Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Sustainable Development in Africa: Mainstreaming the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into Nigeria’s Development Agenda

This paper examines the significance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development in Africa arising from the fact that ICTs have not been put into the mainstream of development in Africa while analysing the possibilities of mainstreaming the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into Nigeria’s development agenda by anchoring the study on the technological determinism theory and development media theory. The researcher used survey design to collect data from 300 respondents with the aid of a 13-item questionnaire. The respondents comprised of 200 academic staff and 100 postgraduate students purposively selected from Delta State University and University of Lagos in Nigeria. The findings reveal that there is a high level of awareness of MDGs in Nigeria; the MDGs can be mainstreamed into Nigeria’s development agenda and that ICTs are veritable tools for sustainable development in Africa. Thus, the author calls on African leaders to formulate and implement policies that would enhance the deployment and development of ICTs in Africa with the aim of bridging the digital divide in a bid to actualize sustainable development in Africa while incorporating the MDGs into their development agendas. the present development is sustained and maintained for the future. It focuses on the need to improve the lives of citizens for the future, that is, building the nation for the future. To achieve and sustain development (sustainable development), revolutionary efficient, reliable and potential tools must be employed. These tools are the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as the Internet, mobile phones, e-mail, microcomputers among others. ICTs are new technologies that cannot be ignored in Africa especially for development. This is because ICTs are one of the main driving forces stimulating development and change in the digital age. It was in the light of this that Emenari (2004) noted that “great transformations in the lives of the people are in part a function of advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).” Onwubalili (2004) added that “the magical changes are quite glaring in every facet of our lives and touches simplest of domestic services to corporate and limitless industrial applications”. ICTs like the Internet according to Nwajinka (2004) creates and meet demand which satisfies human and corporate needs. In fact, ICTs are what Africans need to climb to the heights developed continent has reached. 156 FESTUS PROSPER OLISE Apparently, ICTs are significant tools for sustainable development. However, African countries like Nigeria need to have a sustainable development agenda before ICTs can be fully utilised. This must have informed the declaration of President Yar’Adua’s seven (7) point agenda for the development of Nigeria on assumption of office on May 29, 2007. This, most likely may have been in a bid to mainstream the eight (8) goals of the United Nation (UN) called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It is against this backdrop that a decision was taken to examine the significance of ICTs for sustainable development in Africa with an attempt to mainstream the MDGs into Nigeria’s development agenda.