Towards a culture of management of software systems maintenance in Africa

Abstract

Most African countries are littered with machines, factories, buildings and other kinds of technical artifacts that are no longer in working order; or that worked for only a short time before they were abandoned. One of the major reasons for the abandonment of these systems is (the term ‘systems’ is hereafter used to refer to all of the above technical artifacts, including Information Technology (IT) systems) that often they develop a small fault, or a new/more powerful, attractive or faster system is introduced. Recently, this problem has been made more manifest in the area of IT. This paper argues that this ought not to be the case, and that there is much to gain from repairing, enhancing and adapting already existing systems. Therefore, it calls for a ‘culture of maintenance’ in the whole society, and more particularly, in the area of IT. It argues that this is a vital prerequisite for the sustainable acquisition or effective use of IT. The paper goes on to examine the nature of software maintenance and the strategies organisations can employ in Africa to ensure that their systems are adequately maintained.