Reflections on the Digital Divide and its Implications for the Internationalization of Higher Education in a Developing Region: The Case of East Africa

Institutions of higher education around the world are all faced with the universal impact of globalization and internationalization on higher education. At the same time, information and communication technologies (ICT) continues to impact on all aspects of contemporary education, requiring higher education institutions and stakeholders to be linked to each other through an advanced network that is connected to the rest of the world. Of particular interest now is the way in which African universities bring the region in touch with what can be referred to as the global village of higher education, and how universities bring Africa to the attention of the world. This paper explores the extent to which ICT is seen as central for internationalization and the opportunities that exist in Africa for the application of ICT in higher education. It demonstrates how the digital divide that exists within the process of internationalization risks increasing the gap between African higher education and the international community if efforts are not made to bridge it. Specific cases, especially within East Africa, are used to illustrate the arguments raised.