developing countries

ICT and the environment in developing countries: opportunities and developments

This paper explores how the Internet and the ICT and related research communities can help tackle environmental challenges in developing countries through more environmentally sustainable models of economic development, and examines the status of current and emerging environmentally friendly technologies, equipment and applications in supporting programs aimed at addressing climate change and improving energy efficiency. Discussion focuses on the role of ICTs in: (i) climate change mitigation (e.g.

Guide to ICT Policy in IST-Africa Partner Countries

The goal of this guide is to share the current status of National ICT policies in each of the current IST-Africa Partner Countries, identify what has been achieved to date and provide insight into what implementation challenges remain. This report reflects analysis of existing National ICT Policies for twelve of the IST-Africa Partner Countries including Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

ICT as a Tool for Accessing Medical Content and Knowledge in Local Languages: Sri Lanka’s Perspective

Most health care professionals in Sri Lanka use ICT for acquiring knowledge, but the use of ICT by the general public for accessing health care information is till at a very low level, although the Government has spent millions of rupees in developing ICT infrastructure all over the island. To address the needs of developing content and application relevant to the Sri Lankan domain, the e-society programme, ICT Agency of Sri Lanka rolled out a two pronged grant mechanism through which partnerships were established several CBOs, NGOs as well as state and private sector organizations.

Information and Communication Technologies for Reconstruction and Development: Afghanistan Challenges and Opportunities

The intent of this report is to raise awareness of the importance of the role of ICT in failed state intervention and follow-on reconstruction and development. Afghanistan is used as a case study to examine and highlight, by example, successes and some of the challenges encountered in trying to rebuild a war-torn country’s telecommunications and IT infrastructure and to use it to enable other sector reconstruction and development.

The Role of Information and Communication Technologies for Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change

Higher frequency and diffusion of climate fluctuations are likely to produce more severe and frequent droughts and floods, which are the main causes of short-term fluctuations in food production in semiarid and sub-humid areas. Taking this into account, it is crucial to identify information and communication systems that the farmers need in order to cope with the new conditions. This paper aims to provide more information and knowledge on the role of information and communication technologies for community-based adaptation to climate change.

The ICT4D 2.0 Manifesto: Where Next for ICTs and International Development?

This paper explains the phase change – from "ICT4D 1.0" to "ICT4D 2.0" – and its implications. The background to these phases is reviewed, charting the logic and chronology of applying ICTs in developing countries. The implications of the phase change are then analysed. First, in terms of new technology and application priorities. Then, in relation to new models of innovation we may need to embrace: from laboratory to collaborative to grassroots innovation. Next, in relation to new implementation models for funding, managing, and applying digital technology.

A Practical Guide to Sustainable IT

In developed nations, information systems are now an indispensable part of most people’s lives. In developing nations, information systems are a means of enabling communication and exchange where no such infrastructure existed before, and that in turn creates many new opportunities from education to economic development. But the development of the global communications network, and the equipment attached to it, has come at a cost.

Climate Change as a Strategic Priority for ICT4D Organisations: Current Attitudes, Responses and Needs

This paper considers the extent to which climate change has become a strategic priority for information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) organisations. Through a survey of 30 ICT4D organisations primarily from developing countries, as well as an overview of the thematic interests of authors participating in a recent publication on ICTs and environmental sustainability, it shows that there is a predominant interest in adaptation strategies in developing contexts.