Computers in Developing Countries: A Closer Look at the Uganda Situation
| Published date | 01 March 1991 |
| Date | 01 March 1991 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb027063 |
| Pages | 82-87 |
| Author | Mary Muhenda |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management |
Computers in Developing Countries: A
Closer Look at the Uganda Situation
by Mary Muhenda
Wherever we are, whether we are living in a rural area, in a village or in an
isolated community or in an Urban Centre or big city, we all need information
of some kind at some time or another. In modern offices this task can be carried
out by people with or without the aid of a computer. However, with the aid of a
computer the task can be carried out much more efficiently and quickly.
The four main things which make a computer a useful tool in handling
information are:
(a) Speed
Computers work at incredibly high speeds performing hundreds, thousands
and even millions of calculations in a second.
(b) Storage
Unlimited quantities of data can be stored in auxiliary memory devices. Once
recorded, a piece of information cannot be forgotten.
(c) Consistency
Unlike human beings, computers do not become bored or tired when
performing many thousands of calculations. They are ideal machines for
carrying out work of
a
highly repetitive nature.
(d) Accuracy
Computers are very reliable provided that they are given a list of instructions
which tell them precisely and unambiguously what to do.
Computers have been in high demand in most parts of the world and I set out
to write a piece on computers in the developing world, because it has so gained
in popularity that it has found its way in almost every office that is foreign
funded or at most considered efficient. Donor agencies are often confronted
with such questions as 'when are you likely to install computers?' or more
bluntly, 'why can't you install computers?'. To many Ugandans the computer
is a means of increasing productivity and efficiency and to them, a lot of
Uganda's problems are due to lack of information technology. This wrong
conception is embedded in most people's minds, especially the policy makers
who are always under pressure to provide results rapidly. These would
welcome anything that would save them from getting swamped by mountains
of paper provided these are possibilities of quick means of access to only
relevant information at that critical moment. The argument of 'wrong input'
'wrong output' does not seem to hold any water for them. To most people, once
the computer has been installed and the data entered into it, it can be
manipulated so that they will retrieve and display relevant pieces of
information needed. The technicalities of entering this information and
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