Research
Policy-makers and regulators “cannot be supermen and superwomen,” says African information and communications technology (ICT) policy analyst Professor F.F. Tusubira. Instead, he says, they need to create an environment where “savvy” entrepreneurs can bring value to customers. While there are many points of agreement on how to understand the key challenges facing policy activists who want to unlock the potential of ICTs more vigorously for the poor, exchanges between experts often rai...
The majority of the world’s population is still isolated from the opportunities offered by the global revolution in information and communications technologies (ICTs) – and the poor are the hardest hit. This is the view of Ethiopian-based ICT expert Lishan Adam, whose issue paper Policies for equitable access considers policy interventions to rectify the imbalances between rich and poor when it comes to accessing technology. According to Adam, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)...
Grassroots communities need to get their hands dirty in shaping how information and communications technologies (ICTs) affect their lives, rather than passively leaving it up to governments and big business to decide. This is the view of Kenyan-based ICT consultant Muriuki Mureithi, whose issue paper, Business models for equitable access, looks at ways of making ICT for development projects s...
The resources on this page are part of a series on equitable access to ICT infrastructure commissioned by APC. This has included an event on equitable access which took place in Rio de Janeiro in November 2007 as well as a series of papers and commentaries on the themes of business models, policy and regulation, tools and technologies and people, networks and capabilities.
As part of its research activities, APC has compiled a list of African ICT blogs. Thematically, most of them focus on ICT4D issues, although some others deal rather with online journalism, ICT policy, freedom of expression, or other related issues.
From August 2005 until April 2006, an evaluation of APC’s information and communication technology (ICT) policy involvement from 2002 to mid-2005 was carried out by an independent consultant. “The overall conclusion from this evaluation has to be that APC is an energetic, active, committed organisation that has achieved a lot with limited staff and resources. [.. and] APC is highly respecte...
This paper sets out to look at the question to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in relation to women’s development in Africa. The emphasis is on current issues and the paper highlights key issues and challenges faced by women in Africa and to a smaller extent, globally. The paper provides examples of good practice and includes recommendations to civil society organisation...
Women have one chance in three less than men to benefit in the African information society. In the “Gender digital divide in francophone Africa” research on six countries (Benin, Burkina FasoBurkina Faso, Cameroon, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal) conducted by the Gender and ICT Network, connections between gender and ICTs were found to be widely unrecognised. Looking at control, content, capa...
GISWatch monitors the implementation and follow-up of key international agreements about ICT policies and their relationship to development, including WSIS and other ICT policy processes at international, regional and national level. This first report in the series focuses on participation.
WSIS has been roundly criticised in the past and this new study from APC concludes that the summit “is not the best starting point for new action.” However, says the author, “It is always important to learn from experience – particularly where it did not deliver up to expectations”.
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