Disseminating African Women’s Information on the Internet: issues and constraints

Abstract

The choice of media for dissemination of information on women depends on the type of information to be disseminated, the target audience, expected feedback, urgency and availability of various media. In Africa, the Internet is not the most easily accessible medium for dissemination of information for the majority of women, yet it is the fastest and relatively inexpensive. African women with Internet conectivity have made progress in using the Internet, with several organizations developing websites and the emergence of African women’s listservs. The women of Africa are thus moving from of being passive consumers of the information on the Internet to active users. However, there are two challenges to effectively disseminating information on the Internet for these women, namely, the digitization of existing information and the accessibility of the World Wide Web. Strategies for increasing the dissemination of information on the Internet by African women must include: training in information and communication technologies, access to computers, digitization of African women’s information, and access to improved telecommunications, including wireless connections.