Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have become key elements for economic and social development in this increasingly globalized world. Education is a natural gateway for the acquisition of the ICT skills required for employment today and in the future. Developed countries are only in the early stages of educational reforms to reflect the importance of ICT in teaching and learning. Therefore, investing in ICT in education (ICTE) gives African countries a chance to evolve with the rest of the world, rather than play the eternal game of catch up.

However, after more than a decade of donor-led initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa, the use of ICTE is still at a record low. Less than 1% of teachers use ICT to plan, deliver and assess their instruction. The majority of students, particularly those in rural areas, do not use computers to research, process or present their schoolwork. Most schools still manage data such as enrollment, budget and report cards using paper and pencil. While small projects have provided temporary relief in isolated communities, system-wide policies and planning are needed to produce dramatic and sustainable results.

The task will be challenging. Statistics indicate that most schools and teachers in sub-Saharan Africa lack the necessary ICT skills and equipment.  For example, the 2007 UNDP Human Development Report indicates that only 5% of people in Benin have access to the Internet. The percentage is even lower in Niger and in Burkina Faso with respectively 0.2% and 0.5%. In Benin, only 22% of the population has access to electricity.

Teachers are ill-prepared to integrate ICT in their teaching. Teacher colleges do not have ICTE components. Furthermore, in-service training only reaches few teachers and training contents are often inadequate and uncoordinated. There are no uniform standards set for ICT training and no plans in place to systematically train all teachers.

Scarcity of data on the effectiveness of ICTE negatively impacts technology planning in Africa. Lessons learned from past projects are not available to guide current and future initiatives. There are no centralized databases to catalog what has been done, what is being done and what is being planned.  

e-TRI was founded to help solve some of these issues in collaboration with African governments and local educators.