Title: Is a non-Western path to Modernity via the Deployment of Information Communications Technology Possible in Africa?
Author: Peter A. Kwaku Kyem
Pages: 15 pp. 
Date (published): 11/03/2010
Date (accessed): 06/04/2010
Type of information: conference paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Growing optimism in the development capabilities of ICT has led to calls for the deployment of the technology for development in Africa. However, past failures in technological intervention on the continent reveal that technology is insufficient when simply deployed under the status quo mix of development policies without engaging important sets of complementary structures and behaviors to support the adoption. A successful deployment of ICT in Africa will therefore require a rejection of the rationality which dominates development policy and reliance instead on creative strategies that are derived from local African beliefs and value systems. Also important is the nurturing of attitudes that intrinsically motivate Africans to engage ICT and permanently incorporate its applications into local practices. Accordingly, this paper examines the difficult question about why technological innovation has failed to thrive in Africa and then explore ways that Africans may configure viable competencies within local cultures to guide ICT deployment which can lead to lasting ICT benefits.

ICT and Development - Research Voices from Africa. International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Technical Commission 9 – Relationship Between Computers and Society. Workshop at Makerere University, Uganda. 22-23 March 2010

Title: Africa Policy Research Series: Ghana Development Policymakers Report
Author: Hannah Bowen
Pages: 53 pp.
Source: InterMedia AudienceScapes
Publisher: InterMedia Survey Institute
Date (published): 26/02/2010
Date (accessed): 13/03/2010
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf - 1,9 MB)
Abstract:
This report on Ghana draws lessons from the experiences of policy actors to determine how information on key development issues is flowing to those who need it, and to suggest ways to improve this flow, with a particular focus on how international development organizations can help.
...
The interviews, conducted in July-September 2009, lasted roughly one hour each and focused on three broad themes:
Most important and influential information sources - where policy actors typically go for news and information about key development issues; in what forms they prefer to get information; and how they see news/information-gathering habits fitting into the policy cycle.
Personal assessment of policy-relevant information sources - their level of satisfaction with the availability and quality of information; recommendations for improvements; assessment of media coverage of key issues; and assessment of information exchanges with development stakeholders (local NGOs, business groups, foreign groups, etc.)
News and information sharing - how and why the policy actors share information with various parties, particularly the general public; assessment of the public’s capacity to dialogue on key issues; assessment of the impact of new technologies on information sharing; and feedback loops with the public.
...
Structure of This Report
The Report Summary is a quick overview of the main points; Chapter 1 provides context with a brief description of Ghana’s prevailing environments in politics, development policy, media and ICTs.
Chapter 2 is a detailed analysis of the interviews, divided into four parts: media sources; institutional and personal sources; dissemination and feedback; and structural challenges.
Chapter 3 distills this analysis into a list of key recommendations for the international development community on: A. how to contribute more effectively to the Ghanaian policy debate; and B: how to improve the policy making environment by providing Ghana’s policymakers with technical and related assistance.

Title: Africa Development Research Series: Ghana Quantitative Survey Report
Author: Hannah Bowen
Pages: 112 pp.
Source: InterMedia AudienceScapes
Publisher: InterMedia Survey Institute

Date (published): 26/02/2010
Date (accessed): 13/03/2010
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf - 4,8 MB)
Abstract:
This report is based on a quantitative survey in Ghana and gives development practitioners a concise but rich description of the development information environment in Ghana. It offers insight into how information is gathered, shared and used at the grassroots level. In addition, it showcases the power of the AudienceScapes national survey instrument to help
the development community better target their communications and information efforts.

This unique dataset addresses some of the toughest questions in development program management: From which information sources do various segments of the population learn about development issues? How can we share critical information with target demographic groups efficiently and effectively? What sorts of information do people want, need or lack?
The nationally representative survey in Ghana was conducted over three weeks in July and August 2009 with a sample of 2,051 respondents selected from the adult population (15 and over) according to a probability-proportional-to-size (PPS) sampling plan
Key elements of the dataset include:
Descriptions of general media use, ICT use and communication habits.
In-depth sections on radio, TV, print, mobile phone and internet use.
In-depth sections on access to and use of information covering personal finance, health, and agriculture issues.
Demographic and socio-economic status information.
Respondents’ opinions about selected development issues.
Measures of trust in information sources and institutions.

Structure of This Report
The report summary provides a detailed rundown of the main findings.
Chapter 1 provides a brief overview of the development context in Ghana when the research took place.
Chapter 2 describes how Ghanaians gather and share information in general, while Chapter 3 focuses on the use of specific media and ICTs.
Chapter 4 discusses communication in the context of three important development sectors: health, personal finance and agriculture, including case studies that highlight ways the AudienceScapes data can inform development programs in each sector.
The appendices provide additional details on research methods, InterMedia and the AudienceScapes team.

Title: Africa Policy Research Series: Kenya Development Policymakers Report
Author: David Montez
Pages: 54 pp.
Source: InterMedia AudienceScapes
Publisher: InterMedia Survey Institute

Date (published): 26/02/2010
Date (accessed): 13/03/2010
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf - 1,9 MB)
Abstract:
This report presents the results of the project’s policy-focused qualitative research in Kenya...The interviews, conducted in July and August 2009, lasted roughly one hour each and focused on three broad themes:
Most important and influential information sources—where policy actors typically go for news and information about key development issues; in what forms they prefer to get information; how they see news/information-gathering habits fitting into the policy cycle.
Personal assessment of policy-relevant information sources—their level of satisfaction with the availability and quality of information; recommendations for improvements; assessment of media coverage of key issues; assessment of information exchanges with development stakeholders (local NGOs, business groups, foreign groups, etc.)
News and information sharing—how and why the interview subjects share information with various parties, particularly the general public; assessment of the public’s capacity to dialogue on key issues; assessment of the impact of new technologies on information sharing; feedback loops with the public

Structure of This Report
The executive summary provides a quick overview of the main points.
Chapter 1 describes the Kenyan context for the research with brief summaries of the state of national politics, development policy, the media, and information and communication technologies (ICTs).
Chapter 2 is a detailed analysis of the interviews, divided into four parts: media sources; institutional and personal sources; dissemination and feedback; and structural challenges.
Chapter 3 distills this analysis into a list of key recommendations for the international development community on: A. how to contribute more effectively to the Kenyan policy debate; and B: how to improve the policy making environment by providing Kenya’s policymakers with technical and related assistance.

Title: Africa Development Research Series: Kenya Quantitative Survey Report
Author: Hannah Bowen
Pages: 129 pp.
Source: InterMedia AudienceScapes
Publisher: InterMedia Survey Institute
Date (published): 26/02/2010
Date (accessed): 13/03/2010
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf - 4,8 MB)
Abstract:
This report is based on a quantitative survey in Kenya and gives development practitioners a
concise but rich description of the development information environment in Kenya. It offers
insight into how information is gathered, shared and used at the grassroots level. In
addition, it showcases the power of the AudienceScapes national survey instrument to help
the development community better target its communications and information efforts.
This unique dataset addresses some of the toughest questions in development program
management: How much and from which sources do various segments of the population
learn about development issues? How can we share critical information with target
demographic groups efficiently and effectively? What sorts of information do people want,
need or lack?

Structure of this Report
The report summary provides a detailed overview of the main findings.
Chapter 1 introduces the information and development context in which the survey was conducted.
Chapter 2 highlights findings about media and communication habits, with special attention to word-of-mouth networks and to the particular challenges of communicating with rural populations and women.
Chapter 3 details Kenyans’ access to and use of various media and ICTs, while Chapter 4 applies the AudienceScapes data to three key development sectors: health, personal finance and agriculture.
The appendices provide additional details on research methods, the AudienceScapes team and the AudienceScapes project research advisory board.

via http://www.onlineafrica.net/

Title: Reaction to the Gender Findings from Africa’s Access to Knowledge Research
Author: Kathleen Diga
Source: genderIT.org

Date (published): 22/02/2010
Date (accessed): 13/03/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
GenderIT.org writer and a Research Officer at Canada`s International Development Research Centre, Kathleen Diga tracks the journey of the African Copyright & Access to Knowledge (ACA2K)research network to better understand the nature of African national copyright environments and their impact on equal opportunities for all citizens to access information, particularly in the realm of education. The author argues that the ultimate development goal of copyright law is to afford equal access to educational learning materials regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, disability or age. The law must be flexible in order to recognize existing or potential discrimination against vulnerable groups. For example income constraints are likely to discriminate against women more than men in efforts to access educational materials. It is a follow up to a previous GenderIT.org article, University women struggle for knowledge access in Africa.[1]

ACA2K's development research in eight African countries: South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, Senegal and Morocco, reflects on empirical evidence in order to find ways to ensure improved and equal opportunities for all citizens to access information, particularly in the realm of education. The project team investigated whether copyright laws in the study countries are designed in a way that is likely to help or hinder access to materials, particularly for university use, and whether in practice such laws are being followed -- or can realistically be followed given the varying contexts African learners face.

Title: OLPC + FM radio = lessons beamed to computers
Author: Bruce Girard
Source: Radio 2.0 for development
Date (published): 25/02/2010
Date (accessed): 13/03/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
... a project of some students in New Zealand using FM radio to beam lessons to the XO computers used by the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative...There are 1.2 million OLPC laptops now in use, but there remains a big problem – third world countries don’t really have the communications infrastructure to get content out to those laptops in a reliable fashion. Mobile networks often don’t extend into rural areas, satellite and fixed wireless systems are too expensive options. Team Beep came up with a great idea – why not use the readily available FM broadcast frequency to send out a stream of data that can be picked up by a bog standard FM radio.

Title: Communication Technologies in Latin America and Africa: A multidisciplinary perspective
Editors: Mireia Fernández-Ardèvol, Adela Ros Híja
Pages: 396 pp.
ISBN: 978-84-692-8402-5
Publisher: Internet Interdisciplinary Institute of the Open University of Catalonia (UOC)
Date (published): 17/02/2010
Date (accessed): 09/03/2010
Type of information: research volume
Language: English, Catalan
On-line access: yes (individual chapters in pdf)
Abstract:
As a result of the “Conference on Development and Information Technologies. Mobile Phones and Internet in Latin America and Africa: What benefits for the most disadvantaged?” held on 23-24 October 2009 at the IN3-UOC, we are happy to inform you that the book Communication Technologies in Latin America and Africa: A multidisciplinary perspective is now available

Introduction (English, Catalan)

Section 1. Shaping the economic sphere
Chapter 1: Mobile-based livelihood services in Africa: pilots and early deployments (English)
Jonathan Donner
Chapter 2: Mobile phones as a tool in the household production process Evidence from Puno, Peru (English)
Roxana Barrantes
Chapter 3: Mobile opportunities: Poverty and Mobile Telephony in Latin America and the Caribbean. The case of Mexico (English)
Judith Mariscal
Chapter 4: Broadband Internet access in developing countries: Universal service provision and pricing schemes (English)
Carlos Gutiérrez Hita and Juana Aznar Márquez

Section 2. Shaping communicative practices
Chapter 5: Managing the cost of mobile communication in Ghana (English)
Araba Sey
Chapter 6: Africa connects: Mobile communication and social change in the margins of African society. The example of the Bamenda Grassfields, Cameroon (English)
Mirjam de Bruijn
Chapter 7: From “lands at the end of the earth” to “lands of progress”? Communication and mobility in South-Eastern Angola (English)
Inge Brinkman and Silvia Alessi
Chapter 8: Imagined connectivity, poetic text-messaging and appropriation in Sudan (English)
Siri Lamoureaux

Section 3. Shaping migratory cultures
Chapter 9: Connectivity, Migration and Socio-Economic Development with a focus on the Maghreb (English)
Ivan Ureta
Chapter 10: ICTs in Senegal: between migration culture and socio-cultural and politico-economic positioning (English)
Aly Tandian
Chapter 11: Moving and mediating: a mobile view on sub-Saharan African migration towards Europe (English)
Joris Schapendonk
Chapter 12: ICT and codeveloppement between Catalonia and Senegal (French)
Papa Sow and Rosnert Ludovic Alissoutin
Chapter 13: Can the diaspora contribute to the development of their home countries? (English)
Ana M. González Ramos, Jörg Müller and Milagros Sáinz Ibáñez

Summing up (English, Catalan)

Title: African Nations with Active National ICT Plans
Author Editor:
Source: Online Africa
Date (published): 05/03/2010
Date (accessed): 08/03/2010
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
Below is a list of African nations with relatively current and well-publicized ICT plans.

via http://www.ictworks.org/

Title: African Languages in a Digital Age. Challenges and opportunities for indigenous language computing
Author: Don Osborn
Pages: 150 pp.
ISBN: 978-07969-2249-6
Publisher: HSCR Press
Date (published): 2010
Date (accessed): 23/02/2010
Type of information: academic publications
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
With increasing numbers of computers and diffusion of the internet around the world, localisation of the technology and the content it carries into the many languages people speak is becoming an ever more important area for discussion and action. Localisation, simply put, includes translation and cultural adaptation of user interfaces and software applications, as well as the creation and translation of internet content in diverse languages. It is essential in making information and communication technology more accessible to the populations of the poorer countries, increasing its relevance to their lives, needs, and aspirations, and ultimately in bridging the ‘digital divide’.

Localisation is a new and growing field of inquiry. This book identifies issues, concerns, priorities, and lines of research and is intended as a baseline study in defining localisation in Africa and how it is important for development and education in the long term.

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Background

3. Introducing ‘localisation ecology’

4. Linguistic context

5. Technical context 1: physical access

6. Technical context 2: internationalisation

7. African language text, encoding and fonts

8. Keyboards and input systems

9. Defining languages in ICT: tags and locales

10. Internet

11. Software localisation

12. Mobile technology and other specialised applications

13. Achieving sustainable localisation

14. Summary and recommendations