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Globalization presents opportunities and challenges for developing regions such as sub-Saharan Africa as they seek to improve their levels of socioeconomic development. Processes of globalization increasingly depend upon information and communication technologies (ICTs), and these normally need modifications to fit local contexts. This requires that processes that affect interactions between global, regional, and local levels need to be understood. It appears reasonable to conjecture that understanding the roles or effects of socioeconomic and cultural factors (among others) would lead to more effective ICT policies for sustainable development at regional and local levels. Drawing on Sen's capability theory of human development, a modified version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is presented, and validated by analyzing survey data gathered in two sub-Saharan African countries, although no claim is made as to the model's generalizability. Some diagnostics and prescriptions for how to effect sustainable technology adoption and development across the region to enhance human capabilities are then presented. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the effect of information and communication technology on bank performance and development in the Sub-Saharan African banking industry. We employ a generalized method of moments technique with a panel data of 35 sub-Saharan African countries on the access and use of automated teller machines, mobile money transactions, return on assets, returns on earning, and net interest margin. The results reveal that while the access and use of automated teller machines are negatively associated with return on assets, they have positive and significant effects on return on earning and net interest margin. The findings suggest that information and communication technology adoption affects bank performance mainly in the short run. We conclude that the discrepancy in how it affects return on assets compared to return on earnings and net interest margin is mainly based on how bank performance is measured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobile money transfer (MMT) has been one of the success stories of mobile phone services in developing countries, especially in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region. Studies into the impact of MMT capabilities on microenterprise in the region are still nascent and most have focused on MMT diffusion. The study specifically examines the effect of MMT capabilities on microenterprise growth and the subsequent effect on the well-being of microentrepreneurs, which in this study is referred to as 'development impact'. The dynamic capability theory was used as a theoretical lens to develop a research model and three hypotheses to answer the research questions. The model was tested by using the survey methodology to collect data from 201 MMT microenterprise operating in Ghana, a Sub-Saharan Africa nation. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. All the three hypotheses were confirmed. This paper offers both theoretical and managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern information economy, information technology diffusion is credited with the significant increase in economic development experienced in many parts of the world except, perhaps, sub-Saharan Africa. This paper discusses the problems associated with information technology (IT) diffusion in sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from unstable and erratic power supply and unreliable telecommunications to inadequate computing resources, and most significantly, to the lack of human and financial resources to tackle the challenges. Empirical data obtained through a survey questionnaire are analyzed to illustrate the extent of the problems in the case of Ghana. The paper concludes with discussion of possible strategies for tackling these problems. Mina Baliamoune is the accepting Associate Editor for this article. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we present architecture for managing knowledge on cybersecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa. This architecture captures the critical contextual factors in the Sub-Saharan African region. The architecture enables the creation, storage/retrieval, transfer and application of knowledge on cybersecurity especially for home users while providing awareness and enforcement mechanisms to help home users protect themselves against cyber threats. The architecture can facilitate the building of expertise on cybersecurity among the stakeholders. The implications of the proposed architecture are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]