icts for development (ict4d)

ICTs for Development (ICT4D)

Multimedia Training Kit

ICT Policy for Civil Society

Aims for this sessionParticipants will be able to:Explain the general issues and engage in debate about the role of ICTs in developmentDescribe challenges of implementing ICTs in developing countriesBe able to access, assess and use basic ICT indicators


Defining the digital divideThe term digital divide refers to the increasing access gap between those who have and those who do not have:access to information and communication technologies;access to content that benefits them socially and economically;skills to take advantage of ICT services;the ability to afford to pay for digital services.


What is ICT4D?ICT4D is concerned with using new and existing technologies to extend the reach of communication and information resources.

Facilitating access to ICT resources, and promoting their effective use makes these information and communication initiatives much more complex and dynamic.


Drivers of ICT4DThe Missing Link (extending basic telecom infrastructure to all)Rise of Civil Society Communication RightsGlobalization and Information Networks


APC internet rights charterThe Right to CommunicateFreedom of expression and information exchange Diversity, ownership and control of contentFree/open source software, technology development and intellectual property rightsPrivacy Global, regional and national governance of the Internet Awareness, protection and realisation of rights


Four pillars of the CRIS campaignCommunication Rights in the Information Society: Creating spaces for democratic environments;Reclaiming the use of knowledge and the public domain;Reclaiming civil and political rights in the information society; andSecuring equitable and affordable access.


Different ICT4D componentsaccess to ICTs ability to use ICTs actual use of ICTs impact of using ICTs.


Bridges.org Real AccessAffordabilityCapacityRelevant content IntegrationSocio-cultural factorsTrustPolitical willLegal and regulatory frameworkLocal economic environmentMacro economic environment


Real Access Criteria (1)AffordabilityIs technology access affordable for people to use?

CapacityDo people understand how to use technology and its potential uses?


Real Access Criteria (2)Relevant content Is there locally relevant content, especially in terms of language?

IntegrationDoes the technology further burden people's lives or does it integrate into daily routines?


Real Access Criteria (3)Socio-cultural factorsAre people limited in their use of technology based on gender, race, or other socio-cultural factors?

TrustDo people have confidence in and understand the implications of the technology they use, for instance in terms of privacy, security, or cybercrime?


Real Access Criteria (4)Political willIs there political will in government to do what is needed to enable the integration of technology throughout society? Legal and regulatory frameworkHow do laws and regulations affect technology use and what changes are needed to create an environment that fosters its use?


Real Access Criteria (5)Local economic environmentIs there a local economy that can and will sustain technology use?

Macro economic environmentIs national economic policy conducive to widespread technology use, for example, in terms of transparency, deregulation, investment, and labour issues?


Debate on the priority of ICTs for development againstCritics argue:ICTs are a waste of moneyFunding should be directed to more important areas of impact and real needThere is the risk of disillusionmentICTs will not necessarily provide benefits and may infact open people up to new forms of harm


Debate on the priority of ICTs for development proSupporters argue:The digital divide will become perilously wider if ICTs are not promoted ICTs can support other social and economic goals to improve peoples livesAccess to ICTs and participation in the Information Society will have far reaching benefits


United Nations Millennium Development Goals1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger2. Achieve universal primary education3. Promote gender equality and empower women4. Reduce child mortality5. Improve maternal health6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development


United Nations Millennium Development GoalsGoal 8: Develop a global partnership for development.Target 18: In cooperation with the private sector make available the benefits of new technologies, specifically information and communications.Indicator 47: Telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 population.Indicator 48: Personal computers in use per 100 population and Internet users per 100 population.


ICTs and development goals (education)ICTs as a subject: information literacy, programming and other related skills. Computer-based training and distance educationAccess to learning communitiesAccess to increased and up-to-date information


ICTs and development goals (health)Telemedicine: broadband applications from health clinic to hospital Telehealth: phone and computer support for clinic management and information flowsInformation sharing: information and exchange on health priorities, e.g. HIV / AIDS, TB, choleraEpidemiology: statistics and information to support knowledge and disease management


ICTs and development goals (SMMEs)ICTs can support routine business operations: accounts, letters, plansICTs can be an opportunity themselves: training, support, sale, program, webLinking suppliers directly to markets: reducing role of intermediariesInfo for tenders, linking SMMEs, support & funding, supply and sales chainE-Commerce opportunities


ICTs and development goals (governance) Access to government information, services and processesTransparency of governanceMitigation of corruptionAccess to representatives: constituents direct link to members of Parliament


Review of the debate on ICT for development (1)Although the costs of new information infrastructure are high, the future costs of not doing so are much higherICT is a priority for development but requires national level strategies and support ICTs should be development focusedA best practice formula is not possible because of developing countries diversity


Review of the debate on ICT for development (2)There is general agreement that ICTs are a powerful tool for development and there is commitment from international institutions. What are some best practices for ICT implementation with a development focus?


Models for ICT4D implementationCommunity driven initiativesPrivate Public PartnershipsPro poor, pro market strategiesPublic service models


Regulatory issuesUniversal serviceConsumer advocacyPricing policiesInterconnection agreementsEfficient use of resourcesLicencing for internet service providersSpectrum licencing


IndicatorsWhat are indicators?What kind of information do indicators provide?Where can indicators be obtained?


What do indicators measure?Infrastructure roll-outteledensity, computers per household, waiting lists, etc.ICT usenumber of internet hosts, international telephone traffic, etc.Other factorsliteracy, school completion rates, demographics, etc.


What kind of information do indicators provide?Quantitative indicatorsQualitative information

Relative termsAbsolute terms


Where can indicators be obtained?International Telecommunication Union (ITU) http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/statistics/Measuring the Information Society website (UNCTAD) http://measuring-ict.unctad.org/World Bank Data and Statistics http://www.worldbank.org/data/countrydata/countrydata.htmlNational Regulatory AuthoritiesRegional Regulatory OrganisationsResearch Organisation


SummaryAccess to and opportunities for productive use of ICTs, engenders economic and social empowerment and facilitates participation and democracy.ICTs are fundamental for achieving development goals.It is important to set goals and to chart progress at local to international levels.

ASK THE STUDENTS: Should access to telecommunications be considered a Right?

During this part of the workshop, participants should be encouraged to contribute examples and views on their own national situation with regards to the ten Real Access criteria. There has been a significant amount of literature criticising the approach that has been followed for introducing ICTs in developing countries. That approach had been based on a technology supply-side solution, which took little account of the needs and information and communication demands of the the community or the end users. This supply side approach has generally failed, even if in some cases some benefits have derived from it. That criticism has certainly benefited some of the newer more holistic approaches that has become at least the norm in ICT programmes plans, even if they are not fully implemented in reality.

For the last point, gender related perpretation of harm is of particular concern.In particular, the presenter should discuss the notion of network effects.

A positive network effect means, for example, that a telephone network has more value if the people you want to communicate with are also connected to the network. The more participants a network attracts, the more its value increases. Examples of negative network effects would be a farmer not having access to market prices and competing with others who did; or exclusion from the network because ICT infrastructure reach or costs are prohibitive because of sufficient economies of scale.

There is a future component to increased marginalisation and exclusion from networks.Development sectors and the potential for ICTs.

ICT & Education:ICT is a subject that is important for young people to study as there are likely to be many future job opportunities. For example, Malaysia has a policy of having all students using a computer at school from the age of seven.

ICT can support education in other subjects through Computer Based Training (CBT) and Distance Education. CBT can teach any subject at the students own pace, and distance education supports collaborative sharing of experience.

The Internet has more information than libraries and is constantly updated. People can access the latest information and not rely on older textbooks that frequently become outdated.

ICT & Health:Telemedicine supports medical procedures over broadband network connection (e.g. medical expert in city directing intervention in a rural health clinic). There are some pilot projects of this, but it is very expensive and not in widespread use in developing countries. However, Ethiopia has successfully used telemedicine to allow the few trained radiologists to give diagnoses to various hospitals.

Telehealth can assist in management and procedures at clinics throughout the country.

The internet can provide very good information on many health issues, especially for HIV/AIDS related areas. There are good forums and discussions to share experience and ask advice.

Epidemiology: ICTs can be used to collect health information and statistics of use to national and international disease management.

ICTs and Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs small business):

While ICT can support SMMEs, it should also be emphasised that ICT4D projects can also provide support to the private sector by creating awareness about services and applications; providing training necessary to create a critical mass of users; and by offering test-bed opportunities for assessing markets for new technologies and services.

ICT & Governance:

ICTs can support the link between people and government, supporting democracy and democratic participation. However, ICTs are only a tool which requires a political will to do this.

Conversely, ICTs can and are used for increasing surveillance and repression.

ICTs can allow an increased link between people and their government, providing easier access to a range of government information and services. For example, visas and drivers licences can be obtained using online forms meaning that travel to a city is not required.

E-government is the term used to provide information and services online for internal efficiency and greater links to the population.

ICT networks can strengthen links between citizens and the member of parliament (where there is a constituency system)The key concepts to be emphasised here are:Network effectsPolitical willReal Access criteriaReview ...Much time and effort is lost in this debate. Participants should now be conversant in the fundamental reasons for supporting ICT for development initiatives.

A more useful question then becomes how we can use ICTs with a development focus.

There a number of important multilateral resources that are committed to this, including the World Bank, the IDRC, CIDA, AUSAID, USAID, CTO, G8 and many others. They have all committed vast amounts of money to assist developing countries in this effort.Question What are the implications of these different models in terms of project or programme and:Designing the project or programmeOwnershipManagementIntersection and integration with other social goals (e.g. education, health, governance) Do the participants know where to find out information about these regulatory issues?

This slide introduces what will be covered in the next four slides on Indicators.

Do participants already use indicators in their work?

There are different ways of measuring and assessing information. It is important to stress that indicators are NOT NEUTRAL. Sometimes they are used in a misleading fashion. It is important to be critical of indicators.

A quantitative survey or assessment counts things: how many phone lines exist, how many homes and schools have computers, etc. However, as seen in the section on Real Access criteria (above), measuring the digital divide is complicated by qualitative factors: aspects that are not easily counted, but which have bearing on how effectively ICTs are deployed.

QUESTION: what kinds of information are not measured by quantitative indicators?

Absolute terms: The overall number of telephones, or the total amount of investment in a sector, etc.

Relative terms: assessing numbers in their context: Teledensity is a good example to use here (number of telephones per 100 inhabitants).However, teledensity does not measure shared phone use, for example.These sources provide basic ICT and demographic indicator information.There are also important regional sources of information such as Research ICT Africa (these sources are all available in the ICT4D Resources handout.

Participants should be encouraged to share their sources for indicator information.

icts for development (ict4d)

Documents

use of technology

civil societydefining

civil societyaims

civil societywhat

information networksict

basic ict indicatorsict

ict resources

civil societyfour pillars