On the problems of information technology management in developing nations

• Authors: Adnan H. Yahya
• Venue: SIGCPR '93 Proceedings of the 1993 conference on Computer personnel research
• Year: 1993

Many developing nations treat information technology as a high priority item in their economic planning. The pace of computer introduction and the span of computer-based systems are expanding rapidly. This emanates from the realization that information technology has a great potential for the economic development of third world countries. However, it is our view that while information technology products open new opportunities for developing countries they also pose a new set of challenges. The often poorly managed computer resources tend to complicate the decision making process due to the introduction of new uncertainties. The problems of the industrial and communications infrastructure, personnel issues, political and social factors are important elements hampering the sound management of information technology resources in many developing nations. After giving some background material on characteristics of the computerization process in developing countries this paper discusses the manifestations of information technology mismanagement, the factors hampering the proper management of computer resources in a developing nation context and points to some of the potential solutions to these problems based on the experience of several nations in this field.