Nairobi — Africa is yet to master the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) as a tool for development and economic growth, an industry executive has said.

Mrs Njeri Rionge, the chief executive officer of Wananchi Online Limited, said the continent could leapfrog its development through effective use of ICT.

"With technologies such as Wireless Hotspots we can effectively reach small segments of our population without limiting the accessibility and mobility of these communities," she said.

Rionge said leapfrogging technology would immediately increase the spontaneity and exponential growth within African economies and fasten the pace of human development.

She named wireless technologies, Internet Protocol (IP), Mobile Internet and Wireless Applications (WAP) as some of the ICT products that could be used to upscale the pace of development in Africa.

Rionge said such technologies provide access to information everywhere and anywhere and could be used to boost the capacity of communities to deal with local problems.

In a press statement released in the run-up to the ICT forum conference, which opens tomorrow at Nairobi's Safari Park Hotel, Rionge urged Kenyan firms to make use of ICT to increase their efficiency.

She said ICT would help organisations receive their financial and operational information in time. ICTs, she said, could help entrepreneurs make prudent decisions on a daily basis, and where necessary on an hourly basis.

"Through their corporate social responsibility programmes, ICT players could educate and create awareness of modern technologies with the aim of stimulating economic growth," said Rionge