"20 years after its foundation in 1996, IICD, the International Institute for Communication and Development, definitively closed. Over the years, IICD proved that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can accelerate socio-economic development and that a methodology based on principles such
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as multi-stakeholder engagement, demand-driven approach and local ownership, is key to integrate and sustain ICT-enabled activities. IICD investments in enabling individuals, organisations and networks to adequately serve the ICT needs of local stakeholders resulted in conducive environments with experienced partners well suited to offer cost-effective and locally relevant ICT-enabled solutions. Based on the experience of the writer this paper explores the impact of the organization, after five years in a fast changing environement. It also expresses her opinions and shares ideas related to the importance of knowledge sharing for preparedness in a post-pandemic world." (Abstract)
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"This report aims to bridge two communities – the broader development community and the cybersecurity capacity building community – to achieve more resilient outcomes by ensuring incorporation of cybersecurity and digital resilience into digital development activities. This report is a product o
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f the partnership between the World Bank and the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) Foundation, who recognize the importance of including cybersecurity, digital resilience, and cyber capacity building (CCB) as components of development projects. They also understand that advocates are needed to promote the eligibility of these activities for assistance in the broader development agenda." (Aim and objectives, page 11)
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"This evaluation is an analysis of the Mozilla Foundation’s grantmaking and fellowship work led by the F&A team from the beginning of 2016 through mid-2020. It seeks to understand: 1) the impacts of the programs on individual funding recipients and organizational partners, on the issues the progra
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ms endeavor to address, and on the people most affected by those issues, 2) the strengths and challenges of the programs, for Mozilla staff, program participants and other stakeholders 3) how F&A’s work supports the impact goals laid out in Mozilla’s AI Theory of Change and 4) the ways in which the F&A program contributes to and is perceived by the broader internet health ecosystem [...] The evaluation found that the program furthers the foundation’s internet health goals and overall theory of change by investing in research, writing, art, and code that explores the role of the internet in society. The program attracts and grows a network of technologists, coders, educators, scientists, journalists and activists who are committed to advancing Mozilla’s mission. It also found that impact has been limited by a lack of clarity and communication around how program design and theory of change inform one another. Those surveyed felt that making the connection explicit would help the ecosystem and participants have clarity around the intentions of Mozilla’s work, crystalize strategy internally and externally, and help the foundation develop more effective impact measurements. Respondents indicated that the strengths and challenges of the F&A program were largely consistent across program tracks, types and models. This finding indicates that individual F&A programs have more in common than the team currently acknowledges, and that the different programs ultimately offer similar experiences to funding recipients." (Executive summary, page 12-13)
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"Positive Deviance (PD) is based on the observation that in every community or organization, there are a few individuals who achieve significantly better outcomes than their peers, despite having similar challenges and resources. These individuals are referred to as positive deviants, and adopting t
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heir solutions is what is referred to as the PD approach. The method described in this handbook follows the same logic as the PD approach but uses pre-existing, non-traditional data sources instead of — or in conjunction with — traditional data sources. Non-traditional data in this context broadly refers to data that is digitally captured (e.g. mobile phone records and financial data), mediated (e.g. social media and online data), or observed (e.g. satellite imagery). The integration of such data to complement traditional data sources generally used in PD is what we refer to as Data Powered Positive Deviance (DPPD)." (Page 7)
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"The connection between digital and inequality has traditionally been understood in terms of the digital divide or of forms of digital inequality whose core conceptualisation is exclusion. This paper argues that, as the global South moves into a digital development paradigm of growing breadth and de
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pth of digital engagement, an exclusion worldview is no longer sufficient. Drawing from ideas in the development studies literature on chronic poverty, the paper argues the need for a new concept: “adverse digital incorporation”, meaning inclusion in a digital system that enables a more-advantaged group to extract disproportionate value from the work or resources of another, less-advantaged group. This explains why inequality persists – even grows – in a digital development paradigm. To help ground future research and practice on this issue, the paper inductively builds a conceptual model of adverse digital incorporation with three main component sets: the processes, the drivers, and the causes of adverse digital incorporation. The paper concludes with thoughts on a future research and practice agenda that seeks to deliver digital justice in the global South: a necessary reconfiguration of the broader components of power that currently shape the inclusionary connection between digital and inequality." (Abstract)
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"The Serbian government prioritizes digitalization. Serbia’s digital transformation accelerated in 2017 with the government’s focus on building a digital government, or “digitalization” as defined by Serbians, and Serbia’s participation in the Digital Agenda for the Western Balkans. As one
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Serbian official described it, digitalization refers to the “fundamental changes reflected in the emergence of an efficient, economical, and transparent public administration.” Although there is no comprehensive national policy for Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Serbia’s digital agenda includes initiatives ranging from expanding connectivity to developing the ICT industry. Prime Minister Brnabic has been a champion for digitalization, and digital transformation will continue to be a key priority in the coming years. Digital connectivity infrastructure in the country is strong and growing. Fourth-generation (4G) mobile broadband covers more than 90 percent of the population. The government and top mobile network operators (MNOs) plan to deploy 5G networks in the near future. Donors such as the European Union (EU) support the expansion of fiber-optic connectivity to connect rural schools. China’s Digital Silk Road Initiative has had a substantial role in building Serbia’s digital infrastructure, ranging from Safe City infrastructure to providing cloud infrastructure and developing an artificial intelligence (AI) platform for the government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government swiftly embraced online schooling and expanded digital government services. Fragmentation and uneven levels of buy-in across the executive branch hinders Serbian digital government efforts. Serbia’s approach to multi-stakeholder internet governance has also been uneven, with industry and civil society stakeholders lamenting a lack of public engagement. Serbian civil society is working to protect digital rights and freedoms. A growing network of organizations in Serbia and across Southeast Europe is working to protect free expression online, promote information security, and publicize digital rights violations." (https://www.usaid.gov/digital-development)
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"During the Covid 19 pandemic, a digital transformation happened in all spheres of life, including cultural relations. The DICE Digital R&D Fund emerged in this context as part of a wider Digital Skills Programme, an effort by the British Council to keep the flow of international cultural exchanges
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going. Hence, the overarching question of this research: what can international cultural relations (CR) look like online based on the experience of the fund? [...] The fund has shown that it is possible to create new, strong collaborations and team work digitally, to do so more cheaply and for some at least, also more efficiently. Through their experience in the fund, a sense of a universal ‘we’ developed among many Digital Partners (DPs). They recognised that despite differences from one country to another, people faced similar problems in working for social change and in experiencing the pandemic. Although for many DPs, the experience of the fund did not change how they thought of other cultures, they learnt new things about other countries and sometimes also about their own. This challenged their assumptions about these countries and recognising that they were, after all, stereotypes." (Executive summary, pages 6-7)
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"What are the impacts of expanding mobile broadband coverage on poverty, household consumption and labor market outcomes in developing countries? Who benefits from improved coverage of mobile internet? To respond to these questions, this paper applies a difference-in-differences estimation using pan
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el household survey data combined with geospatial information on the rollout of mobile broadband coverage in Tanzania. The results reveal that being covered by 3G networks has a large positive effect on total household consumption and poverty reduction, driven by positive impacts on labor market outcomes. Working age individuals living in areas covered by mobile internet witnessed an increase in labor force participation, wage employment, and non-farm self-employment, and a decline in farm employment. These effects vary by age, gender and skill level. Younger and more skilled men benefit the most through higher labor force participation and wage employment, while high-skilled women benefit from transitions from self-employed farm work into non-farm employment." (Abstract)
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"Intended as a guide for policy-makers and other stakeholders in crafting a national AI and data strategy for development, the report highlights opportunities and outlines good policy and regulatory practices for implementation, while also flagging key challenges and offering hands-on suggestions in
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managing and overcoming these roadblocks. The report describes the main building-blocks of a national AI and data system for development, including governance, regulation, ethical considerations, digital and data skills, the overall digital environment, the technological innovation landscape and opportunities for international collaboration. It goes on to detail the main components of an effective AI and data system action plan, including the principles governing stakeholder engagement, the setting of clear milestones and budgets and administrative structures to support implementation and coordination mechanisms." (Foreword)
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"The study identified resource gaps relating to broadband connectivity, affordability, digital literacy and skills, and priority digital services. It identified the need for reliable and quality telecommunication network coverage; digital literacy and skills training (sales and marketing resources a
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nd skills); a reliable power/energy supply; banking services; an improved education environment with reliable Internet services; an improved health environment with digitally literate health workers; clean water and sanitation; adaptation to the effects of natural disasters; and, importantly, climate change mitigation and adaptation. It also identified the need to promote South Malekula as an attractive domestic and international tourist destination. The National ICT Development Committee of Vanuatu recently (2021) agreed to pursue the Smart Islands Vanuatu Programme, in which government stakeholders and citizens have indicated keen interest. Partners such as the Vanuatu Rural Electrification Project have also expressed interest in how the programme could stimulate demand for a local solar power grid." (Executive summary, page iv)
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"Seven years since the establishment of the Digital Defenders Partnership by the Freedom Online Coalition, the challenges to Human Rights and Internet Freedom globally have mounted, while the movements in their defence remain diverse, creative, and resilient. In this context, DDP has evolved to beco
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me a flexible and effective ally in the ecosystem of support to these movements, expanding our programme of support from emergency funding to include creative and innovative projects aimed at supporting and respecting this diversity, creativity, and resilience. In the coming strategic period, DDP will focus on the consolidation and expansion of the aspects of our work considered to be of most value by our allies and beneficiaries: Incident Emergency Response; Sustainable Protection Support; Facilitation and Community Building. We will do this by increasing clarity and transparency in how we work; facilitating and actively promoting collaboration within the ecosystem; further deepening our support for local and regional capacities; and establishing mechanisms for learning and sharing best practices. All of this with the aim of ensuring that the Internet and digital technologies remain a fundamental force for positive change - free, open and accessible to those on the front lines of that change." (Executive summary)
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"The digital strategy centers around two core, mutually reinforcing objectives: improve measurable development and humanitarian assistance outcomes through the responsible use of digital technology in USAID’s programming; and strengthen the openness, inclusiveness, and security of country-level di
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gital ecosystems. These objectives, and USAID’s approach to achieving them, support the goals and principles outlined in key policy documents, including the USAID Policy Framework, the Department of State-USAID Joint Strategic Plan, and the U.S. National Cyber, National Security, and Counterterrorism Strategies. USAID will work to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of foreign assistance through the consistent and responsible use of digital technology in our development and humanitarian programming. Through our programmatic investments, USAID will work to strengthen the critical components of digital ecosystems that enable sustainable growth in a digital age: a sound enabling environment and policy commitment; robust and resilient digital infrastructure; capable digital service providers and workforce; and, ultimately, empowered end-users of digitally enabled services." (Executive summar, page 4)
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"ICT4D projects are known for having social, economic, and environmental impacts that are difficult to capture. Investments in digital infrastructure and innovation often have high up-front costs with largely medium-to-long-term benefits, not quick, short-term outcomes desired by policy makers. The
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new DIAL Valuing ICT4D Project Impact Toolkit is a practical guide to identifying appropriate valuing impact methodologies to forecast the benefits of planned ICT investments. The toolkit can also be used to evaluate existing digital development activities in low-income countries. It presents five valuation methodologies for ICT4D projects: Cost Effectiveness Analysis, Cost Benefit Analysis, and Social Return on Investment explore the relationship from investment costs through to impact; Multi-Criteria Analysis explores the relationships from activities through to outcomes; Econometrics explores the relationship from activities through to impact. The methodologies considered vary in their application, but they largely explore the relationship between investment costs, related activities and outputs, and the desired change in outcome or impact. Implementing these methodologies can be complex and resource intensive depending on the scope and level of detail desired." (Ictworks.org)
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"This Smart Village Blueprint, piloted in Niger, has been conceived as a practical tool for establishing smart villages. It contributes to the implementation of the Niger 2.0 Smart Villages project, which aims at providing broadband infrastructure to improve Internet access in rural and remote parts
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of the country. The Smart Villages project comprises a locally led, integrated, and holistic approach to providing access to digital services to all citizens of rural communities, with the integration of digital technologies serving as a crucial enabler of equitable, qualitative and efficient delivery of SDG-related services for all. This Blueprint is based on the lessons learnt from experiences setting up, managing, and sustaining similar projects in different parts of the world, including the Niger Smart Villages project. These lessons highlight the importance of dynamic local leadership, the continuous development of local capacity to manage and lead sustainable development programmes, and the need to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders and adopt a whole-of-government approach, moving away from older, territorial, siloed development models. The aim of this Blueprint is to make smart villages one of the mechanisms through which multiple SDGs can be achieved simultaneously in remote and underserved areas." (Foreword)
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"This guide has explored some of the key considerations that should inform the conceptualization and implementation of Machine Learning (ML) and artifical intelligence (AI) components within a development project. New, automated decision systems can offer considerable and rapid efficiency gains, but
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we must always remember that they embed numerous and ongoing human decisions. These may be intentional or unintentional, benevolent or malicious, general or highly context specific. As with physical infrastructure such as roads and bridges, digital infrastructure can all too easily encode unexamined bias – sometimes in ways that can undermine development gains. As outlined in this guide, a wide variety of decisions need to be made at different stages of the project lifecycle: from which stakeholders should be involved and how, to measuring model accuracy and success, to determining overall whether ML is an appropriate tool to use for your development context. There is no one-size-fits all answer to these questions. But whatever the specific ML/AI technologies and applications you consider, broad guidance is offered in the four thematic areas woven throughout this guide: Responsible, equitable, and inclusive design; Strategic partnerships and human capital; Adaptive management; Enabling environment for ML/AI. These focal points should help you and your project team make the best possible choices at each stage of the project life cycle." (Conclusion)
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"mNutrition is a global initiative supported by FCDO, managed by GSMA, and implemented by in-country MNOs and third party providers to use mobile technology, that sought to improve the health and nutritional status of children and adults in the developing world. The potential to utilise mobile techn
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ology to change attitudes, knowledge, behaviours, and practices around health and agriculture for improved nutritional status has been recognised for some time, but to date there have been no rigorous evaluations of m-services at scale. A consortium of researchers from Gamos, IDS, and IFPRI were contracted to conduct a rigorous mixed-methods evaluation to estimate the impact of mNutrition on children and adults, and to understand how the context and the components of the mNutrition intervention shape its impact. In Tanzania, the service, Wazazi Nipendeni, focused on the provision of nutrition and health information and services to vulnerable pregnant women and caregivers of children under the age of five on their mobile phones, with the goal of improving nutrition outcomes and behaviours for mothers and young children." (https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk)
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"This thesis describes the search for and the design of a field-based approach to ICT4D. Ten years of field and action research in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana have led to a practical approach that guides design and development of information systems. It fosters knowledge exchange between people fr
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om different (global, local, indigenous, academic, non-academic) knowledge domains. It brings users, local stakeholders, developers, researchers together to solve complex problems, according to the users' own objectives. Field experience shows that digital development can be a meaningful, collaborative, networked process of knowledge sharing, driven by local initiatives, realizing change for the better in a complex world." (Back cover)
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