Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) have for several years now campaigned that ICT holds the promise to improve conditions in developing countries in a variety of manners. However, most of the actual results may not be astonishing. Why did existing knowledge about the correlations between ICT and the economy and society fail to develop ICT to support development? Is the mainstream model of conceptualizing and implementing ICT4D applicable in the African context? What are the alternatives to dominant approaches?

Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) have for several years now campaigned that ICT holds the promise to improve conditions in developing countries in a variety of manners. However, most of the actual results may not be astonishing. Why did existing knowledge about the correlations between ICT and the economy and society fail to develop ICT to support development? Is the mainstream model of conceptualizing and implementing ICT4D applicable in the African context? What are the alternatives to dominant approaches?

In organizing this workshop therefore, The Faculty of Computing and Informatics Technology, Makerere University (CIT) and the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Technical Commission 9 hoped to answer some of the questions raised above. Additionally through inviting and supporting several authors and texts from Africa and beyond, they hoped to highlight the importance of gaining a broader view on ICT4D by including substantially the actual settings of ICT implementation and use in Africa.

In his brief Dr. Gianluca Miscione, International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) noted that it was almost rare to find ICT efforts as endogenous production of developing countries. He also touched the driving force behind organizing a workshop of this nature, noting that the world hears about ICT in Africa more often than it hears about ICT from African voices. He hoped that this platform would enable the sharing of ideas and experiences between presenters and especially highlight discontinuities between African context and ICT4D mainstream paradigm.

Dr. Jude Lubega, Workshop Chair and Deputy Dean, CIT welcomed the IFIP and participants to Kampala, noting that the workshop’s timeliness, especially as Uganda is in the midst of her struggle to achieve the Millennium Development Goals through embracing ICT as a tool for enhancing development in service provision. He anticipated that the eighteen papers to be shared; with two from keynote speakers, would enable participants to intimately learn from each other and adopt what works best for Africa.

With its theme as “ICT and Development Research Voices from Africa,” Dr Lubega opined that the workshop was indeed the right direction for Africa towards achieving her Millennium Development Goals. Before inviting Professor Venansius Baryamureeba, to make his remarks, Dr Lubega thanked the Organizing Committee IFIP 2010 for all their input and trusted that the workshop will leave a roadmap for Africa.

The Guest of Honor, Acting Vice Chancellor and Dean, CIT Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba appreciated the global constitution of the participants noting that this would indeed lend credence to the workshop’s aim of making heard the ICT and Development research voices from Africa. He encouraged participants to engage all stakeholders in development so that proceedings from the workshop would be put to good use.

Professor Baryamureeba challenged participants to focus on how their research would: help benefit the key age groups of Women, Youth and the Elderly; contribute towards technological development with a bias of supporting small-scale industries; and help in improving corporate governance. He thanked the Organizing team and participants for their research efforts especially as the papers to be presented addressed a cross-section of development issues.

Click here for the Guest of Honour's speech  

Click here for the Workshop Chair's speech

Papers presented

Information and Communication Technology for Development Research Voices from Africa
Gianluca Miscione, Walter deVries, Jude Lubega

All for the 'e' Initiatives in a limited access environment
Brian Sikute, Victor Mensah

Assessing innovative ICT for health information system in African rural communities
Ogundele Olukunle

Connecting Africa – African Connections, Africa’s engagement with information and communication technologies (ICTs) and their role for development – the case of telemedicine in South Africa
Norman Schräpel

Development Calling: The Use of Mobile Phones in Agriculture Development in Uganda
Brandie Martin, Dr. Eric Abbott

From Simulating Citizen – Government Interaction to Facilitating Service Delivery through ICT use: Experiences from the web-based collaboration and thinkLets project
Jackie Phahlamohlaka, Hossana Twinomurinzi, Lindiwe Masanabo, Ntombizodwa Mahlangu

Highlighting the convolution that is the ict world: professional career women in kenya speak
Salome Omamo

ICTs, Infrastructure and Entrepreneurship
Crystal Watley Kigoni, Hilary N. Ervin

Is a non-Western path to Modernity via the Deployment of Information Communications Technology Possible in Africa?
Peter A. Kwaku Kyem

Is ict empowering women in Egypt? An empirical study
Mona F. Badran

Phones usage for SMEs Economic Development – An Exploratory Study in Morogoro, Tanzania
Simon Rwekiza Melchioly, Øystein Sæbø

Promoting road safety through behavior and attitude change through community policing and ICT
Ssewanyana Joseph K., Niyitegeka Michael

Public Internet Access and E-government Distribution in Developing Countries:Evidence from Tanzania
Bjørn Furuholt, Edmund Matotay

Role of mobile phones in improving communication and information delivery for agricultural development: Lessons from South Western Uganda
Masuki, K. F. Ga, Kamugisha, Rb, Mowo, J. Gc, Tanui, Jc, Tukahirwa, Ja. Mogoi, Jc. and Adera E. Od

The impact of Abuja Geographic Information Systems on corrupt practices in land administration in the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria
Adewale O. Akingbade, Diego D. Navarra, Yola Georgiadou

Towards the emancipation of the ICT4D researcher: reflecting on a case study in deep rural South Africa
Kirstin Krauss, Marita Turpin