It may be suggested that policy work in this area is required if governance projects are to succeed. This could also be done in policy development regarding telecommunications so that it reinforces freedom of information. Conscientisation One of the issues which has been raised in several project documents is the need for awareness-raising among government officials as to the value of ICTs and the benefits they can bring to good governance. Government officials who may need to make policy and decisions about ICTs have not in fact had the opportunity to use computers and may hold ill-informed or prejudiced views. Conscientisation would be required and could use the Africa Information Society Initiative as a starting point for discussion of the challenges and opportunities offered by ICTs.
Insufficient information is available to assess the methods of evaluation used by project.
This issue would need more attention in future planning of projects. Conclusion Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are at the early stages of embracing or even acknowledging ICTs. Many are new to democratic process, free and open debate and sharing of information. In addition they may not easily see the benefit of ICTs when their populations are suffering the most extreme deprivation and poverty, particularly when this requires the implementation or improvement of major infrastructure in the country. Undoubtedly, however this study has shown that there is need for ICT projects and those that exist are slotting into a range of different areas.