Baseem Taher Othman Al-Athwari
International IT Policy Program,
Technology Management, Economics and Policy Program,
College of Engineering,
Seoul National University, South Korea
Abstract
The term digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. Being one of the developing countries, remarkable digital divide is a reality of Yemen. The digital divide in Yemen is not the result of one factor, but it is cumulative interaction of many factors. The complicated topology and poor infrastructural facilities related to ICT sector in rural areas, economic vulnerability and low educational development are some of them. The digital divide in Yemen largely exists between people living in rural areas and those living in urban areas though it exists among urban areas as well. Although Yemen has made encouraging efforts to bridge the gap by initiating a number of projects and programs for rural and remote locations, a lot more needs to be done to bring the people into the information society. This paper discusses reasons of digital divide in Yemen and some key initiatives made by the government towards digital access to information and the role of several programs in bridging the digital divide. Challenges faced by Yemen's government in this regard will be reviewed. The paper also offers an important recommendation to the government to narrow down the digital divide problem in Yemen.
Keywords:
Digital divide, infrastructure, internet access, IT literacy, information society, e-government.