Embedding ICT in Development

This issue of Capacity.org focuses on the ways in which information and communication technology (ICT) can by used to support development efforts. The issue was produced in cooperation with the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), which "assists partner organisations in developing countries ... to realise locally owned sustainable development by harnessing the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)."

The issue begins with an article by Ingrid Hagen, Head of Partnerships at IICD. In "Going Beyond a Project Approach", Hagen argues that to effectively embed ICT in development requires the expansion and replication of project level ICT initiatives from the project level to the organisation and sector levels.

The remaining three articles provide case studies of IICD partner projects in Mali, Bolivia and Uganda. In Mali, a health care project is described which uses an internet-based network to provide distance learning, medical information services and email. In Bolivia, the authors describe an effort to bring information access to the rural agricultural sector. Finally, in Uganda, project managers describe implementing a system to improve the flow of information between local and district governments.

Contents:

• Going beyond a project approach: embedding ICT support in a wider development context
• Putting ICT on the Malinean health agenda
• Embedding ICT at sector level: the case of agriculture in Bolivia
• The District Net Uganda Programme: a case for good governance and ICT
• Further Reading