESS.

A consideration of the introduction, adoption and utilisation of ICTs at community level in Africa exploring the question of community participation in ICTs in various geographical, technological, socio economic, cultural and institutional contexts. The author assesses in some detail how communities in sub Saharan Africa have responded to changes following the introduction of these technologies, discussing the opportunities and challenges they present for political and community development. Text in French. BNS, 136pp, SENEGAL. CODESRIA, 1552500004

As Africa enters the 21st century it is imperative that science is put into action to utilise the continent's resources on a sustainable basis and preserve its rich biodiversity. This timely volume summarises the results of the First International Research Conference on Biodiversity and the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources held in Kigali, Rwanda, between the 23rd and 25th July 2007. 652pp, USA. AFRICA WORLD PRESS.