Information And Communication Technologies For African Development

This publication contains a series of papers that look at how information and communication technologies can be used to tackle development problems in Africa. The papers look at: background on ICT in Africa; and its current state; ICT in service development; the Un ICT task force and ICT as an instrument to leverage the Millennium Development Goals; the role of ICT in the African development agenda; regional ICT in Africa; Africa's digital rights and ways to bridge the digital divide.

Based on the outcome of an extensive research project, this book features chapters based on original primary field research undertaken by academics & activists who have investigated situations within their own communities & countries.

Volume 1 looks at the introduction, adoption, and utilization of ICTs at the community level. In various contexts -- geographical, technological, socioeconomic, cultural, and institutional -- the book explores the questions of community participation. It looks at how communities in sub-Saharan Africa have reacted to the changes brought about by the introduction of these new ICTs and, in detail, presents both the opportunities and the challenges that ICTs present for community development. The book will be useful for both researchers and development practitioners active, or just embarking upon, an "ICT for development" program. It will also be a very useful reference tool not only for academics but also for policymakers, decision-makers, and development professionals interested in the issue.

'ICT Pathways to Poverty Reduction' presents a conceptual framework to analyse how poverty dynamics change over time and to shed light on whether ICT access benefits the poor as well as the not-so-poor. Essential reading for policymakers, researchers, and academics in international development or ICT for development.

Volume 3 documents the processes used, and institutions created, to bring computers and connectivity into schools, as a means of enhancing the use and integration of ICTs in teaching and learning. A range of project, administrative, and cultural settings are explored as are a wide variety of technical solutions. The results, observations, and conclusions presented in this book will be useful for policy- and decision-makers in education and ICTs. The book will also be useful for teachers, researchers, and development practitioners and professionals with interests or active programs in the area of "ICT for development." Information technology professionals looking to service the potential education market will also find this book valuable.

A selective review of studies and projects

Africa faces serious challenges in the world of globalisation. One of the most serious and basic of these challenges is that of information and communication technologies. Meeting the range of social, economic and political goals in the contemporary world requires the meeting of the information challenge. This volume - primarily the product of a specialist meeting at Cornell University - provides both overview and detail on how this challenge can be and is being met.