Guiding Principles/Objectives

Programmes

A study published in January 2002 sets out, for DFID staff, the fundamental principles underlying a proposed approach to ICTs and development, and draws from those principles a set of recommendations for DFID's priorities in this area.  

Key messages from this report:

1. Creating information rich societies is a key element of poverty reduction and sustainable development.
2. ICTs can be effective tools to tackle poverty but spread of technology should not be an objective in itself (poverty is the problem not a digital divide).
3. No single technology is a magic bullet or suitable to all needs - each ICT (old and new) will be appropriate in different circumstances.
4. It is important to mainstream the appropriate application of ICTs as tools in efforts to reduce poverty.
5. The enabling environment is crucial to providing information and communication services, innovation and entrepreneurship and free flow of information.
6. Giving voice to the poor and helping them apply knowledge is a key element of combating poverty.
7. Education and skills are the key enablers of the effective use of ICTs.
8. Addressing the needs of the poor and marginalised, particularly women and girls is vital.

Based on these principles, DFID should:

1. Mainstream through its work attention to the information and communications aspects of poverty and appropriate application of ICTs as tools to combat poverty.
2. Encourage partners to address information and communication issues in national poverty reduction strategies.
3. Get the enabling environment right.
4. Reach out to the poorest.
5. Help improve and focus the response of the international system.
6. Strengthen developing country voice.

These recommendations have a number of implications for DFID: awareness raising within DFID to help staff consider information and communication issues in their work: provide, for interested staff, concise evidence-based material drawing on research and experience about what works and what does not; Advisory Departments are likely to be the appropriate 'home' for funds for supporting multilateral initiatives related to ICTs.

(Source: The significance of information and communication technologies for reducing poverty, DFID, January 2002)

Areas of Application:

BDO:
► Policy and regulatory frameworks development
► Support to national/sectoral ICT strategies
► Support to community media
► Raising awareness of ICT's role in development

 CATIA:
► Capacity building on ICT regulation and policy
► Increasing access to radio
► Cutting internet cost through IXPs
► Increasing access to infrastructure
► Supporting local content creation and exchange

Imfundo:
► Teacher training

Louder Voices: 
► Capacity building

OKN: 
► Local content capture and exchange via local and regional hubs
► Appropriate IPR and software development
► Capacity building

Building Digital Opportunities (BDO):
A three-year partnership with AMARC (World Association of Community Radio), the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), the International Institute of Communications for Development (IICD), OneWorld International and Panos.

Catalysing Access to ICTs in Africa (CATIA):
An African regional programme designed to act as a strong catalyst for a positive reform process and to increase significantly affordable ICT access across Africa.

Imfundo:
The programme creates partnerships to use ICT to achieve universal primary education and gender equality in Africa.

Knowledge and Research:
Research into key ICT for development issues and impacts. 

Louder Voices:
The programme is intended to strengthen developing country participation in international ICT decision-making.

Open Knowledge Network (OKN):
Run by OneWorld International and IICD, the programme is aimed to promote local knowledge creation and the realisation of its value by facilitating its exchange as widely as possible across the south.

In addition to the programmes outlined above, DFID advisers contribute to a range of country and sectoral programmes.

Participation in Multi-donor Programmes:

► BDO is funded in collaboration with DGIS and SDC
► CATIA is funded in collaboration with Canada
► OKN: Canada is contributing to the programme
► African Virtual University
► Commonwealth of Learning
► InfoDev

► BDO: Africa & Asia;
► CATIA and Imfundo: Africa;
► Knowledge and Research, Louder Voice and OKN: Global

US$14.3 million for CATIA (over 3 years) plus overall approx. spending US$9.5 million

Mr. Keith Yeomans, ICT Adviser, DFID, k-yeomans@dfid.gov.uk