The use of technology in education: Experiences of the African Virtual University

In today's global information economy, the level of high skilled human resources and the adoption of technology are a measure of a country's development. While there is a clear link between technology and development, it is becoming apparent that the bridging link between the two is education. Indeed, this relationship is symbiotic or even vicious and should be exploited for a country's overall growth and development. For developing regions such as Africa with extremely low levels of skilled human resources, the challenges involved in dramatically developing the human resources can only be overcome through increasing access to education especially at the higher or tertiary level. The African Virtual University (AVU) was created specifically for this purpose: to dramatically increase access to higher education through the innovative use of technology. However, the use of technology in Africa and other developing regions faces numerous constraints and barriers ranging from lack of infrastructure to the cultural, social and political environment. This paper discusses the case of the Africa Virtual University and shares some experiences in how some of the barriers and constraints to the use of technology in education have been overcome.