Prime
Life is hard without information
What you need to know:
In many African countries, unequal access to education and information infrastructure continues to perpetuate a cycle of information poverty
In the 21st century, the truest measure of wealth might be your access to information. It is not just a luxury that’s to say it’s a lifeline.
In many African countries, unequal access to education and information infrastructure continues to perpetuate a cycle of information poverty. This can be seen in the struggle of smallholder farmers who lack knowledge of modern agricultural techniques, putting them at a disadvantage compared to larger, more informed operations. Our daily programmes usually depend on the availability of information implying that it is the lifeblood of every individual, organisation or any other economic entity.
Imagine waking up in the morning and you do not have any piece of information concerning an available opportunity of making a living? Definitely, you will miss it.
For Generation Z and X, lack of information about emerging industries, future-proof skills, and salary trends can make career decisions overwhelming. Young people might struggle to identify the right career path or pursue outdated qualifications that don’t align with current labour market needs.
Secondly, without knowledge of application processes, resume writing best practices, or interview skills, young people might struggle to present themselves effectively to potential employers. This can lead to discouragement and a perception that they are unqualified, even with the right potential.
Also building a professional network is crucial for landing a job. Lack of information about networking events, online platforms, or mentorship opportunities can hinder young people’s ability to connect with potential employers and industry professionals.
Companies and organisations usually survive on information about the factor input prices, demographic data, market size and growth, market segmentation, customer behaviours and preferences, product or service trends, customer satisfaction and feedback, import or export statistics and advertising strategies, among others, when making decisions. The saying: “Without understanding you fail to meet: customer expectations! They stop buying, you stop being a business,” speaks to this harsh reality.
Politically, without access to unbiased information about political candidates and policies, citizens could become vulnerable to manipulation and misinformation.
There’s another saying : “There are things you know you know and things you know you don’t know. But there are also things you don’t know you know, and things you don’t know you don’t know”.
It’s the information you don’t know you don’t know that is harmful in most cases because it can be the reason for experiencing unpleasant surprises.
As information access continues to evolve, therefore, so must our solutions. By fostering innovation and collaboration, we can create a future where information is not a privilege but a right, that is to say a society empowered by critical information literacy.
Tumwizere Deuce
Economics student and GRC School of Economics at Makerere University ( [email protected])
