IDRC_People Media I T 22 Jun07 ICT4D

The ABC of ICT4D Heloise Emdon 22 June 2007 People, Media and Infotech Africa Media Assignments

Overview
Discuss ICT4D concepts
Discuss various stakeholders in ICT4D
Tour various ICT4D solutions

Do you have?
Do you know :
someone who earns less than R3000 per month and owns a cell phone?
someone who earns less than R1000 per month and owns a cell phone? ($2 pd)
Where do they live?
What do they mainly use the phone for?
How do you know?
What do they spend per week/per month on it?
Do they have access to email?

Mobile biz

The Long Tail
The long tail is the colloquial name for a feature of statistical distributions in which a high-frequency or high-amplitude population is followed by a low-frequency or low-amplitude population which gradually "tails off". In many cases the infrequent or low-amplitude events—the long tail, represented here by the yellow portion of the graph— can cumulatively outnumber or outweigh the initial portion of the graph, such that in aggregate they comprise the majority.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail

What do you think ICTs mean for people development?
Discussion
Examples of ICTs in use for development
Examples of the social effects and impacts
How can we measure these?
Who measures this?
How can we research this?
For what purpose?

Livelihoods paradigm and ICTs
How are resource-poor people using phones and the internet, radio’s and television to strengthen
Human Capital – education, skills, knowledge, experience
Natural capital – access to natural resources
Financial capital – gain financial information
Social capital – enhanced social networks
Physical capital – market information

Growth of internet in Africa
1996 2001
http://www.arp.harvard.edu/AfricaHigherEducation/Online.html

Undersea Cable Activity
The digital divide?
Why?
Who benefits?
Who pays?
How does this gap close?

Who can solve these problems and how?
Access: telecommunications infrastructure
Cost: calls, internet, hardware, voice monopolies, satellite proclivities, fibre networks
Expense to household
Efficiencies for institutions, government
What contribution does this make to household?

What are the constraints?
What are the debates around ICT4D?
Access to
… geographic, economic, market
Cost of
… telecoms, hardware, software
Relevant content for
… .education, development information
… .Who owns it?

Issues in ICT4D
Public access (also universal access)
Communal use
Market behavior, total cost of access
Aggregation of cost
Policy, regulation, service providers, consumers
Understanding intellectual property rights and digital access
Understanding livelihoods
Understanding institutional and economic efficiencies given above

Public Access: Telecentres, schools
And then there are $1000 bills….what about applications?

The First Mile – First Inch community Coordinator: CSIR, Pretoria Inhambane Env: Telecentre Tsilitwa Env: Hospital, Telecentre Huambo Env: Telecentre Mpumalanga Env: Peebles Valley HIV Clinic Nampula & Pemba Catholic University Mozambique Maputo UEM & MICTI Cape Town Env: University Tshwane Metro: Rooiwal & Winterveld Peri-urb

Efficient social services: The manual system
Storage
Transport
Cost of paper
Efficiency
Medical records in Maputo Household survey enumerator

The handheld revolution: Forms development
HAPI, PDACT, Pendragon, Epihandy, OpenMRS mobile?
Open applications for cellular as well

Communication networks
Satellife key partner in Uganda and Mozambique
African Access Point
Wifi, Infrared, GSM synchronization box

Extending medical services
First Mile
First Inch applications

Physicians with ICTs
At least 90% of all the ARV treatment is straightforward and can be dealt with by people with less training. At AMPATH physicians only see 5% of the close to 40 000 patients on Antiretroviral Treatment. These are patients with extremely complex malignancies and complications when the first line regimen starts to fail, Prof Joe Mamlin.
Now patients on treatment are assisting others with the start of uncomplicated treatment.

Research: Supply and Demand
Research ICT Africa
Sector Performance Reviews
Towards and e-Index
SME survey

Other related technologies: GIS and solar
Community mapping
Policy making
Access to energy

Who owns the content?
Creative Commons License eg CC-ZA

About the IDRC International Development Reseach Centre
Origins
Pearson Report ‘Partners in Development‘ (1969): Gap in Scientific and technological capacities between North and South
IDRC Act (1970)
Philosophy
Hopper-Pearson Debate at the first Board meeting: support to researchers in developing countries vs. support to Canadian researchers
Responsive yet proactive

Mandate
“ … to initiate, encourage, support, and conduct research into the problems of the developing regions of the world and into the means for applying and adapting scientific, technical, and other knowledge to the economic and social advancement of those regions …” IDRC Act (1970)
Micheal Cairns 1995, farmer meeting in Nagaland, India

The Real Access criteria
www.bridges.org
Physical access to technology
Appropriateness of technology
Affordability of technology and technology use
Human capacity and training
Locally relevant content, applications, and services
Integration into daily routines
Socio-cultural factors
Trust in technology
Local economic environment
Macro-economic environment
Legal and regulatory framework
Political will and public support

Are ICTs Gender Neutral?
Will the infrastructure be deployed throughout the country in the areas where women predominate?
Have provisions been made for the possibility of high-technology applications in areas where many women live outside the capital and major cities?
Has gender analysis been incorporated in planning and implementing infrastructure because social
economic and/or cultural constraints may prevent women from accessing ICTs even when these are available in their communities?
Nancy Hafkin, Are ICTs Gender Neutral?

Seeking out social innovators
IDRC “Venture Capitalists of Ideas for development”
Seeking social innovators and researchers in the field of Environment, Economy, ICTs and Innovation

Discussion Heloise Emdon Senior Programme Specialist IDRC: ICT4D Africa Acacia [email_address]

Exercise Write a 2-page executive memo to your employer (Minister, Regulator, Company) concerning an aspect or several aspects that need to be addressed if ICTs are to address development targets in your country or company strategy

IDRC_People Media I T 22 Jun07 ICT4D

by kdiga on Jun 26, 2007

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

Statistics

IDRC_People Media I T 22 Jun07 ICT4D — Presentation Transcript