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Digital Dividend Digest vol. 44
June 9, 2004
CONTENTS
1. Lessons
From the Field: The "Tech" in Technology-for-Development
2. Digital Dividends Analysis:
Has ICT4D Lost its Luster? In the Aftermath of "India
Shining"
3. New in the Digital Dividend
Clearinghouse: FOODNET Uganda, Utkarsh - Linux in Gujarati,
Sun’s Per-Citizen Pricing Model
4. Special Opportunities:
Global Youth in Action Awards, "Giving Youth a Voice"
Writing Contest, Global Junior Challenge
1. Lessons From the Field:
The "Tech" in Technology-for-Development
Previous Digital Dividends' Lessons from the Field
articles have surveyed ICT-for-development through the lens
of traditional development sectors such as health, agriculture,
and microfinance. This feature shifts the focus slightly to
see the ways that affordable computing and connectivity are
being brought to underserved populations. This is the first
part of a three-part series that will look at affordable computing,
connectivity, and software aimed at the bottom of the economic
pyramid.
2. Digital
Dividends Analysis: Has ICT4D Lost its Luster? In
the Aftermath of "India Shining"
Last month's parliamentary elections in India prompted a series
of news stories and editorials questioning the validity of
information technology (IT) as a development strategy. Rural
villagers, largely unaffected by economic reforms highlighting
information technology, reacted by voting the reformers out
of office. In his May 20 editorial, The New York Times' Thomas
Freidman opines, "…the key to spreading the benefits
of globalization across a big society is not about more Internet."
The Internet, it seems they are concluding, is not the promised
land of development after all.
Does the defeat of Indian IT proponents, like Andhra Pradesh’s
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, signal the end of ICT-for-development
(ICT4D)? Despite certain media reports clinging to this as
a proof-of-no-concept, success stories elsewhere continue
to point to the fact that information and communications technologies
can and will play a critical role in the economic and social
development of less developed countries. India’s elections,
however, teach us a valuable lesson about the nature of ICT4D:
it is not about the "what" of technology, it's about
the "how" of the application. In order to achieve
sustainable—and, it seems, politically secure—development,
it must take place "from the bottom up."
3 . New in the Digital
Dividend Clearinghouse: FOODNET Uganda, Utkarsh - Linux
in Gujarati, Sun’s Per-Citizen Pricing Model
Twelve new projects have been entered since the last
Digest. Among the highlights:
FOODNET Uganda
Foodnet, an initiative of the Association for Strengthening
Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA),
aims to eliminate information asymmetries in Uganda's agricultural
sector by providing farmers with accurate market data via
FM radio broadcasts, SMS (short message system) updates, web-based
postings, and e-mail. The Foodnet Web portal also offers information
about agribusiness potential and farming equipment.
Utkarsh - Linux in Gujarati
For millions of non-English speaking Indians that have struggled
with English language operating systems since the advent of
the technology age, true computer literacy has just become
a reality. On May 27, 2004, a group of seven engineering students
launched Utkarsh, a Linux-based operating system that runs
completely in the Gujarati language.
Sun's Per-Citizen Pricing Model
Sun Microsystems, the multinational hardware and software
firm, has established a per-citizen pricing model that will
make its enterprise systems widely available to developing
country buyers at reasonable rates. Governing bodies of developing
nations will be able to buy software licenses at a discounted
price, which will be determined by population and national
level of development as defined by the United Nations.
4. Special Opportunities: Global
Youth in Action Awards,
"Giving Youth a Voice" Writing Contest,
DEADLINE APPROACHING -
Global Junior Challenge
Global
Youth in Action Awards
The Global Youth Action Network, with a grant from the Shei’rah
Foundation, is offering awards of US$1,000 to the founders
of youth initiated projects that apply new ways of thinking
to address issues in their communities. The awards seek to
recognize young leaders who have realized projects that resolve
local concerns using innovative problem-solving methods. Preference
will be given to projects less than two years old, and those
established by one or more people under the age of 25. Projects
must be submitted by the youth initiator and have already
created measurable results in their community in order to
qualify. Deadline for project submission is July 1, 2004.
"Giving
Youth a Voice" Writing Contest
The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
(CTA) is challenging young people from African, Caribbean,
and Pacific (ACP) countries to share their visions for the
future of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled
development in rural areas. The writing contest is open to
youth aged 18 to 30 who are members of organizations active
in rural youth development issues. Three submissions will
be chosen by CTA’s judges, and the authors will be invited
to attend CTA’s ICT Observatory meeting on “Giving
Youth a Voice,” with all expenses paid. Seven runners-up
will receive free subscriptions to CTA publications. Essays
may be submitted in English or French. The deadline for essay
submission is July 11, 2004.
DEADLINE APPROACHING - Global
Junior Challenge
The Digital Youth Consortium announces the 2004 Global Junior
Challenge, a contest of projects pioneering the use of information
and communication technologies in education and training.
The intention of the award, dedicated to young people and
to schools, is to identify and reward best practices in the
use of new technologies in the education and training of young
people. A pool of 30,000 Euro is available to be awarded to
projects from developing countries, as selected by an international
jury. Projects will be judged in categories according to their
user base. The participation deadline for the Global Junior
Challenge is June 30, 2004.
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