Information Communication Technology In Ghana

Chapter 1: Overview

1.1 Introduction

Information Communication Technology (ICT) has over the past few decades become pervasive in all human endeavours. ICT Infrastructure offers a range of technologies which assist organisations in running efficiently. In academic libraries, ICT offers services that are essential to their everyday mechanics and integral to effective service delivery. Since the middle eighties, Academic Libraries in Ghana have adopted the use of ICT to enhance service delivery (Shaikh & Khoja, 2011). To derive maximum benefits from ICT its infrastructure need to be effectively managed. However, Obiri-Yeboah, et al (2013) assert that the administrative structure for the management of ICT resources in most tertiary institutions

The subtheme of the 4th International Conference on African Digital Libraries and Archives (ICADLA4-2015) appropriately captured the existence of this challenge in its theme. In the late nineties, the University of Ghana and a number of other universities in Ghana adopted an ICT policy to provide a framework for the university’s eLearning, library, and management information systems (Dadzie, 2007). Even though technology has proven to be useful in processing, storing, retrieving and disseminating information, it’s adoption in academic libraries has come with several challenges in academic libraries in Ghana. A recent study by Atiso & Adkins (2015) sums up all the obstacles to the growth of ICT in Ghanaian universities by linking it to a notable issue of the continuous absence of a sustainable ICT leadership, policy and infrastructure. For example Dzandu & Dadzie (2012) as reported by Atiso & Adkins (2015) establish that personalities manning academic libraries in Ghana fully appreciate Lee et al’s (2001) ICT leadership qualities ; Atiso (2007) notes that only 15% of leaders in the five university libraries in Ghana have acquired formal training in ICT beyond attending short conferences as opposed to ICT professional development opportunities. Similarly Atiso & Adkins (2015) emphasize that only 19% of ICT coordinators in the public University libraries in Ghana are

Another evidence of weak ICT leadership among academic libraries in Ghana is documented by Barfi (2012) who argues, from a synthesis of current literature, that 67% of University librarians in Ghana that participated in the 1st Inter Polytechnic Librarians Forum (2012) lacked training in the ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance through ICT. This hinders their ability to create, use and manage appropriate technological processes and resources and champion financial and technological infrastructure, social and moral support of all the stakeholders to realise the full potential of ICTs in the libraries. Lamptey and Corletey (2011) also observe that even in institutions with a modicum amount of ICT infrastructure and policy the lack of leadership to outline the vision, stimulate use and drive a well-coordinated and designed ICT plan encumbers the successful adoption and use of ICT in academic