The Challenges of Training the New Information Worker for Africa

Abstract

The challenges facing the information worker in Africa are multifarious considering the fact that the users of information in Africa are the most heterogeneous in the world, ranging from the starkly illiterate to the most educated elite. In this situation, the curricula of information training institutions in Africa should reflect this reality. Unfortunately, the curricula of library and information science schools in Africa are geared towards the educated elites, as there is hardly any difference between the curricula of information training schools in Africa and the industrialized world, yet the situation in each setting is different. While the majority of Africans are rural people who are illiterate and mainly employed in farming and other unskilled jobs, the majority of the users of information in the industrialized world are literate. The services offered by information workers in Africa do not relate to the information demands of the African setting and do not take account of the fact that every individual, whether literate or illiterate, needs information. Recommends that information training institutions in Africa evolve curricula that will be mission oriented, geared towards meeting the information demands of farmers, artisans, grassroots politicians, the electorate, government decision makers, students, researchers and others. Recommends a conference of trainers, providers and users of information to fashion out an appropriate curriculum for African needs.