INPUT on ICT: ICT for Development
by Emmanuel Lallana, PhD, Chief Executive of Ideacorp
ICT matters to the poor because it can be made to play a key role in improving resource allocation process and in meeting the information and communication needs of communities. However, some efforts fail because of the lack of thorough consideration of the context, community participation, and the aspect of sustainability. Sustainability, in particular, must be seen in financial, technological, social, institutional, and environmental terms. However, given that nothing has ever been sustainable, the only real option is to move from sustainability to bricolage. Bricolage means tinkering through the combination of resources at hand, making do with resources that are available, and leveraging the world as defined by the situation.
In the end, this means that ICT for development is not just a management issue but a political issue.ICT projects can have all the good intentions but could lead to negative consequences especially if not backed up with decision-making and support from the leadership.
download the presentation here…
