This document discusses policies and strategies for using information and communication technologies (ICTs) to reduce rural poverty in Africa. It recommends that governments adopt policies to increase rural access to ICT facilities and prioritize applications that support rural development goals. Successful country examples integrate ICT strategies into poverty reduction plans and prioritize initiatives that connect rural communities, support agriculture and resource management, and create public access points. However, challenges remain around limited infrastructure, investments, and private sector involvement in rural areas. Overcoming these challenges could help countries meet their Millennium Development Goals by empowering rural communities through ICT access.

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IFAD Panel
Eradicating rural poverty by connecting ruralEradicating rural poverty by connecting rural
communitiescommunities"
Elements of good policies + strategies to ensureElements of good policies + strategies to ensure
meaningful use of ICTs in rural areas: The role ofmeaningful use of ICTs in rural areas: The role of
Governments and Private SectorGovernments and Private Sector
17 November 2005
Aida Opoku-Mensah
OIC, DISD
Economic Commission for Africa

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Content
1. Policies and Strategies
2. Building Capacity for Policy Implementation
3. Developing Tools for Policy Implementation
4. Main Challenges
5. Rural Development + MDG Challenge

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Policies and Strategies
E-strategy process known as the National Information and
Communication Infrastructure plan (NICI) is based on ECA’s
African Information Society Initiative (AISI) to leverage the
benefits of ICT for a people-centered, free market based and
export-oriented socio-economic development.
 Mission:
To achieve higher growth rates in all spheres of socio-economic
activities using ICT as a platform to implement applications and
provide services.

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Policies and Strategies
E-strategies increasingly have to address povertyE-strategies increasingly have to address poverty
reduction and rural development concerns and calls forreduction and rural development concerns and calls for
- Mainstreaming strategies in the PRSP processes
- Strengthening pro-poor approaches and linkages
with MDGs
Some countries established the linkagesSome countries established the linkages:
- Comoros: reflecting PRSP concerns in national e-
strategy
- The Gambia: PRSP focus areas integrated
- Niger: HIV/AIDS/Poverty reduction – some of the
key areas

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Policies and Strategies
• E-Strategies and Rural Focus: Role ofE-Strategies and Rural Focus: Role of
GovernmentsGovernments
 Adopt policies and strategies to increase access to information
and communication facilities, prioritizing rural areas, grass-
roots society and other disenfranchised groups, in particular,
women and youth
 Emphasis on public access issues; rural development in
Comoros, Ghana, Niger, Mali, Swaziland

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Policies and Strategies
Policy objectives
• Enabling EnvironmentEnabling Environment:
Ghana e-strategy focus on Deployment and Spread of ICTs
in the Community to: promote equal and universal access to
information and communications technologies services and
resources to all communities, emphasis to ensure and
facilitate equal access for women, the disadvantaged, the
disabled, and rural and under-served communities
 Initiatives include Community Information Centres, E-
Agriculture strategy of Ministry of Agriculture; E-commerce
initiatives

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Policies and Strategies
Enabling EnvironmentEnabling Environment:
Niger e-strategy focus: ICTs in the poverty reduction
Strategy to: support economic growth using ICTs in productive
Sectors
 Initiatives include ICTs in the development of agriculture and
livestock; fight desertification and the management of natural
resources; creating an information and communication system
between rural producers and market centers using ICTs
 Network of local radios now regional centers of information for
development – RURANET – Key instruments in Policy
Implementation

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Policies and Strategies
Enabling EnvironmentEnabling Environment:
Democratizing Policy @ Community Level through Village
Information and Communication Infrastructure policy process:
Ghana and Swaziland based on MDGs+PRSs
 To promote Integrated rural development - Shared rural public
access telecentres, kiosks, mobile computing and
telecommunication resources
 Creating the necessary conditions for private sector
involvement in rural areas
 Support for ICT development at local level examining
connectivity and content issues
• Developing appropriate technologies – broadcasting/SMS

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Building Capacity for PolicyBuilding Capacity for Policy
ImplementationImplementation
• ActivitiesActivities
 ECA’s ITCA has been building the capacity of women
Entrepreneurs from Francophone and Anglophone Africa. 45
Women trained with support from CISCO/InfoDev/Govt. of
Japan

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Developing Tools for Policy
Implementation
• Applications + ToolsApplications + Tools
In local languages for accessibilityIn local languages for accessibility
 Touchscreen kiosks for land management information in
Amharic, the national language in Ethiopia for an Addis Ababa
Municipality to improve service delivery, e.g. the provision of
information about required documents or service charges of
land administration.

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Main Challenges
• Infrastructurenfrastructure: still limited in rural Africa
• InvestmentsInvestments: Governments need to do more and budget allocations
should factor ICTs in rural development concerns
• PoliciesPolicies: should be implemented more vigorously to ensure rural
and community access (legal/institutional/regulatory frameworks)
• Integration of ICTs in sectors that support rural development:
agriculture, forestry, etc
• Private Sector involvement still limited – incentives needed
Supporting R&D: more support needed for innovation and appls
• Building e-rural economy: using ICTs to open up the rural economy
and introduce new wealth creation opportunities especially for
women and youth
• Stronger lobbyStronger lobby on ICT and Rural development issues
• More applications/local content + use of local languages

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Rural Development + MDG
Challenges
ICTs + Rural Dev. Impact
ICTs in rural economy
Economic empowerment
(trade/commerce, agric produce, and
handicrafts, increase livelihoods)
MDG 1
ICTs in rural education
Address knowledge deficit in rural
areas
MDG 2
ICT & Rural Women
Rural women can benefit from ICTs for
economic empowerment and
education
MDG 3

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Rural Development + MDG
Challenges
ICTs + Rural Dev. Impact
ICTs/Health
Access to healthcare, diagnosis,
health management, tracking for
epidemics and disease control, etc.
MDG 4, 5,6
ICTs + Natural Resource
management
Greater opportunities for better
management of community resources
also avoid environmental degradation
and natural disasters using GIS tools
MDG 7

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Thank-You !Thank-You !
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aisi@uneca.orgaisi@uneca.org