ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT Strategically To Support Plan's Work

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Photo Cover : © Linda Raftree

i ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT strategically to support Plan’s work.
Contents
Acknowledgements:................................................................................................................ 1
Executive Summary.......................................................................................................... 1
Introduction...................................................................................................................... 3
This report:................................................................................................................................ 4
A strategic approach to ICT for Development..................................................................... 4
Checklist for planning strategic use of ICTs.................................................................. 9

Stage 1: Understanding the context for ICT work..................................................... 15
1.1 The external context:...................................................................................................... 15
1.2 Organisational experience and capacity:..................................................................... 18
Stage 2: Finding a match between priorities and possibilities.................................23

2.1 Rooting the system in local needs and priorities:....................................................... 23
2.2 Finding good uses for tools and applications:............................................................ 28
Stage 3: Planning and implementing concrete initiatives......................................... 31

3.1 Carrying out participatory assessments:...................................................................... 32
3.2 Linking to other development processes:................................................................... 36
3.3 Technical issues and concerns:...................................................................................... 38
Stage 4: Building a culture of systematic,

sustained and strategic ICT use.................................................................................... 41
4.1 Linking ICT with programmes:...................................................................................... 41
4.2 Transforming the role of ‘the IT guy’:.......................................................................... 44
4.3 Building expertise of the cultural and social aspects of ICT use:............................. 45
Additional material........................................................................................................ 47
Opportunities and constraints for ICT4D in Africa........................................................... 47
Policies and regulations: the operating environment for ICT4D in Africa..................... 47
Salim’s ICT4D advice part 1: consider both process and passion................................... 48
Salim’s ICT4D advice part 2: innovate, but keep it real................................................... 50
Country ICT Briefings.................................................................................................... 53

Ghana ICT briefing................................................................................................................. 53
Mali ICT briefing..................................................................................................................... 56
Mozambique ICT briefing..................................................................................................... 59
Senegal ICT briefing.............................................................................................................. 63
Uganda ICT briefing.............................................................................................................. 66
Cameroon ICT briefing.......................................................................................................... 70
Kenya ICT briefing.................................................................................................................. 74
Plan’s current work on ICT4D in Africa...................................................................... 79

Summary of Plan’s ICT work:............................................................................................... 79
Case study: Breaking the silence on violence against children in Benin........................ 82
References.......................................................................................................................85
ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT strategically to support Plan’s work. ii
1 ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT strategically to support Plan’s work.
Acknowledgements:
This report is based on inputs from Plan staff who participated in workshops in Ghana, Mali,
Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda. Thanks to all of those who participated, and in particular the
ICT Managers in those countries for facilitating and reporting on them.
It also draws heavily on the work of Mika Valitalo and Linda Raftree who co-developed the
workshop and research methodology, provided additional insights and material and participated
in analysis of the results. In addition, the report pulls in suggestions and insights of regional ICT
coordinator Anthony Makumbi and Deputy Regional Director Programme Stefanie Conrad and
other key staff and management.
Executive Summary
This report is part of an ongoing process led and supported by Plan Finland and USA to support
country offices in Africa to apply ICTs more strategically and effectively to development goals. A
previous research project supported by Plan Finland culminated in the ‘Mobiles for Development
Guide’ in 2009I, which aims to inspire and support country office staff to understand the potential of
mobile technologies to support and enhance their work. Following the success of this report, key staff
working on ICTs in regional and northern offices facilitated a process for country office staff to reflect
and plan further, not just on the use of mobiles but on all types of ICT devices and applications.
Mika Valitalo, Linda Raftree and Hannah Beardon (consultant) worked together to develop
a workshop methodology, which was used by Plan ICT managers in five African countries
(Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda) to facilitate a process of reflection on the
potential of ICTs to enhance their organisations’ programme work and impact on poverty. This
report draws on some of the information and ideas emerging from those workshops, as well as
background research and interviews with national and regional ICT staff, to provide guidance and
recommendations for Plan offices to use ICTs effectively and appropriately.
The first section of the report explains the concept of ICT-enabled development, and the reasons
why it is important for Plan, and other development organisations, to take on board. With so
many ICT tools and applications now available, the job of a development organisation is no
longer to compensate for lack of access but to find innovative and effective ways of putting the
tools to development ends. This means not only developing separate projects to install ICTs in
underserved communities, but looking at key development challenges and needs with an ICT
eye, asking “how could ICTs help to overcome this problem?”.
The checklist provides 10 key areas to think about when planning for this kind of ICT-enabled
development, to ensure that ICT use is both linked to real development needs and priorities,
and appropriate to the target group. The rest of the main report draws on observations and
learning from the workshops and research to illustrate these issues and provide examples (of
both methodologies and experiences), which can help to orient others undertaking a similar
planning or assessment process. Finally, there is a section to explore some of the organisational
issues involved in making the strategic use of ICT a routine part of Plan’s work. Other information
generated through the workshops and interviews, including detail of Plan’s current development
work with ICT in Africa, is included as additional material at the end of the report.
ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT strategically to support Plan’s work. 2
© Linda Raftree
Introduction
Ever since new information and

communication technologies (ICTs), such as What is: ICT FOR
the Internet and email, became indispensable DEVELOPMENT?
tools in cities and offices around the world,
people have been trying to work out how to ICT for Development is concerned
extend their coverage and scope, and apply with applying information and
them to pressing development problems. communication technologies, including
Many could see a direct link between the internet and mobile phones, video
marginalisation and poverty, on the one and audio, to development goals and
hand, and lack of access to information and poverty reduction. The field is relatively
having a voice on the other. From improving new, since the late 1990s when
service delivery and outreach, to increasing infrastructure began to expand tele-
participation in governance, and enabling communications into poor and remote
people to make better-informed decisions, areas and development organisations
the potential was clear; however, so were the invested in ‘telecentres’ to provide ICT-
challenges: accessibility, cost, sustainability enabled services to poor communities.
and capacity, for example. In the last few years, with the expansion
of mobile networks, the field has
Development organisations and practitioners expanded and evolved rapidly.
have puzzled over how to overcome serious
challenges of accessibility, cost, maintenance
and capacity, and created many pilots to test
out applications of ICT, and solutions to the challenges. At the same time, the landscape for
introducing and using ICTs was changing fast, and this time not only in cities and offices, but all
over the world. This was, or is, the revolution of the mobile phone. Mobile phone use spread first
amongst wealthy and highly concentrated populations, but the relatively low cost and simple
technology has meant that it is now an indispensable tool, and service, for people everywhere,
including rural areas of developing countries. And mobiles are not only useful for making calls
or sending text messages, they are increasingly used to access the internet and the range of
applications available is growing daily.
The revolution of the mobile is a lesson for us all: while we have been hard at work planning
how to use ICT to transform lives and communities, the transformation has been happening
outside; through a conflux of commercial, social, economic and cultural factors. But the lesson
is not to give up and follow the flow, for development is about redressing imbalances of wealth
and power which leave some people, communities and countries marginalised and poor. It is
traditional market mechanisms of supply and demand – meeting a need – that are leading a
communications revolution and creating the conditions for more effective and wide-reaching ICT
for Development (ICT4D) work. Development organisations are neither leading, nor in control of,
this revolution, but they do have an important role to play to adapt and apply these new tools
and opportunities to development goals.
This report:
This report is based on a process of reflection and strategic thinking which has taken place in five
Plan country offices: Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Senegal and Uganda, with participation from
regional level ICT4D coordinators in Africa. Workshops held in each country were an opportunity
for staff working on different themes to learn about how others are using mobile technologies
and ICT, share their own experiences, and think about how they might apply ICTs to meet their
stated goals and objectives.
The workshop reports were rich in examples of Plan staff and programmes using ICTs in
innovative and effective ways to define and meet their development goals, and also offered
ideas and opportunities to expand this work. Much of this detail is available in the additional
material at the end of this report. However the main body of the report is structured so as to
facilitate future reflection and planning, blending the workshop methodology with the outcomes
of analysis to come up with a simple checklist and more detailed tools and examples, to support
planning for strategic and appropriate use of ICTs in development projects and, in the longer
term, programmes.
A strategic approach to ICT for Development

Plans and progress reports of Plan’s African programmes do not make much mention of the
use of ICTs in their development projects. There are a small number of examples of providing
ICT equipment or training, such as in Senegal, where Plan has supported a project supplying
children’s clubs and schools with computers, games and internet training, or in Cameroon where
ICT training was provided for teachers. However, most country programmes do not mention any
direct ICT for development work. Radio is the big exception that is widely used to support Plan’s
programme goals.
The low visibility of ICT4D programming
in reports could be due to a number Thinking about: how to use
of factors. In some contexts it is
ICT for Dev
certain that the high cost and low
accessibility of ICTs, and the supporting There are three key ways in which ICT can
infrastructure, including telephone lines be used to help meet key development
and electricity, hamper efforts to employ goals:
them for development goals. Lack of 1. Directly: This includes any work to
experience and capacity to apply ICTs improve connectivity, access and capacity
to development goals could be another to use ICTs, such as telecentres or policy
cause. But it is also possible that our advocacy.
increasing access to and reliance on ICTs
in our daily lives means that their use is 2. Strategically: This involves using ICTs
underreported and overlooked. There are in support of development goals, such
probably many uses of ICT to facilitate as good quality education, protection
and enhance other programmes of work from violence or participation in decision
which are not explicitly mentioned in the making.
reports, as well as much potential which 3. Internally: This is the use of
remains untapped. ICT to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the organisation, including
communications and monitoring and
evaluation.
Can it be true that ICTs such as computers and mobile phones are just not used at all?
Mention ICT for Development, and people
usually think about projects that aim to
increase people’s opportunity and capacity Thinking about: what to
to use these tools. It may be that this is not use ICT for
a priority for many Plan offices, and the
Staff in Mozambique identified different
heavy investment and technical capacity
types of uses for ICTs, including:
required for this kind of work may explain
the lack of specific ICT4D projects in Plan • To collect data: Depending on who
programmes. But ICT does not have to be from, they may use email or the internet,
an end in itself; after all, we are talking or cameras, mobile phones and audio
about ICT for development. recorders
ICTs are very valuable tools that can be •
To access information: the internet
applied to many issues and processes is commonly used, as are books or
underlying development. Of course access computer files.
and capacity are very important, but it is • To communicate: email, mobile phones,
worth looking at how ICTs are, and can be, radio, internet and social networking
employed to reach broader development applications such as Facebook and
goals, such as gender equity, protection Twitter are all used.
and education for all. Digging deeper into
country progress reports and plans it is •
To store information: they use
easy to spot a great affinity between the computers, email, mobile phones,
goals and processes supported by Plan, cameras and audio devices.
and the potential and possibility that ICTs
represent.
Information and communication - central themes in Plan’s work:

The details of Plan’s development priorities and objectives vary in different country contexts,
but all are rooted in a rights-based approach, which has a strong focus on capacity building,
participation and awareness raising. This means strengthening people’s access to information
and opportunities to participate in decision making. For example, Plan Uganda does not mention
ICT specifically in their progress reports, but much of the work they describe both relies on and
strengthens information and communication, including:
• Children’s participation
• Awareness raising and behaviour change around HIV and AIDS
• Sponsor communications
• Child rights awareness and monitoring.
Similarly, for over twenty years Plan Senegal has been supporting children’s clubs, to allow
exchange and dialogue between youth and children. Evaluations have shown that children from
the clubs are more aware of their rights, develop faster and are better at implementing their own
actions plans and participate in local children’s parliaments and school cooperatives. Plan Mali
also supports children’s clubs, who are now being trained to participate in communication with
sponsors. The theme of Children’s Day at Plan Cameroon in 2008 was “Children’s participation;
let the children be seen and heard”: with the aim of encouraging dialogue between children and
adults and including young children in processes of decision-making and democracy.
Of course, when you are used to using

a mobile phone to communicate, and
have adapted your social behaviour to
Thinking about: the
the new opportunities this provides, you personal benefits of ICT
are likely to apply this at work as well. At Senegal staff highlighted a number of
the workshops, Plan country office staff potential benefits to using ICT more
talked about using email, mobile phones, strategically, for:
photography, video, radio and other ICTs in
• Plan staff: ICTs make it easier to do
their daily working lives. However it seems
their work, cutting down the need to
that more forethought and capacity are
travel to meetings and enabling the
required in order to make sure that ICTs
quicker conclusion of projects and
are applied strategically and appropriately
processes with better results. Enables
to enhance the children’s participation
better organisation and availability of
and voice, amongst Plan’s other goals. As
information, stronger participation
Anthony Makumbi, the then regional ICT
and exchange of ideas. The skills
coordinator for Plan in East and Southern
encourage professional behaviour and
Africa said:
competitiveness, which is motivating.
“After the workshop people were • Partners: For greater collaboration
saying ‘we thought ICT4D was about and build up of documentation of
computers but no, it is about leveraging lessons and experiences.
technology to improve the delivery of • Young people: Improves learning and
our projects and services.» comprehension, knowledge of local
and global events, interaction with
other young people, participation in
the global information society and
local and national development.
Checklist for planning

strategic use of ICTs
© Linda Raftree
This checklist has been developed based on ideas emerging from the workshop reports and analysis
of existing work using ICT in Plan, as well as external resources and frameworksii. The checklist aims
to support the design of ICT enabled projects and programmes, to help structure discussion and
planning processes. It suggests some key steps for the design process, and some questions to ask
in order to ensure appropriate and workable plans. However, there are many ways of using ICT in
development and this checklist can do no more than provide pointers to ensure that any design
is well rooted and appropriate to the context. What’s more the numbered and linear nature of
the checklist, while easy to follow, does not represent the reality of how these types of processes
actually happen, and it will need to be adapted and adjusted to fit the context.
Each of the points could be a guidebook in itself, and this research has shown that effective and
strategic use of ICTs requires not just good planning, but good communication, good awareness of
opportunities and a creative approach to problem solving. What’s more, ICTs by their nature are
dynamic, and their use needs to be continually reviewed as the context, opportunities and needs
change. The rest of this report gives substance to this checklist, providing examples, questions
and exercises from the workshops to illustrate some of the challenges and opportunities. The
workshop methodology and presentations include many more exercises and questions for
identifying how ICT could be integrated into programmes, and are available from ict4d@plan.fi.
Please also send questions or feedback regarding this checklist to the same address.
1•C
ontext analysis: What is happening with ICT
(for development) in the country or region?
A good, up-to-date context analysis will help establish what is possible and affordable in current
policy and market conditions, and highlight inequities or potential policy advocacy issues. Analysis
of local information and communication contexts by community members, local organisations and
government stakeholders should be a routine part of community consultations for strategic planning
processes. It is also important to map external stakeholders, including ICT for development projects
and networks, and providers of key skills and expertise, to identify potential learning, partners
and allies. But it is not all about looking outside, as there is likely to be relevant experience and
capacity within Plan in the country or region that could offer important opportunities for learning
and collaboration. Often ICT-enabled development work is not reported as such, and important
learning and support can be missed if the right questions are not asked.
2 • Defining
the need: What problems can ICT help
overcome? What opportunities can it create?
The use of ICT in development programmes and projects should be linked to identified needs,
goals and development objectives. To find out how ICT could support these, there are various
places to start. You could think about:
• The big problems being faced by your sector or programme and whether ICT may have a role
in overcoming them;
• The underlying causes of poverty in the area, or problems in the sector, and how lack of
information or poor communication contributes to this;
• The information and communication elements of existing work and how ICT might facilitate
or improve that;
• Social and economic changes happening because of ICTs (such as mobile phones) and the
development opportunities this could bring to poor people and communities.
3 • Choosing
a strategy: What kind of ICT4D is needed -
direct, internal or strategic?
ICT for development takes in direct work (ICT access is the project goal), internal (the use of ICT by
development organizations and staff) and strategic (the application of ICT tools and applications
to enhance development projects and processes). Each will have different challenges, and need
different types of technical and training support. Any strategy should link carefully to wider work
and processes, both in Plan and in communities, to ensure that they support people’s own efforts
to drive development and access their rights.
4 • Undertaking a participatory communications

assessment: Who will benefit from this use of ICT, and how?
Development programmes aim to reduce poverty and inequality, so it is essential to understand

cultural, social and economic issues which may affect people’s access to ICTs and their intended
benefits. Participatory assessments (including gender and power analysis) of communication
capacity and information needs will allow the design to be targeted at those who are hardest
to reach, informing the choice of technology and identifying capacity building needs. It may be
the starting point for an ICT project, helping to define the needs as well as the possibilities and
context for work, or it might be done once the needs and basic strategy have been defined.
Throughout this checklist there are examples of the types of data and perspectives that the
assessment could collect, and more detail is in the report.
5 • Choosing
the technology: What ICTs/applications are
available to meet this need or goal?
The ideal technology or application may already be out there, and there will always be people in
the organisation and outside who can help you find it, or suggest alternatives. Your design might
rely to some extent on technology already existing in the community, such as radio or mobile
phones, or you may need to purchase and install the whole lot.
In either case, when choosing a technology/system as well as functionality, costs (to the
organization and the users) and support/maintenance considerations, think about issues arising
from the participatory assessment: will poor women, illiterate people, youth, etc. be able to
access and control it? Is it compatible with their existing communication patterns and culture?
When the ideal solution is not possible because of cost, or because of policies or infrastructure,
policy advocacy may become a strand of the project strategy.
6 • Adjusting
the content: Can people understand and use
the information provided for and by the ICTs?
ICTs are technologies that can transmit and process information and facilitate communication.
Therefore a large element of ICT enabled initiatives will be the information being shared and
communicated. This will be different in each case, for example, if information is being provided to
poor farmers, if young people are trying to get messages to their peers, or to their government,
or if Plan staff are trying to base their planning on more thorough and up-to-date community
information. The important thing is to identify who will be producing and using the information,
and whether the format, language and style are appropriate.
It is also important to ensure that the instructions for using the system are clear and easy to
understand for the target audience, who may not have familiarity with the tools and applications.
7•B
uilding and using capacity: What kind of support
will people need to use and benefit from the ICT,
and to innovate around it?
The capacity needs will depend on the system, and include the needs of users as well as the
capacity to manage and maintain it. The participatory assessment (see #4) will help to identify the
capacity needs of different groups of users, as well as indicate potential partners or champions to
embed new skills and communication practices in the group or community. Capacity building for
maintenance and management is a great opportunity for developing ownership and sustainability
and building up skills and services in the local area that could develop into spin off services
and innovations. What’s more, given the challenges in installing and maintaining delicate ICT
equipment in remote rural areas, having a blend of local knowledge, creativity and technical skills
can keep the project on track.
8•M
onitoring progress: How do you know if the ICT is
helping meet the development goal or need?
The main objective of the project or programme should be to meet the identified development goal
or need. Monitoring and evaluating this, against the objectives and indicators set in the project,
is standard practice. But in this case it is also important to try to understand the contribution
of ICTs to any progress made, how effective they have been at enhancing communication and
information, and ultimately improving lives, livelihoods and access to rights. Setting both short
and long term goals and being clear about assumptions and expectations from the start will
provide something to monitor against. The participatory assessment (see #4) could provide
information on people’s expectations of the benefits and impact of technology, to inform the
monitoring and evaluation strategy.
9 • Keeping
it going: How can you manage risks
and keep up with changes?
ICT4D is wrought with challenges and risks, many of which will be outside of your control. For
example, you can invest in equipment, but still rely on service providers for connections and
the government for infrastructure. Or you can set up a system, only to find it is superseded by
something much more appropriate months later. Some things can be done to minimize these
risks, including good research and preparation and prudent choice of technology (and the use
of open standards). Regular review and updating of the context analysis, needs and capacity will
also help to ensure that new opportunities and partnerships are identified and potential risks
avoided or managed.
From the beginning, decisions will need to be made about how the system will be paid for,
sustained and maintained in the long-term. User charges can result in the exclusion of those
who most need support, even if it only amounts to the cost of using their own mobile phone. On
the other hand, real ownership and commitment may be both demonstrated and strengthened
by the need for user, or community, contributions to keep the system running. Good analysis of
ability to pay, the impact of user charges and potential partners (including government) will feed
into a realistic sustainability strategy.
10 • L
earning from each other: What has been done before,
and what have you learned that others could use?
Sharing of learning should be a first and last step of the process, and continual throughout the
work. ICT4D is a relatively new, challenging and constantly changing area with a lot of potential
to reduce inequalities and support development goals. It is important to know what has been
done and draw on past experiences, and there are many networks to support this. It is equally
important to document and share the experiences of your project or programme to inform future
work in the area.
Stage 1:
Understanding
the context for ICT work
© Linda Raftree
A first planning step for the integrated use of ICTs in development work is a thorough analysis of
the context in which they will be applied. This means an analysis of both the opportunities and
constraints to using ICT to make an impact on development goals, including available technology
and services, infrastructure, skills and support. This analysis will be of both the internal and
external environments, locally and nationally. Internally, it means looking at Plan’s experience
and any capacity available within the organisation to support planning, decision making and
implementation in relation to ICTs. External factors and influences include the policy and market
environments, as well as key external stakeholders in the fields of ICT4D, such as ongoing
projects, networks and funding partners.
1.1 The external context:
A thorough context analysis is an essential element of good planning, and ICTs are no exception.
This means having an up to date understanding of the policy and regulatory context, the market
for devices and services, and the field of ICT for development. Analysis of these types of issues,
described further in the box (right),
enables more focused and realistic
planning for the use of ICT in
development programmes. The Thinking about: conducting a
Ghana workshop report includes context analysis
the observation:
Before the workshops, participating country
“It is important to conduct offices were sent briefings detailing their
indigenous research to know national ICT policy environment, the state of ICT
markets and infrastructure, and key stakeholders
what pertains to our peculiar
including regulators, policymakers and ICT for
environment and not just development projects and programmes in their
swallow all that we are told country. These briefings are summarised and
since what pertains to other included at the end of this report, and could
areas may not apply to us.” serve as a template for this type of context
analysis. The areas of information included are:
Plan: External
A broad context analysis is
necessary to understand what is • Work involving a • ICT usage statistics and
possible and identify potential communication/ characteristics
areas for learning, collaboration information aspect
• ICT policy and trends
or campaigning. For example, the • Activities including or
state of the telecommunications • ICT policy actors
supported by ICT
infrastructure and markets may • ICT4D projects
make an idea workable in one • Colleagues with
country, but not in another. In relevant skills and • ICT Institutions
some cases it may be necessary to experience • Risks and opportunities
work with, or lobby, policymakers
Much of the research into external factors,
as a first step to making the tools
including policy and other projects, can be
more accessible for development
started online and followed up through email
work. However, thorough and
and phone calls. Internal information can be
participatory local assessments
found in reports, but more reliably through
of social and technical issues in
personal contact, meetings or workshops.
the communities where ICTs are to

be used will always be necessary to
inform more detailed planning.
Thinking about: questions to ask
The Plan Senegal team had lots of questions
Workshop participants identified
they wanted to explore before planning any
several factors in the external
new system:
environment which have an impact
on their plans and strategies for using • Human resources: where are the skills,
ICT, including: knowledge and gaps?
• Material resources: what is available locally
and externally and what is missing?
• The legal framework: what are the relevant
Adding value to the policies and laws?
existing picture:
• The risks: what are potential risks of using
By necessity, ICT for Development ICT and how they can be mitigated?
is the work of multiple stakeholders,
including government departments, • Lessons learned: what are the experiences
private companies large and small, of other actors in Senegal and beyond, the
as well as civil society. It takes many challenges they have faced and the solutions
different players to provide the legal • The social context: what are the social
and regulatory framework, ensure realities in the operating context which
access to the technology and provide would affect the implementation of ICTs?
services, finance initiatives, develop What knowledge do poor people have
and share appropriate content and which can be the basis for the introduction
build the capacity of users, as well as of new technologies?
entrepreneurs and managers.
• The market: what is the supply and
Development NGOs like Plan need demand situation for ICTs? What are the
to work out what their own role is in opportunities for resource mobilisation?
this, which will depend on the context
specifics. For example:
• Working with the government and
regulators, as well as the private
sector, to ensure that the needs and perspectives of poor and marginalised groups are
considered in sector planning, pricing and service provision.
• Exploring partnerships with the corporate sector to reach large untapped markets of poor
and rural communities. Plan Uganda have some experience of this, for example working with
PostBank and mobile providers to find more efficient and effective ways to reach the rural poor.
• Working with community groups to build capacity and facilitate linkages between service and
users (or needs) and providers and policy makers.
Partnering for real priorities:

The Uganda team noted that there are great opportunities for resource mobilization with
ICT companies at all levels. However, a careful balance needs to be maintained to ensure that
partnerships with public and private sector initiatives are directly aligned to local development
needs and strengthen the role and capacity of the government to deliver. Fundraising teams
should base any corporate partnerships in ICT on a strategy, which defines the development
objectives and themes the money can support, and identify good targets in relation to the
corporate social responsibility aims, and market interests, of corporations. Otherwise there is a
danger of missing funding opportunities, or worse being led by the interests of the corporate
partners rather than the poor communities.
Finding out what is possible, and what could be:

Part of the context analysis should be the availability of technology, whether the spread
(infrastructure), or other issues such as usability and affordability (which will come out more in
participatory assessments discussed below). The Mozambique team stated that it is important
to map available ICT tools and explore which are appropriate given local constraints, such as
lack of electricity and cash. Despite the hype and excitement around the accessibility of mobile
technologies to rural communities around the world, they gave a reminder that many are still
excluded for various reasons: “Mobile phones are a challenge still. Mobile phone could add costs
to the community leaders, and later would not be sustainable. This needs to be looked into to see
what kind of solutions we can find.”
But recognising the limitations does not mean we should stick within them. Some very basic
tools, such as MP3 players, can be used to great effect; challenges are constantly shifting and
boundaries pushed back. The Mozambique team were optimistic about the possibilities of
introducing new technologies and applications: “This workshop was an eye opener. Technology
is not so mysterious. We need to try our best to make technology something simple that can be
used by anyone, just like mobile phones, small children can use them. IIf all other technologies
could be that simple it would be great.”
It is important to look at what is around and leverage available opportunities. Plan Uganda
identified several initiatives that could bring down costs and expand opportunities for poor
people, such as mobile money transfer services linked to Village Savings and Loans Associations
and closed user group services that allow cheap calls within a private network. This may require
support at a regional level, and networking of ICT managers across the region to share and
compare findings.
Being aware and prepared:

As well as assessing the context for positive opportunities and potential areas of engagement,
it is also important to identify the risks and potential changes that could threaten ICT-enabled
development work. Those elements of the policy environment which make the use of ICTs cost
effective or productive should be analysed, to identify the conditions on which they depend and
the risk of changes. This includes the risks inherent in the current policy context, for example the
possible risks in promoting citizen’s reporting in a repressive environment, as well as the risks of
changes in policy and administration. And as well as the risks inherent in the communications
and ICT policy context, there are those related to the technology. Does the price or availability
of a service or application depend on the number of subscribers, for example? Will the device
become obsolete, after the budget has been used? Forethought and monitoring will enable ICT-
enabled development initiatives to prepare for and respond to such risks and threats.
1.2 Organisational
experience and capacity
Identifying where there is experience of using ICTs in the organisation’s work, the lessons that
have been learnt and the connections that can be made will help to inspire and inform planning
for further strategic use of ICTs, avoid duplication and identify capacity.
During the workshops, participants mapped the experiences of their country office of using
ICT in their development work. These experiences are summarised in the Additional Material
appendix of this report, and can serve as examples and inspiration for future innovations. The
examples cover a variety of themes, ranging from the promotion of child rights and participation
through to the innovative use of media and arts, campaigning and awareness-raising on key
issues, provision of internet access, public awareness of Plan’s work, project learning and data
collection, to the routine use of mobile phones to improve communication and cut down travel.
Closer examination of some of these experiences has brought out valuable learning, both for replication
and adaptation of these initiatives and for planning new ones, as described below. However, as well
as the general insights and lessons, an internal context analysis should bring up potential linkages
and contacts within the organisation, and identify where there is capacity to support the choices of
appropriate technology, as well as installation, management, training and maintenance.
Breaking the silence: supporting responses to child

violence in Benin
In Benin it is common that acts of violence against children go unreported, and even when they
are reported, responses are often inadequate. Plan Benin is experimenting with the use of text
messaging (SMS) and the internet to support reporting of violence against children, and improve
both immediate and longer term responses to the problemiii.
How it works: Using Frontline SMS, software which allows the sending and receiving of multiple
text messages through a computer, and Ushahidi crowdsourcing websites, which can map complex
information onto a single webpage, Plan Benin can provide a service whereby people text in a report
of violence and it is mapped automatically on the site. The website is monitored by an administrator,
System
SMS report administrator
Child
incident
protection
USHAHIDI services
SMS report WEBSITE
WITH MAP
FL
SMS
incident Policy
SMS report
incident Other
stakeholders
SMS report

FIGURE 1: DIAGRAM OF THE PLAN BENIN PILOT SYSTEM
who verifies and organises the response to each case, working closely with local authorities. Linking
to local child protection services enables the mobilisation of appropriate medical and social services.
And in the longer term collecting and mapping the data will provide evidence for better planning of
prevention and response services, as well as awareness raising and campaigning. In this way, Plan hopes
to overcome the problems of access, and provide the shelter of anonymity for potential reporters.
Adding value to existing services: The system is designed to support and enhance existing public
services, as well as NGOs and local partners, and it is hoped that the system will become a public service
in the long run. Linda Raftree, Plan’s adviser on social media and ICTs in West Africa, noted that:
“The system reflects real information and communication flows on the ground, the roles of
the different actors – including youth – are clear, it can add value to local structures and
initiatives, and it could be sustainable and potentially scaled into a national level system in
Benin and possibly other countries.”
Building capacity and awareness: An important part of the implementation of the system
is building the capacity of local young people to articulate and report on their experiences of
violence, of the local social services to respond, and of staff to make the system work. The pilot
has involved awareness raising and training for young people to create and upload multimedia
content about the situation in their area. During the pilot phase, Plan is working with district
authorities to meet the increased demand for services, but is also building evidence and
advocating for more public resources to sustain the approach.
Supporting local solutions: Although there are many challenges to setting up a system like this
where infrastructure and public capacity is weak, the team believes that these are surmountable
where the motivation and drive of local people, especially youth, is strong. Local people,
community groups and service providers are taking responsibility to make the system work,
overcome problems and find solutions to emerging issues. This includes low-tech solutions like
patience when internet services are down, creativity when the right kit is not easily available
locally, and persistence or flexibility when people do not use the system properly. You can read
more about this pilot in the Additional Material at the end of this report.
Registering children for their rights in Kenyaiv

Life can be hard without a birth certificate. You need one to register at secondary school, for
social services and insurance, and for international travel. You need one to get married, or to
prove your age if you are being forced to marry too young. And communities lose out in other
ways: without proper registration, the district does not get its fair share of the national budget
because it’s not clear how many people are actually there. Yet birth registration is currently a
time consuming and costly business for people in Kwale, Kenya.
The current system: When a child is born in Kwale, the family have to tell the village chief or local
organisation who then notifies the district civil registration office at their own expense. Although local
chiefs and CBOs are allowed to register children locally, certificates must be issued at district level and
this must be done by parents in person. Kwale district civil registration office manages all registrations
for a population of over half a million, with five staff. Although they have two computers, all records
are handled and stored manually and they do not have the capacity to digitise existing records. What’s
more, the parents have to travel to the district capital to apply for the birth certificate and again to
collect it, which combined with the cost of the certificate itself is off-putting.
Adding value to existing services: Computerised systems and mobile technologies can help to
make the system more efficient and accessible, cutting down on time and travel for staff of the
registration office and local chiefs and CBOs. An initial time investment in creating a functional
computer database would cut down on staff time for registration and searching for records. For
chiefs and CBOs, electronic means of sending birth registration notifications not only save travel
time and money, but also have advantages of data accuracy, checking, speed and the ability to use
the data for other purposes such as planning. Plan Kenya has been supporting communities and
local partners to enhance the birth registration process, with the support of Plan Finland, the Finnish
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nokia. At the same time, the Kenyan government is developing a
nationwide web-based civil registration system, to be rolled out this year. Plan aims to develop and
test an ICT-enabled local registration system, which could link into this at the national level.
Building capacity and awareness: As the existence of underused computers in the district
civil registration office attests, the provision of equipment and systems is not enough. Plan will
support the roll out of computerised registration systems by building the capacity of stakeholders
to use ICTs. At the same time, Plan will work on raising awareness of the benefits of registration
and the use of the new system among communities. These experiences and impacts will be
documented, and stakeholders networked to support the wider development and replication of
decentralised birth registration models.
Young people express themselves, and make

themselves heard:
The Youth Empowerment through Technology, Arts and Media (YETAM) projectv aims to help
young people develop skills and networks to communicate, participate, educate and advocate
on issues that matter to them locally, nationally and globally. Through workshops and activities
young people analyse and prioritise key themes and issues. They learn to use arts and media
to get their messages across to others in their communities, families, local decision makers and
peers. A project website is under construction to share maps, artwork and videos from Mali
and the other five participating countries which will enable their voices, and opportunities for
dialogue, to stretch even further across the region and the globe.
Engaging young people: In Kati District, Mali, around 60 young people are involved in the YETAM
project, researching and developing their own opinions on issues important to them, using songs,
poetry, theatre, photos and video. These issues include low levels of birth registration, violence
at school, female circumcision and the lack of opportunities for young people in rural areas. Plan
Mali has supported local teachers to engage with young people on these issues, helping to share
information on them through various media, and supporting advocacy efforts. For example:
• They developed a short film drama highlighting some of the medical and social implications of
female circumcision.
• They organized a public performance of drama, songs and poetry, and showed the film.
• After the event there was a panel with local authorities at which the mayor made commitments
to ensure universal birth registration and stem the flow of out-migration and, astonishingly, the
chief proclaimed an end to the traditional practice of female circumcision.
Engaging other stakeholders: Bedo Traore, Plan Mali’s child media coordinator, has noted
that the participatory and inclusive approach brings challenges, but in the long term engages
different stakeholders. Teachers initially felt threatened and targeted by the discussions with
pupils concerning violence at school, but over time, “their frustration dissolved and trust began
to grow between students and teachers because teachers are discovering another way to teach
and discuss sensitive issues – they are behaving as coaches.” Following these discussions, the
education authorities have also become more interested in the topics and involved in the project.
Seeing the changes: Children, teachers and community leaders have all noticed a change since
young people started to speak out about the issues affecting them. They remark on the decrease
in acceptability and practice of corporal punishment, as well as female circumcision. One child
commented: “In our village, many people practiced circumcision, but now they say they will stop
because they have learned from our messages about the harm it causes.”
Young people have learned from this experience that participating in decision making and
opinion forming is not only possible, but effective, and there has been an increase in young
people’s participation in community development processes and meetings. The project, and the
increasing participation and articulation of young people, have also enabled Plan staff to respond
to issues of concern to youth in their planning.
Lessons learned: integrated ICT can be sustainable

These three examples show how effective ICT can be when supporting local processes and needs,
and integrated into existing social structures and services. In Benin and Kenya, Plan is testing the
potential of appropriate and accessible ICT, such as mobile phones, to enhance existing services:
social protection and civil registration respectively. In these cases the ICT system needs to be
built according to the needs, capacity and practices of the users, and improve the efficiency
and effectiveness of the public system for which they ultimately depend on for sustainability.
This kind of system can be a very effective way to strengthen governmental capacity to protect
children’s rights, the basis of a long-term, rights-based development process. It also helps to
reinforce the information, communication and technology environment for local communities
and organisations, increasing the possibility of local ICT enabled innovation.
The YETAM project shares some of these characteristics, with ICTs as enablers and the underlying
social process as the heart of the project. However, rather than fitting ICTs to specific needs
and issues, in YETAM they are used to support young people to research and prioritise issues,
and then communicate them, learn more about them and debate them with others locally and
globally. In other words, rather than being issue led, this process allows a more ICT savvy and
enabled community to grow, and builds their capacity to engage in development planning and
implementation of public services and of development NGOs such as Plan.
People find their own uses for technology, given the chance to experiment and innovate. By basing
their systems on the real information needs and communication practices of the communities
they serve, as described further in Stage 3 below, Plan can help to create the conditions for ICT-
enabled, community-led development processes.
Stage 2:
Finding a match between
priorities and possibilities
© Anna Liesto
Based on the analysis of the types of tools and technologies which are available and practical for
the context (Stage 1), the next stage is to define the development goals or priorities that ICT
can help to meet. This can be done by taking inspiration from other uses of certain types of ICT
tools or applications and identifying areas of work to which these could be adapted (tools first),
or the process could be based in an assessment of the development goals which have a strong
information or communication element, and the appropriate tools found to fit (needs first).
At the ICT4D workshops, Plan staff heard about different ICT tools and applications, and how
they have been applied to further development goals. They were then asked to reflect on their
own goals and priorities, and identify areas for exploration. This section highlights some of the
suggestions and ideas that the participants came up with for using social media and ICTs to
improve the quality, reach and impact of their work. From these, it also draws some analysis of
some of the key issues to consider in making that match.
Making the most of ICT: needs or tools first?

There is a tension at the heart of ICT for development, and it is right there in the name. For
while the development sector increasingly recognises the need for bottom-up planning models,
in which organisational decision making is informed by local needs, priorities and capacity, the
ICT sector tends to lead with new services and devices which they then offer to their clients. The
tension is between putting needs first and finding technology to fit it, or developing tools first
and allowing people to access and use them.
This may seem clear cut: after all NGOs like Plan do not exist to create and market new
technologies, but to help people overcome development challenges. But in fact the tension is not
quite so easy to resolve. For, while it is important to root all ICT4D work in development goals
and local priorities, it is also important not to be constrained by available or known technology.
he nature of ICTs – adaptable to many different uses, rapidly evolving in design and expanding
in scope and availability – provides immense capacity for innovation and creativity which may be
lost if the goals and plans are too tightly set.
There are many examples of organic social change which take place around new technologies,
such as the changes in social or working practices that many of us have experienced with the
arrival of mobile phones, email or social networking, and the numerous local business and social
innovations using mobile technologies in developing countriesvi. But whether ICTs are a tool for
meeting a specific development objective, or an asset for a community to generate their own
development, the important thing for ICT4D is that it is rooted in, and serves, the D: development.
2.1 R
ooting the system in local
needs and priorities:
ICTs can enhance Plan’s effectiveness and impact on development in many ways. Starting the
planning process with a clear development goal – if possible established in consultation with
the participating community – will help to ensure that investments made are linked to people’s
own development visions and processes. Anthony Makumbi, Plan’s East and Southern Africa
ICT4D Coordinator, suggests that programme unit managers should identify the key issues and
problems facing their sectors, and then think about how ICT can help to solve them. For example,
if quality is a problem in education, then using ICTs could be employed to deliver teaching
materials more cheaply and efficiently. He said: “Ask yourself: What are the causes of poverty
and denied rights in this programme area? Is poor communication or access to information partly
to blame for this?”
ICTs are literally Technologies which facilitate Information and Communication. As Anthony says,
by establishing the role (the lack of) information and communication play in causing poverty and
related problems, and the role that they could have in overcoming such challenges, the potential
of ICTs can start to be unlocked. The fundamental role of information and communication in
development problems and processes is dealt with in more detail in the 2009 Plan guide to using
mobile technologies for developmentvii, which explains that:
“Good access to relevant information
sources and communications media
can support people to make informed
Thinking about: the
decisions about their own lives and
role of information
livelihoods, participate in and influence and communication in
decisions which affect them and their development
communities. Effective and good
The workshop methodology includes
quality development processes are exercises to identify the information
built on strong communication and well and communication aspects in
managed information flows, to facilitate development goals and programmes.
learning and sharing, networking and Everyone has experience and examples
of how timely, relevant information
coordination. Furthermore, a focus on
can make a difference to people’s
information and communication media livelihoods, health, or social lives.
can build local knowledge, identity Encourage people to share these with
and voice into a strong basis for equal case studies, or questions such as:
development partnerships with a range • Have you ever changed your plans
of stakeholders, and at the broadest because of new information? Or
level enable connections to be made saved time? Made money?
between local experiences and national • Have you ever received information
and international policies and processes.“ which has benefited your health?
• Have you ever used information on
your rights?
The examples of Plan’s work with ICTs in
Africa at the end of this report illustrate • Did you ever act on a piece of
many of the information and communication information and wished you hadn’t?
aspects of development work. For example, • Have you ever held back information?
Plan’s work in Benin to gather information
on violence against children in communities • Did you ever get a piece of
where they work will not only support the information too late?
immediate protection of vulnerable children, • Have you ever heard of a piece of
but also generate awareness, inform information which saved a life?
programme planning and provide evidence
for advocacy and campaigns. Finally, a tree graphic can be used
to explore the factors governing the
value of information to people’s lives
and livelihoods. Using a drawing of a
tree, people can identify the roots of
reliable and relevant information, and
use branches and fruits to illustrate the
different benefits and outcomes.
Protecting and reinforcing rights:

Just as ICT is only an enabler of development projects, these initiatives themselves are tools with
which to empower citizens and communities to fulfil their potential and access their rights. As
the Plan Uganda workshop report notes: “ICTs give communities a platform to give feedback
on services rendered and know of services available to them”: essential elements of ensuring
good governance and human rights. However, Plan Ghana noted that this is a challenge, given
that many government ministries and agencies are not online, and there is a lack of both online
information and communication.
In line with Plan’s rights-based and child- Thinking about:

centred approach to development, the supporting duty bearers
strategic use of ICT should promote
people’s sustainable access to their rights The context analysis and the participatory
and enhance the capacity of duty bearers assessment should provide information
to fulfil their obligations. The experiences on the systems and structures which
mentioned in 1.2 above show how support people’s access to information
effective use of ICT tends to support rather on their rights, and communication with
than compensate for (or even undermine) duty bearers such as local government
existing mechanisms for accessing or police. If there is a gap, ask first whose
entitlements and rights. In the cases of responsibility it should be to fill that, and
SMS reporting of violence against children what support is needed from Plan. This
in Benin or birth registration in Kenya will inform the choice of ICTs and the
this has meant linking to and supporting stakeholders who will manage and use
public services, and in the YETAM project them. It may be that advocacy rather
it means facilitating active participation in than service provision (or both!) is the
development and decision making. appropriate long term approach.
Roles Policy Access Content Training

Responsibilities
Gov’t
Private sector
NGOs
CBOs
Schools
PLAN
TABLE 1: ESTABLISHING ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
As well as analysing the role of ICT in relation to specific rights, for example education, freedom
from violence, or good governance, Plan’s right-based approach will also inform initiatives to
increase access to ICTs themselves. Any initiative should support government accountability and
services and reinforce other development processes. The above table is one tool to analyse roles
and responsibilities relating to ICT access, in order to work out the appropriate role for Plan, and
potential allies or partners, to increase people’s access to information and ultimately their rights.
Ideas and suggestions:

The workshop groups came up with lots of Thinking about: who
ideas as to how they could fit ICTs to their could use ICT for what?
development priorities. Some of these
Plan Senegal identified several priority
ideas are quite well developed and rooted
groups for rolling out the strategic use
in existing processes and priorities. For
of ICTs.
example, in Uganda, where there is a policy
of free and compulsory universal primary • Plan Employees: to improve
education in place, the quality of teaching efficiency and effectiveness.
remains a major issue. Getting up-to-date, • Plan colleagues in other
useful and reliable information and teaching countries: to share information and
materials to teachers, and textbooks to the communication.
kids, is a real problem facing the government.
Yet, with the decision to roll out the one • Technical partners: to facilitate the
laptop per child initiative in the country, relationship.
there is a real opportunity to mobilise ICT • Young people involved in projects:
as an effective and efficient means to solve To facilitate dialogue with peers
these issues. Plan Uganda’s idea to produce and the wider world and improve
and support online libraries and electronic conditions for learning/development.
materials, as well as build the capacity of
teachers to use and teach ICT, is based on • Women and children in Weer
this context analysis. pilots: to improve health conditions
and vaccination planning.
Plan Mali considers child protection to be
the first priority in any investment in using • Ministry of Education / teachers:
ICTs strategically, with the aim of enabling support new teaching methods and
confidential reporting of this sensitive issue approaches, materials and promotion
in a similar vein to the work in Benin. The of science and technology.
team are considering the possibility of using • Local authorities: to improve the
mobile phones, websites and the radio to conditions for development.
establish an early warning system of abuse
on children and tackle violence at school.
Community Development Facilitators and
members of the local Child Protection Committee would collect information on reported cases
of children being mistreated in schools, households and the community in general, as well as
reported cases of sexual harassment, female circumcision, early marriage and other rights
abuses. As well as enabling appropriate responses to individual cases, this collection of data on a
larger scale would allow for stronger analysis and advocacy, better targeting of child protection
interventions and impact assessment of awareness raising and behaviour change campaigns.
Because ICT infrastructure can so easily fail in the wake of a big disaster, Plan Mozambique
are looking at how it can be integrated into disaster risk reduction and preparedness work,
including the development of early warning systems using bulk SMS and community radio. A
community radio project will provide information on how to reduce the risk of disasters, as well
as other development issues, and encourage dialogue and debate amongst communities at risk.
This would link to advocacy and campaigning work with partners such as the national coalition
for disaster preparedness. The table below highlights some of the suggestions of workshop
participants for the development goals to which they would like to apply ICTs.
Theme Country Suggestion ICT Strategy

Education Uganda Producing/supporting online CD, internet Direct/
and electronic educational strategic
materials to support the One
Laptop per Child initiative.
Training teachers to use and
teach ICT.
Ghana School-based ICT labs Internet Direct
Mali Data collection on children’s Mobile phone/ Strategic
schooling, tracking disabled FrontlineSMS
children through the school
system, raising awareness
Child Protection Mali Early warning system and FrontlineSMS, Strategic
services for confidential internet, radio
reporting of violence against
children.
Disaster risk Mozambique Awareness raising, Community radio, Strategic
reduction preparedness and early FrontlineSMS
warning system.
Health Mozambique Data collection and analysis Mobile Internal
for rates of malaria, HIV/ technologies
Aids, maternal and child
mortality
Mali Promote voluntary SMS, radio, TV strategic
counselling and testing for
HIV
Senegal Health outreach (prevention, Mobile Internal/
treatment, information) technologies strategic
Sanitation Uganda Planning and monitoring GPS, mobiles Internal
Community Lead Total
Sanitation programmes
Livelihoods Mozambique Providing information and Mobile phone strategic
marketing support
Ghana Provide access to banking Mobile phone Strategic
services
Programme/ Uganda Systematic collection of FrontlineSMS Internal
sponsor data on sponsored children, mobile phones
information village savings and loans
associations, gender ratios,
youth participation etc
Mozambique Provide qualitative Video, web, GPS, Internal
information on development forum
needs and processes for
current and potential
sponsors
Mali Monitoring food security SMS Internal
TABLE 2: SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE WORK USING ICTS
2.2 F
inding good uses
for tools and applications:
Alongside the analysis of the types of development work and processes which could be
enhanced by ICT, the workshop groups were inspired by examples of different applications of
new technologies, including mobile phones, for development ends. Mobile phones, computers,
email and the internet are already widely used by Plan staff and partners to communicate and
seek information. Many people were
inspired by the variety of uses to
which applications such as Frontline
SMS and Ushahidi have been put, What is: FRONTLINE SMS AND
and came up with many ideas of their ALL THAT...
own as to how they could use such
There are many tools and applications which
tools in their work. Older and more
can turn ordinary pieces of equipment, such
established technologies remain very
as laptops and mobile phones, into complex
popular because of their familiarity
communication systems. Some of those
and accessibility. For example one
shared at the workshops include:
participant from Uganda, Stanley
Opio, suggested the use of radio • FrontlineSMS (frontlinesms.org) is an
programming, drama and video to example of an SMS hub or gateway
inform, educate and raise awareness application, to send a large number of text
in communities. Other examples and messages using a computer and a mobile
ideas include: phone or modem. Messages are sent and
received using software installed on a
• Using mobile phones: The
computer which transmits and receives
spread of mobile phones means
them through the mobile phone network
that it is one of the favoured ICTs
via the attached phone or modem.
for collecting and disseminating
information. Most of the workshop • Ushahidi (www.ushahidi.com) is an example
groups found potential uses for bulk of crowdsourcing software, which enables
SMS services such as FrontlineSMS, many individuals to input data and analysis
to collect data, for example, on child into a web-based system. For example, it
rights violations, food security and can map data from text messages onto
nutrition, programme indicators a website to consolidate and visualise
and education performance. complex information.
Plan Senegal is considering using • Nokia Data Gathering (www.nokia.com)
Nokia’s data gathering software to software can be used to create tailored
monitor the status of child flood questionnaires and distribute them to
victims. Of course the technology multiple mobile phones using a normal
can only collect and process the mobile network. Field personnel surveying
information, and needs to be part of local conditions can quickly complete the
a larger process or system to inform questionnaires and immediately transmit
appropriate responses. their findings to a central database.
• Using the internet: Internet is not • Village Diary (www.villagediary.org) is a
freely available to most of Plan’s platform developed in Cameroon to provide
community stakeholders, and in access to digital records of inheritance,
most cases does not carry relevant social services and legal assistance to the
local content. It is considered, most vulnerable members of society.
however, to be an essential tool for
networking and sharing information
between Plan staff and peers, and with sponsors and donors. For example, Plan Mali is
considering developing an online network and forum for water and sanitation issues. One
example of the use of internet for community information is the Village Diary Project, and
many workshop reports mentioned following this example to complement existing legal aid
projects to protect widows and their children, amongst other uses.
• Social media: Plan Senegal was quick to see the potential of social media, including blogs, wikis
and podcasts within many of their projects and programmes: to facilitate dialogue between
young people and their duty bearers; and to make information on their work available to
colleagues, peers, supporters and the general public. Plan Mozambique also plans to use social
media tools to strengthen learning and support between peers.
• Mapping tools: The Benin example uses Ushahidi to map cases of violence against children,
enabling the use of information to trigger immediate responses to abuse, and also raise awareness
and inform advocacy. This methodology will also be incorporated into the YETAM project in
Mozambique, Cameroon and Kenya to track rights abuses. These offices will participate in
training on Open Street Map (www.openstreetmap.org) and use of GPS and plan to upload
videos and other materials produced by participating youth to an on-line map as a way to
engage and inform supporters. From the map, sponsors would be able to find video footage of
individual projects and follow progress as it occurs, and be able to interact, encourage others
to watch and become sponsors, or even donate online.
© Linda Raftree
Stage 3:
Planning and
implementing
concrete initiatives
By this stage the aims and objectives, as well as the potential tools, for the ICT-enabled initiative
will have been identified. Though the basic shape of the system is emerging, there is a lot more
work to be done, and questions to be asked, to refine the details. Most importantly, participatory
assessments with the groups and communities where the initiative is to be carried out will provide
crucial information and understanding of the socio-technical context. This means not only who
has access to what types of technology, or skills to use it, but also the cultural and social issues
which may favour one group over another, or make certain types of ICT more appropriate. There
are also a lot of other decisions to be made and issues to consider about the choice, procurement
and installation of the technology and associated applications.
The workshop methodologyviii included some exercises which could be included in a participatory
assessment, and some questions and issues to consider when designing a system. These are
expanded in this section, along with insights from the workshop teams.
Thinking about: setting up a new ICT system

These factors, based on reflections in Linda Raftree’s blog about the Benin experience
(lindaraftree.wordpress.com/2010/02/12/7-or-more-questions-to-ask-before-adding-
icts) highlight some key considerations when setting up a new information and
communications system:
Building on what exists: It is critical to understand how information currently flows,
who communicates with whom, in order to find points where ICT system can help
improve that flow. This can also be a catalyst to identify, map out or even adjust that
flow.
Getting end user input and testing: The initial ideas and designs were shared with
local stakeholders, service providers and youth, and many changes were suggested and
made. Participation by the local Social Protection Services and Plan’s Child Protection
point persons who know how things work on the ground brought us amazing knowledge
on who should be involved and who should receive reports and alerts, and at what
levels different parts of the system should be managed. Testing SMS with the youth,
the team realised that the keyword “HALTE” (necessary to trigger automatic transfer
of the report to the Ushahidi map on the website) was being misspelled, and so they
adjusted the system to ‘ALT’ to capture alternative spellings being used.
Continued monitoring and evaluation: The end goal, to evaluate in the long term,
is whether actual levels of violence and abuse go down over time, and what role
this system had in that. But as this is a new initiative, it is critical to capture learning
for potential scale up and replication. As well as quantitative data on reporting and
response rates, verified cases and actual prosecutions or actions taken, the team will be
paying attention to issues such as: additional costs to maintain the system; adoption and
sustained use by local entities/government; user suggestions for improvement; privacy
issues; promotion of the hotline; and factors deterring people at different levels from
using the system.
3.1 C
arrying out
participatory assessments:
The user group, or target beneficiaries, for any ICT enabled initiative will be defined in part by
organisational capacity and priorities, and in part by the development priorities and processes
which it is designed to serve. Participatory assessments will help to inform the details of the
plans, ensuring that they meet the needs of those who are easily excluded because of gender,
age, language or any other characteristic. People are different, and bring different skills and
experiences to bear on their use of technology, and issues such as literacy and gender play a big
part in access and control over technologies. For example, while a community may have plenty
of access to radio, when you break this down you may find that poor, married women have no
control over what is listened to and when. For this reason, strategic use of ICTs should be planned
based on a deep and detailed local analysis of access to, control over, and capacity for ICT use.
However, it is very difficult to generalise about how they should be done, and with whom,
given the almost unlimited range of ICT-enabled initiatives that are possible. ICTs enable
communication and connections over great distances, over time-zones, national borders and
language barriers, so this group could be any size and could be incredibly varied. Bottom-up
planning processes might begin with a participatory assessment and clear target group, and
decisions on even the broad objectives and
needs to be met based on the outcome.
Other projects may be quite well defined,
Thinking about: especially those which put tools first, using
the capacity to use the participatory assessment to understand
information the user needs of those who are most
excluded and hardest to reach and adjust
Information may be useful, but it may the design to suit them.
not be used. It is worth thinking with the
target group/ community about different The tools and questions here and in the
factors affecting the perceived usefulness Mobiles for Development Guideix are
of information, such as: designed to be applied and adapted to
different participatory assessments, but
• The source: do people trust more will always be necessary which are
information from doctors more than specific to the context and design.
from websites? newspapers? leaflets?
• The format/medium: Does the
spoken word carry more weight and
credibility than written or taped? Not just availability:
• Relevance: what issues are people usability
interested in? Just because the infrastructure and
• Capacity: Do people have the skills, equipment is there does not mean that
including literacy, computer skills or people can get to use and benefit from it.
language, and equipment to find and Communities are not homogenous groups,
understand the information? and it is usually the most educated, wealthy
and well connected who benefit first and
• Confidence: Do people have the
foremost from such facilities. For example,
confidence to request and use the
the costs of the buying and using ICTs,
information? This usually requires
from radio to mobile phone, has always
confidence in your own knowledge.
been a limiting factor which excludes
women in many rural settings because
their culture does not allow them to handle

money. The market will usually take care of
people who can afford to pay for products
and services, and as a development NGO
Plan can ensure that the information
and communication needs of those who
are not reached by market forces, poor
and marginalised people in communities
and households, are better met. What’s
more, where information services are
targeted at a particular group, for example
child nutritional information targeted at
mothers, this needs to be based on a good
assessment of the tools and sources of
information that women can access.
People in a physical community, such
as a village, will share many of the same
basic contextual issues, such as policy
and infrastructure, and these should be
borne in mind when planning (see Stage
1: understanding the context). Virtual
FIGURE 2: EXAMPLE OF AN ICT RANKING MATRIX, FROM
communities are more diverse, and it is A REFLECT GROUP IN ORISSA, INDIA.
important to be aware of differences, and
especially the needs of the least-served
members. But in any community, different people will have different experience, skills and
abilities, so participatory assessments should ask groups of women, men, older, younger, poorest,
etc (depending on the target groups) to analyse the accessibility of different ICTs.
There are many tools and methods which can be used to facilitate the participation in this analysis
of different groups and people. For example, the mapping techniques described in the box on the
communications context (below), or the use of graphics such as a matrix to allow different groups
to identify and rank different ICTs. One exercise is for a group to list all the types of media and
ICTs that they know of and use in relation to different types of communication in a matrix format.
They could show different types of communication (spoken, written, images and numbers) across
the top axis; and different processes (capture, store, process, share and retrieve) along the side to
bring out all the different tools and media they use for each.
The matrices could be divided by gender and age to highlight issues of power and control
over different types of media and technology. Each box would be filled in according to what
women and men, girls and boys can and can’t use, to promote discussion of who has control over
different media and equipment or who has the time and skills to access information in different
ways. Finally, the different age and sex groups could each create another matrix to rank the
different media and ICTs according to factors such as: accessibility; reliability; affordability; and
appropriateness. This encourages discussion of accessibility issues such as: language, literacy,
cost and control of income, physical accessibility, ease of use, efficiency, etc. It will also allow
further investigation, with a strong gender lens, of the types of tools and media people don’t use
and the reasons why.
Thinking about: the communications context

One exercise that can be
used to map people’s existing
communication channels
and patterns is to develop a
systems diagram. Where do
people get their information
from? Who do they trust,
and how reliable are they?
Starting with a particular
theme in the centre of the
diagram, the group should
identify the available sources
of relevant information –
where would/could they go
to find out about that issue?
What channels could they use
to make their own opinions
heard? Each source/channel
should be drawn or written
on a card sized according to
importance, and located on the diagram according to accessibility – the nearer to the
central theme the more accessible the source is. Arrows can show the direction of links.
The example below is from an adult literacy (Reflect) group in Orissa, India.
As a follow up the group can discuss the picture, and whether there are any big gaps
or distances that need to be dealt with. What are the strengths and weaknesses of
different information sources? How could you follow this up to strengthen links or
improve the quality of information and communication on the issue?
Not just accessible: useful and beneficial

Even if people can access ICT tools, they are only ever as useful as the locally relevant content
available for them to deliver, or the people and services available to communicate with. A
good assessment should include the information and communication context, as well as skills,
equipment and infrastructure. This might include asking people to map their information flows:
where do they get information from regarding health, education and other rights? How reliable
and trustworthy are those sources? Is there a difference between men and women, girls and
boys? And does where the information comes from, the language it is in, or the format (video,
radio, face to face) make a difference to the way it is used? The Mobiles for Development Guide
also looks at these issues:
“Social and cultural issues play a big part in how and whether information is accepted
and used, and thereby translated into knowledge or changes in behaviour and practice.
Information will have a different impact if the source is known and trusted, if the format
and language are appropriate, and the receiver has the confidence and capacity to access,
interpret and apply it.”
The capacity to use and benefit from ICTs includes the basic skills and knowledge required to
use the technology, to send a text message or upload a video for example, but goes beyond
that. For example, the internet and social media is quite a different culture than face to face or
printed word. The fact that anyone can upload anything means that very keen and informed
judgement is necessary in order to filter and find useful information, or trustworthy connections.
Linda Raftree mentions in her blogx, concerning a workshop in Ghana on the use of the internet,
that the group spent a long time discussing the question: ‘Is the internet true?’ They noted that
anyone can put information online and anyone else can discuss it. “You can’t believe everything
you read, it’s not regulated, so you need to find a few sources and make some judgment calls.”
To a large extent, media literacy and information seeking skills come through practice, and it is
worth asking participants what skills they have learnt or needed along the way to inform future
practice and design.
When designing new uses for ICT
equipment or applications, you need to Thinking about: choosing
start from, and build on, people’s existing appropriate technology
practices and skills. This builds in a level
When you are examining local
of confidence, appropriateness and
information and communication
ownership, which has an impact on the
capacity, and unpacking issues such
usefulness and sustainability of the system.
as privacy and accessibility, you may
Participatory methods can be used to
wish to map out the communications
facilitate analysis of existing capacity, to
resources of the group, village or district
understand the context and identify further
– highlighting where there are public
capacity needs as well as adjustments to
and private use telephones, internet,
the system design.
radio, television, newspapers, technical
Understanding information and information on different issues etc.
communication flows and capacity, and This could be done through a guided
appreciating the social element of ICT walk of the area and/or in group work
enabled systems, is vital to ensure that drawing a map and marking on the
solutions are designed with the users’ communications resources.
capacity and habits in mind. But it is also
You might also ask:
worth remembering to revisit both the
context and the possibilities, as people, • What assumptions are you making
communities and technology are constantly in your project plans about people’s
changing and evolving, and people gain access to and use of ICTs?
their own experience of what is possible • How do people use their phones:
and how things work. Regular contact with Are they for individual, family or
users can help to understand how capacity community use? Who owns and pays
and expectations are changing, and make for them? Who has access to them?
relevant adjustments where possible.
• How does information reach people
and especially those harder to reach, for
example illiterate, minority language
groups or housebound people?
3.2 L
inking to other
development processes:
In some cases much of the capacity may be available in the community, whether virtual or physical,
if you look in the right place. Much of the work and analysis already done will have unearthed key
strategic partners and allies, Plan colleagues or other organisations that are working on similar issues
or have relevant capacity or experience. This will be an essential part of planning, to avoid duplication
of effort and identify opportunities for collaboration in the design, monitoring and implementation of
the system. Where systems are designed based on identified needs and priorities, the links with other
programme or advocacy work may be clear.
Furthermore, it is important to situate the initiative within the wider resources, processes and activities
of the community, as this will have a great impact on the way the
initiative unfolds and the impact it can have. For example, based on
the previous analysis of barriers and obstacles to good information Thinking about: linking
and communication, a further exercise could map the resources with programmes
within the community to help overcome such obstacles. These might
be teachers or community development workers who can translate The YETAM project uses media
information into the local language; traders who travel regularly to and arts to enable young people
nearby towns where internet kiosks are located; community radio to identify and address issues
stations; etc. that are important to them. A
perfect example of ICT-enabled
development, it uses ICT, but deals
with programme issues. In one
case, however, the project was
Learning as we go misunderstood as an ‘IT’ project and
Sharing learning is a first and last point of the cycle. The context given to the IT team to manage. The
analysis and participatory assessments will identify relevant learning, team lacked field and programme
experiences and capacity at the beginning, and mechanisms should experience and found it very
be put in place to ensure that learning (of staff and participants) difficult to engage and coordinate
is captured and disseminated throughout. There are plenty of with related thematic initiatives
networks, both global and regional/national, which can help with and staff. This meant that they
this. Blogging continuously about the process is also a great way to missed out on useful experiences,
engage with others working in similar areas and to share a project’s advice, and opportunities for joint
progress, challenges and learnings; and it’s often one of the only work, common reporting and
ways to find information about specific initiatives while they are monitoring. Care should be taken
happening and to share ideas and find guidance from others in the to communicate the thematic and
same field. What’s more, considering the dynamic nature of both programmatic elements of ICT-
ICTs and development processes, the changes in skills and capacity enabled projects, and use common
as well as technology, mean that the design of ICT systems and or institutional project indictors
initiatives needs to be regularly reviewed and revised. and reporting systems.
ICT-enabled development is a very innovative and creative field,
and capturing this innovation in a way that can be shared and allow
for replication is a real challenge. The process of innovation is not
usually linear, and can require a bit of distance and retrospection to emerge clearly as a shareable
story. The ALNAP Review of Humanitarian Actionxi has a chapter on innovations, and suggests
following a ‘4-Ps model’ to ensure that innovations are used, and planned for. People should be
encouraged to look out for, and take note of, any of the four Ps that they develop or observe,
which are: Products (which could be technology); Processes (including methods for capacity
building, implementation and planning for example); the Position of the organisation and its work
Thinking about: overcoming local obstacles

This excerpt from Linda Raftree’s blog (lindaraftree.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/
finding-some-ict-answers-in-benin) shows that creative thinking is a vital skill in
designing ICT enabled initiatives.
“Here [at the Nokia Store] we don’t carry the older models, surely you would prefer this
nice new one with many cool features and capabilities?” Um, no, actually what we’re
looking for is an older, cheaper phone or one of the modems on our list here! We spent
quite some time visiting stores and testing modems and phones to find one that worked
with FrontlineSMS.
Mobile phones are a complex ecology with many factors – the modem model and auto-
installed programs they come with, SIM cards, etc. – that can trip you up. Plus there is
not a lot of standardisation across phones or countries, so what works in one place may
not work in another. It’s good to have an additional day for testing things out.
We found a solution – the young woman working at the Nokia store in Cotonou was
very happy to sell us her used old phone for an exorbitant price…..
in relation to stakeholders; and the Paradigms and attitudes which determine the approach, such
as youth participation. Using these as a basis for reflecting on experiences of using ICT will enable
colleagues to better report and share learning, and enable the organisation to better realise the
creative potential of its staff and stakeholders.
Monitoring development, and ICTs:

One of the key mechanisms for capturing this learning, both to feed into the project and share
with others, is the monitoring and evaluation framework. Plan has indicators and methods for
assessing progress towards the overall development outcomes, which should be adapted and
used. But if ICTs are integrated into development projects and processes, how can you tell
whether they have made a difference to the outcome?
Specific questions and indicators will need to be incorporated into review processes to get a
sense of the contribution of the ICTs to these objectives, the appropriateness of the technology
choice, as well as the wider impact of their introduction or use. Indicators of effective use of ICTs
should be established at the beginning of a process, where possible with the participation of
participants or beneficiaries.
Asking what people want/expect to get out of the project, and what value they expect the
ICTs and associated services and capacity to add, will provide a strong basis for developing
such indicators. For example, if people say they expect to see more reporting of child rights
abuses, then this should be an indicator. If they think that using participatory video will help to
improve communication with authorities, then this will be the starting point for an indicator. Any
increases in use of ICTs would then be linked to the data on those indicators. These expectations
and resulting indicators should also include secondary impacts, for example, people may expect
the capacity building or experience of using the ICT to improve their livelihoods in other ways.
Depending on the ICT tools, components and systems put in place, there may be useful data to
be collected on usage, but these indicators should never be taken in isolation from the larger
development goals. It is useful to know how many texts have been received to a reporting system,
or how many hits on a website, but in ICT-enabled work

the use of the technology is not a goal in itself, so this
type of data needs to be carefully integrated into wider
Thinking about:
monitoring systems. For example, to see whether rises children in the media
in the use of an SMS reporting system are reflected in One aspect of child protection relates to the use of
overall numbers of reports coming in by all different children’s images and identities in the media. Even if
media. you are working with young people to produce and
In the end, much of the useful learning and insights into publish their own material, you should consider the
how effective and appropriate the use of ICT has been following key points on the use of children’s images
will be gained through qualitative monitoring methods. and stories:
This will provide information not only on how well the • If the person is under 18 you need the consent of
ICTs have been used, but how they have been used the parents/guardians. Consent forms must be kept
and for what... and will bring up the many unexpected securely for future audit or proof purposes.
impacts and consequences of the introduction of the
•A
child’s real name should not be used in publication
tool or application. This may mean interviews or focus
or broadcast unless they would get a boost to self-
groups with key stakeholders, and should make sure
esteem seeing their name in print
that the voices and perspectives of harder to reach
groups are heard. Depending on the type of project, •T
he information given about the child should not
a wealth of information may be available within the allow their precise location to be identified
initiative itself, through content and material created or
•A
story should not be published, with or without
uploaded by participants.
names or identities altered, if it could put a child,
siblings or peers at risk
•T
he best interest of the child comes above all else
3.3 Technical issues

and concerns:
It is very difficult to give general advice on technical issues, but the analysis done and information
collected in previous phases will provide a good basis for conversations with ICT experts in Plan,
or in ICT4D networks and fora. Provided here is a selection of questions highlighted by others
who have planned and implemented ICT4D systems before:
• Will you need to create new applications, uses or spaces, or can you take advantage of existing
ones? What are the tradeoffs?
• What kinds of technology are suitable to the user group, and to the environment (for example
repairing and finding spare parts)?
• How do you expect the investment in equipment and capacity to meet the identified needs,
expected impact, benefits and outcomes and what are the measures of success?
• What types of expertise will you require to design, test and maintain the system, and how will
you fill gaps in your team?
• What local processes and organisations might be interested in partnering to ensure that
capacity stays and the system is sustainable?
• What public services does this system support and how can you ensure that linkages are made?
• What financial resources will be needed in the short, medium and long term?
• Who are the stakeholders with complementary goals, or overlaps in service or technology provision?
• Are there any companies who might be interested in funding or supporting this initiative?
• How can you involve local people to provide insights, perspectives and intelligence, and to test
and give feedback on the system?
• What is happening in the policy and regulatory environment and how might changes affect
the initiative?
Data and child protection issues:

Child protection needs to be considered whenever children are involved. Adults and children need to
be aware of potential risks and thoroughly discuss how to mitigate them. Mechanisms need to be in
place to address any intentional or unintentional harm that could be caused to a child or children. It is
essential to check whether the type of information you are dealing with is subject to laws and policies
regarding data protection and child protection. This is especially critical if you are collecting information
from and/or about children under legal adult age or with sensitive or potentially dangerous areas such
as conflicts, elections, health or human rights. It is important to consider whether the information
reported or held, or the act of reporting, will pose any risk to people and how this can be managed
under the project structure and set up. There are plenty of good resources around on how to do this,
available from the Child Rights Information Network (www.crin.org).
Thinking about: ICT

Thinking long term:
system sustainability
Many of the questions above deal with
ownership and sustainability issues: if the Where you are making initial investment
project is well linked to real development in equipment and applications, you will
priorities and public services, and the need to consider the long term exit or
system adjusts to changing context and handover strategy and implications:
capacities, then it should remain either as a • Who will manage and run the initiative
concrete initiative, or in terms of increased if you leave? What support will they
capacity and participation. It is important need? Who will be able to provide that
to ask what you, and the participants, in the long run?
expect to happen to the project or system
• Who will own, manage and care for the
in the long term to be able to plan for it, and
equipment? How will it be maintained/
revisit these expectations for monitoring
upgraded and sustained, and by who?
and planning purposes.
What future costs are implied and
It may also be necessary to consider plans how will they be covered? How can
for scale up and replication, depending on you prevent equipment being taken
the success of the initiative or pilot. Making over by those with more power in the
systematic note of learning, including community?
contextual issues, will help to inform the
• What happens to sensitive or protected
replication of the system in other areas.
data? Who will be responsible and
accountable for keeping it safe?
Stage 4:
Building a culture of
systematic, sustained
and strategic ICT use
© Linda Raftree
The workshop reports are full of examples of ways in which Plan staff and partners have used
ICT in their work, but the potential of ICTs to enhance Plan’s impact still seems to be largely
untapped. The various youth media projects are fantastic initiatives that build ICTs into processes
of capacity building, analysis and dialogue to enhance youth participation and awareness and
respect of child rights. Staff members, partners and communities are taking advantage of the
communications tools they have, such as mobile phone and email, to organise, collaborate and
coordinate. But there is a large area in the middle that is missing, or at least weak: where ICTs are
used to renovate and add value to existing programme work.
This middle is missing for a reason: specialist projects can be organised and facilitated by
specialist teams, with special funding; and individuals can employ their own knowledge, and
even their own mobiles, to improve their personal communications; but to really integrate ICTs
with programme work requires organisational structures to be breached. ICT managers need
to work together with programme managers, they need to understand each others’ work and
needs, and share expertise, in order to support each other and advance together. Yet feedback
from this research suggests that there is a tension in their role. In many cases they are recruited
to maintain the office equipment and systems, and rarely get to travel to the field. Meanwhile,
many programme unit managers are unclear about what ICTs are and how they work, and are
too busy to stop and ask.
The Mobiles for Development Guidexii, the workshops and this report are part of a process to
generate these types of conversations, reflections and questions in Plan offices in Africa (and
hopefully beyond). But this should be considered as a beginning, not a one-off process. More
strategic use of ICTs – the missing middle – will not happen automatically, with a ‘business as
usual’ approach, but will require new relationships and capacity, and time and space for reflection,
planning and experimentation. In this section there are some concrete recommendations and
considerations in order to systematically and sustainably promote a culture where strategic use
of ICTs makes Plan’s work more efficient and effective.
4.1 Linking ICT with programmes:
In order to strengthen the use of ICT to support ongoing programmes of work, and existing
development goals and objectives, there needs to be a strong and active link between the
staff, and planning processes, of ICT and programme units. The basis of this will be the working
relationship, understanding and communication between staff/teams working on ICT and
programme units. There also need to be structures and systems in place to ensure that ICT staff
can contribute to the planning and strategy processes of programmes.
Fitting ICT to existing problems, and opportunities:

The starting point for ICT-enabled development should be the big problems and challenges
facing programme staff. However, this should be informed and inspired by examples of what is
possible and what has been done using ICT. Programme and thematic staff should not be thinking
‘How can I use ICT?’, but think first ‘What are the major problems we need to overcome?’, and
then ‘How can we start to solve those problems?’. It is possible that ICT will be a big part of
that solution, and if so then planning and fundraising for ICT elements can be done as part
of identification of tools, partnerships,

etc which can make the solution work. At
Thinking about: the other end of the spectrum, field staff
supporting integrated ICT should also be supported to integrate
planning the possibilities and potential of ICT into
The Mozambique workshop group stated community planning processes where they
that it is important to think through how exist. Monitoring and evaluation should
ICT managers can be supported to take be conducted to measure the impact, and
a more proactive planning role in their capture the learning, from using particular
organisations. This might require: new tools.
• Involving more Plan staff and partners This depends on a good working
in ICT4D workshops, to increase relationship between programme
awareness and buy in. planning and ICT staff, which requires the
support of organizational structures and
• Regular staff training on new ICT tools
management, as well as the capacity of
and innovations.
ICT staff. In reality, pressure to produce
• Ensuring regular planning and results and keep to plans means there is a
communication meetings of ICT, tendency to stick with the established way
programme, funding and advocacy of doing things. Yet to incorporate ICT well
staff. into programmes, and all the efficiency
and effectiveness benefits that would
• Securing firm commitment and support
bring, means thinking and planning, as
from managers.
well as doing, differently. This needs to be
an intentional process with management
support.
The role of ICT staff should include working with programme staff to brainstorm how ICTs can
help them to overcome challenges and meet goals, as this requires knowledge of the policy and
operational context, existing initiatives in the country and outside, such as those shared in the
mobiles for development report and in the additional material to this report. Maud Tsagli from
Plan Ghana sees a great opportunity for ICT staff to contribute to programme planning, working
with programme unit managers during annual planning and review processes and review and
development of the Country Strategy.
Building common understanding

If Plan wants to make the most out of ICT tools, it needs a good, up-to-date understanding of
what is available, what it can do and how it is being used by others. Programme unit managers
must take the initiative, and fit ICTs to the goals, processes and contexts of their work. But they
will not be able to all gain the expertise and the networks to be able to identify opportunities
and solutions themselves. On the other hand, most ICT staff are tied to the office to ensure the
security and smooth functioning of office systems, but knowledge and understanding of the real
issues for communities and programme staff is important to enable responsive and innovative
ideas for how ICT could help. This also helps to ensure that local opportunities for ICT use
are identified and built into plans where appropriate. A participant from the Uganda workshop
remarked:
“We initially thought that when you talked about ICT you were referring to the computer
guys, but our minds have now been opened further on the topic. We’ve learned that ‘ICT’
does not equal ‘computers’. Instead, the term ICT encompasses any technology tool that
enables information flow and communication.” Another participant from Mozambique

stated: “For some of us who are only NGO workers without formal training in ICT, we get
scared, we think of megabytes, how info flies, all those things. But we found that all of us
use ICT – our cell phones, our gadgets, the things we use daily, internet, intranet — it’s
all part of the ICT jigsaw.xiii”
As the role of the ICT manager expands into programming support, so programme, advocacy
and sponsorship staff need to stray over the threshold into the ICT domain. Demystifying the
term ICT, and familiarising staff and partners with the tools and applications, is an essential step
in order to open up thinking about how ICTs can support their every day work. Staff know about
ICTs, they use them, and exposure to new innovations, devices and possibilities should be based
on this existing expertise and awareness.
“People need to be informed of something in order to be able to seek further information
about it. If we know about available technologies and what they can offer, we will further
explore them.”
For example, social media applications, whether blogs or social networking sites, are being used
in very innovative ways for advocacy and campaigning, networking and governance. The more
people are exposed to this, the more innovative they can be – matching the tools to the problems
and needs arising in their programme work.
Some recommendations for bridging the gap

Ongoing efforts should be made for programme staff and ICT staff to familiarise themselves with
each others’ work:
• ICT(4D) staff should be given inductions and field trips for each of the main programme units
and themes,
• A regular ICT4D communication, such as an email newsletter or regular lunchtime talk, would
be useful to capture the latest innovative practices, pilots and applications to inspire and inform
programme staff and spark new ideas or solutions.
• Regular training on ICT applications and innovations, as well as question and answer sessions
and sites, should be made available to more people in the organization, and to partner
organizations, to build more capacity and keep abreast of the latest developments in ICT4D
in the country. This would enable them to initiate and design ICT-enabled development
programmes and projects.
• The workshop methodology developed for this work could be used to raise awareness and
spark ideas among a larger range of staff, including field staff and advocacy, sponsorship and
fundraising staff.
• Small funds for experimental work should be available for collaborative and experimental work
linking ICT with different programme units.
4.2 T
ransforming the role
of ‘the IT guy’:
It is difficult for the kind of collaboration mentioned above to happen well given the current
support role of ICT staff. Regional ICT4D coordinators have been able to develop strategies and
pilots, build capacity and share information to inspire a growth in ICT-enabled initiatives. But
they need to link to people on the ground who have the time, capacity and mandate to take
it forward at national and local levels. ICT staff are hired and trained to ensure the control and
security of their IT systems, and it is difficult to see how this role can be compatible with the
needs of ICT4D, which requires innovation, creativity, risk-taking and engagement with people
at the grassroots to co-design tools and processes, as described in this report.
For this to happen, Plan either needs to introduce dedicated ICT for Development staff, outsource to
local partners, or enable the roles, capacity and expectations of ICT staff to grow. There needs to be a
cadre of staff who both understand the potential and uses of ICTs, and the issues, concerns and areas
of work of the different programme units, so that they can provide training and support to colleagues
and communities, and help them find solutions to the problems they, and the communities, face.
This means that the role of the ICT manager in Plan country offices needs to shift to take into
account this organisational need for understanding the context and opportunities for ICT in
development programmes, and communicating and planning with their colleagues in programmes
to ensure that ICTs are supporting efficient, effective and responsive programmes. his may mean
job descriptions, personnel specifications and performance management being revisited, and
on the job support, learning resources and training provided to support the ICT staff in this
transition, to build their confidence as well as capacity to engage in strategic planning. Pedro
Miambo in Mozambique commented that the training had been very useful for him and the
Mobiles for Development guide was like a ‘bible’ for this work. ICT staff would also benefit from
sustained and facilitated networking and peer support.
Or alternatively a new role could be developed in country offices, to bridge the worlds of ICT
and development programming. This bridge builder should be a member of, or adviser to, the
country office programme team, with a remit to spend time in communities, train local staff,
work with staff and local partners, do the demystifying work around ICTs, test and pilot things,
keep abreast of the local and national scene and collaborate closely with the IT dept. This could
be brought about through a pilot initiative to fund and support community ICT staff member in
a small number of country offices to experiment and develop a three-year ICT4D plan. There are
some examples from Plan of this type of role being very effective.
Supporting the change in country offices

Much of the innovative work mentioned in this report, including the examples given in section
1.2 above, have an international, or regional focus and have been supported by northern offices
and donors. The role of the regional actors such as Stefanie Conrad in the west and (formerly)
Anthony Makumbi in the south and east, linking with international colleagues working on ICT
such as Mika Valitalo in Plan Finland and Linda Raftree seconded from Plan US, has enabled
local processes and priorities to be matched with global trends, innovations and funds. Plan’s
northern and regional offices seem to share and collaborate well to maximise their learning and
impact, and would be key actors in the development of a culture of ICT-enabled development
as suggested in this section. This might include financial, technical, and management support to
dedicated ICT4D staff in country offices, as well as a meta-level networking and information role.
4.3 Building expertise of the cultural

and social aspects of ICT use:
The need for capturing and sharing (and using) learning in this relatively new area of ICT4D has
already been stressed in previous sections of this report. However, in order to build a culture of
using ICT in Plan’s development work, it is important to develop systems or spaces for consolidating
some of the learning, especially from the participatory assessments. The understanding of the
cultural and social issues, which affect the implementation of ICTs, is contextual; however, over
time trends and insights will emerge from consolidated assessments.
One of the workshop participants in Uganda has already begun a participatory communications
assessment process in a community where they work. It would be very interesting for Plan to
carry out wider participatory research across communities in two or three countries, to look at
differences in access to information on key topics and issues. This would help to illustrate the
reasons why this type of assessment needs to be done, as well as drawing out common problems,
trends and issues in communication capacity and ICT accessibility.
© Linda Raftree
Additional material
This section provides more detailed material that fed into, and emerged from, the workshops.
Opportunities and constraints for ICT4D in Africa
The opportunities, and costs, of using and experimenting with ICTs depend to a large extent on telecoms policies,
taxes and regulation, as well as private sector innovation. In some places a project may be able to spend few
resources developing a website or application for a target group to access through their own mobile phones or
community internet connection. In others any work on ICT may necessarily be expensive infrastructure work,
or policy advocacy to create the conditions where this could happen. Things that work in South Africa, where
mobile internet access is widely available, affordable and used, would be impossible to apply in other countries
such as Togo or Mali where these types of networks are not yet available. And even beyond mobile phone
network coverage is the issue of electricity, which is not easily available in rural areas of most countries.
A good analysis of both the policy environment and the different barriers and facilitators to access ICTs, including
issues such as cost, literacy, skills and cultural attitudes, is essential to the design of any project. And the analysis
should consider differences in access issues between groups of people, for example rural and urban communities,
or men and women within a community. Finally, workshop participants from Plan Ghana remind us that we
should not start from scratch, but look around for what is already there. For example, in some communities
where they work there are information centres with overhead loud speakers connected to a microphone that
allow you to reach the entire village. Participatory tools for assessing communication capacity and access to ICTs
were shared at the workshops, and are included in this report. In some cases, notably Uganda, participants have
already started to adapt and use these tools.
Policies and regulations: the operating

environment for ICT4D in Africa
The potential for ICT enabled development is huge, largely because of the spread and growth in the reach and
accessibility of ICT tools and services, in particular mobile phones. The main drivers of this growth have been consumer
demand, available technology (the improvements in price and usability of new devices), and the services offered and
provided. All of this is greatly affected by the regulatory and policy environment; countries whose governments were
early adopters and enthusiastic promoters of ICT are those who benefit from greatest coverage and availability of
services.
Strong, early promotion of ICTs makes a difference:

In countries with a clear strategy and plan for ICT the coordination, input and confidence of private and NGO
partners to contribute to the development of ICT services in the country has been visibly strengthened and
enhanced. In Kenya this has been strengthened even further by the active and proactive participation of, and
collaboration between, the different non-governmental stakeholders, including private sector, media and NGOs.
On the contrary, Togo does not seem to have adopted any coherent approach to or policy for ICT and as such
there is very little visible investment of time, resources or thinking to improve the situation, spread (or even
assess) the benefits of ICT or reduce the digital divide. This is reflected in the near impossibility of finding
information from, or about, ICT in Togo, and the country’s near invisibility on the World Wide Web.
ICT as enabler – or generator – of development

Government policies reflect the overarching political doctrines of the government, and ICT policies are no exception.
It is interesting to see that some countries, like Cameroon, Senegal and to some extent Ghana, have sought to
capitalise on the opportunities of ICT and position themselves as strongly as possible in the global ‘knowledge
economy’. Their policies favour businesses, including large multinational ones, as a means of raising the standard of
development of the whole country.
Others, such as Mozambique and Uganda, see ICT as a means for accelerating, enhancing and enabling the
development of its citizens and communities. Their policies place human resources, government structures,
as well as infrastructure, at the service of human development goals. However, in reality the expensive and
challenging practicalities of rolling out universal access and sufficient local content are overwhelming, and this
vision is slow to be realised.
Good intentions, stark realities:

Even where early, strong policy exists and is put into practice; reality too often compromises the achievement
of goals such as universal access, quality improvements or affordability. A series of articles from research carried
out by the Association for Progressive Communicationsxiv highlighted some policy contradictions and failures in
countries such as Uganda, Senegal and Kenya, especially in relation to liberalisation and privatisation processes.
For example, they note that despite the entry of multiple mobile phone operators in Senegal, the state-owned
operator, Sonatel, still controls the infrastructure, as well as the fixed line and internet markets, undermining
any opportunity for competition to bring down prices and improve service quality. In the case of Uganda, they
argue that the state is seeking to maximise revenue from the telecommunications industry, rushing through
liberalisation and taxing at high levels, which has meant missed opportunities for increasing accessibility and
affordability.
Mozambique had an early and well-supported ICT policy process, resulting in very clear strategic linkages
between ICT policy implementation and goals of poverty reduction and participation in governance. The vision
of the Mozambique government is to deliver public services through e-government, requiring digitisation of
government information, as well as training and capacity, citizen access and registration and infrastructure. The
2006-2009 Plan of Action for Poverty Reduction (PARPAII) placed special emphasis on access to information and
knowledge as essential means to increase participation and dialogue, and engage citizens in the fight against
poverty. However, despite all of this commitment and vision, analysis of the national context in the 2008 progress
report from Plan Mozambique suggests that in reality, policy commitments and opportunities for increasing
information and participation are falling short of the need:
“There is lack of adequate financial resources on the part of government; not enough room for
community participation due to top-down centralization of power by the government; and widespread
illiteracy, particularly among women. In general many communities are left without adequate access
to their fundamental rights, and duty bearers need to do much more to fulfil these rights.”
Salim’s ICT4D advice part 1:

consider both process and passion
August 1, 2010 by Linda Raftree
Salim Mvurya, Plan Kwale’s District Area Manager

Plan’s Kwale District office in Kenya has been very successful in building
innovative community-led programming that incorporates new ICTs. I had
the opportunity to interview Salim Mvurya, the Area Manager, last week,
and was really struck by his insights on how to effectively incorporate ICTs
into community-led processes to reach development goals and improve on
child rights, child protection and governance.
Salim Mvurya,
ICTs and development Part 1: ICT tools for child rights, child protection and social accountability Plan Kwale’s District
Area Manager
My name is Salim Mvurya, I’m the Area Manager for Plan in the Kwale District. My core responsibility as an
area manager is to provide leadership to the Kwale team in both programme issues and also operational issues
within the organisation. This week we have been here in a workshop where we’ve been focusing mostly on
issues of ICT for development and particularly what we’ve been learning here is the issue of mapping. We’ve
also learned Ushahidi. We’ve also learned from our colleagues in Kilifi on mGESA (a local application of mGEOS
that Plan Kenya, Plan Finland, University of Nairobi and Pajat Mgmt are developing) and basically we have been
looking at this workshop as providing opportunities for using ICTs for development, but more particularly for us
in Kwale is the issue of child protection and youth governance.
How has Plan Kwale been using ICTs for issues of child rights, child protection and child participation?
ICT in Kwale has a bit of a long history and it’s because of the issues on child rights. Kwale has a number of issues.
Child marriages, issues of violations of child rights through sexual exploitation, and child poverty. So the efforts
to do media started in Kwale in 2003 when we rolled out our first video that was done by children at the time
to profile some of the issues of child marriage. But more importantly in 2005, we began to think greatly how we
can bring the voices of children to duty-bearers and at time we thought of having a children’s community radio.
Because of lack of experience, we were thinking maybe at the end of that year we could launch the radio station.
But then it took longer than we envisioned because we needed to roll out a participatory process. Alongside the
same time, we had ideas of community-led birth registration which was being done in one community based
organization. But later we also thought about looking at how ICT can help us in moving that direction.
Then we also had this idea of inter-generational dialogue, where children and youth can sit with duty-bearers and
discuss critical issues affecting them, so we began using youth and video there, children and video, and showing
those videos in a community meeting where then people could discuss the issues. Alongside the same time we
were partnering with various media houses and also rolling out radio programmes where people could listen and
also foster some discussions on children.
So it’s been a long journey but I think what we are seeing is that we need now to consolidate the gains, the
experiences and efforts so that we can have a more strategic approach to ICT for Development and this workshop
basically provides us with an opportunity and a platform to think much more.
What potential do you see for some of the newer ICT tools for your work in Kwale?
I see great potential in some of the tools that have been learned here this week, more particularly to get
information at the click of a button from the ground. We could use the tools to map out resources out in the
community, to map zones where there are a lot of issues on child protection, areas where we have issues like low
birth registration… There is great potential for the tools that we’ve learned here to assist us not only in planning
for projects, but in issues of social accountability. For example if you map out the areas where we have projects
for Constituency Development Fund you can easily see where we have projects that have been done well but
where we also have projects where maybe communities will need to discuss much more with duty-bearers to be
able to, you know, foster issues of social accountability.
What are your biggest challenges? What mistakes have you made?
One thing that we’ve been learning in the process… well, you know sometimes we have ideas that we think can
work in the next week, like for example the children’s community radio when we were thinking about it we were
thinking that it could take off in about 2 months. But what we learned is that there are processes to be involved.
Communities have to be prepared well for sustainability. Children have to be trained, there needs to be capacity
building. You have also to conform to government procedures and processes.
The same also with birth registration. We thought in 6 months we could send an SMS and get your birth
notification, but what we have also learned is that it takes a process. It takes a while. You have to get the
government buy in. You also have to work on software, where the government is having a critical input. Because,
although it is a pilot, we also think that if it works well then it has to be replicated, so it has to conform with the
thinking in government. Also, with the issues of youth and media, one thing that has to be very clear is that you
have to get youth who are committed, so you start with a bigger group, and you end up with those who are
passionate.
So I think it’s very critical when somebody is thinking about ICT for Development that, one, you look at the
context: is it relevant to that area? What kind of skills are needed? What kind of processes for sustainability?
but also getting the passion. Getting people who are passionate to lead the process is also a very critical lesson.
Salim’s ICT4D advice part 2:

innovate, but keep it real
August 1, 2010 by Linda Raftree

Rate This
Salim (left) with Solomon in Kinango community.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Plan’s Kwale District office in Kenya
has been a role model for Plan on how to integrate ICTs into community-
led programming to help reach development goals and improve access
to children’s rights.
ICTs and Development Part 2: advice for tech community, Salim (left) with
corporations and development organizations Solomon in Kinango
community.
My name is Salim Mvurya, I’m the Area Manager for Plan in the Kwale Development Area.
What advice can you give to outside tech people who want to develop something for a place like Kenya?
I think that to get an idea externally is a good thing, but that idea has to be blended with grassroots. It has to
be contextualized, because there are very many good ideas which may not be appropriate at the community
level. So I think my advice, for people who have ideas, who have never been to Kenya or Africa or in the field, is
to leave the process to be home grown, so that the ideas that are coming from outside are building on existing
issues, so that the ideas are also looking at what kind of skills and what can be done on the ground, and looking
also at issues of sustainability. So it’s very important for somebody from outside the country to be sensitive to
local conditions, local context, local skills and also looking at putting ideas that can be self-sustaining.
What is your advice for corporations who want to support the use of ICTs in development?
Corporate organisations who are interested in making a contribution to ICT for development, I think it is
important that they foster and have partnerships with grassroots organisations that can really give them the
issues because, OK, most corporations are very innovative, but working with grassroots NGOs and civil society
that can give them the practical sense of those ideas, I think would be a good thing to do.
What is your advice for colleagues trying to successfully integrate ICTs into their programmes?
One thing for organisations that are thinking of utilizing ICT is that you need local capacity. Like, if you have a field
office, for example, Plan has development areas, in development areas, particularly for Plan, the ICT technical
people should also have an opportunity to lead the ICT for development. What I have seen in the few years that I
have been trying this is that it requires also the ICT function to be more available to communities. It requires the
ICT function to also work around the programme issues that the team is thinking, so it’s not just about looking at
systems, looking at computers, but looking at how can all these ICT skills be able to help to develop programmes.
How can the ICT function be able to support innovations that are also going to enhance problem solutions at the
community level? How can we use ICT to strengthen our interventions in the community?
And I must say from experience, that the ICT coordinator for Kwale has been more of a ‘programme’ person,
and I think that is why we are seeing all these gains. I remember when we were designing the community-led
birth registration one afternoon, we sat together and we were thinking, how can we put all these ideas together
and include ICTs in it, so I think it’s about having an ICT function that is responsive to the programme issues on
the ground and not necessarily sitting somewhere and looking at software. You know, even designing a software
that would be more responsive to what is happening on the ground, like looking at issues of child protection
and seeing how can ICT help the response mechanism. Looking at issues of accountability and seeing how ICT
can make a contribution to accountability processes in community. So I think that is the kind of ICT that would
be appropriate in the field, but also an ICT function that can learn. You know, learning from other people, but
bringing the lessons closer home to see what can work, and what can’t work.
Any last advice for development organisations around integration of ICTs?

The message that I would want to give to stakeholders and development organisations is that a lot is happening
in the world in terms of ICT. Also recognising that development is changing… ICT is providing opportunities for
greater advocacy and accountability, and I think getting the interest for looking at all this and trying to say ‘what
does this mean for development’ I think is very very critical. The youth constituency is emerging as very critical
and they have interest in ICT. I know in Kenya youth have been trying different things, different groups, but I
think ICT is providing an opportunity for them to strengthen accountability but also to be able to get skills that
they can use as individuals that can also make a contribution in economic development.
© Plan Kenya ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT strategically to support Plan’s work. 52
Country ICT Briefings

As part of the research for the current report, past reports and documentation from 7 countries
where Plan is working were examined to find examples or evidence of what the country
programmes are currently doing in the area of ICTs and ICT4D.
Ghana ICT briefing

Plan Ghana themes involving a communication or information aspect include:
• Government education policy highlights the role of ICT as a subject and means of delivery. Improved access to, and
quality of, learning and teaching materials is a strategic goal of Plan Ghana.
• Groups such as microfinance institutions (and girls’ football clubs) are considered to have an important role as
a source of livelihood information.
Specific ICT or media related activities:

• Ghana participates in the YETAM project.
• An urban project on child media and ICT skills programme aimed at deprived urban communities was launched
with a programme on national television that highlighted the objectives, beneficiaries and the achievements of
the project during the pilot phase.
• Community sponsor volunteers received training on computers.
• There is lots of radio usage:
•R
adio project in Tumu as part of the Upper West education programme.
•P
lans to use children’s radio in the monitoring and evaluation of advocacy work.
•U
se of radio to broadcast market prices for farmer information.
•R
adio discussions and programmes to popularise information on child birth registration.
ICT situation in country

ITU 2007 statisticsxv show:
• Telephone lines: 1.6 per hundred people as compared to 1.65 in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
• Mobile subscribers: 32.4/100 as compared with regional average of 23.0
• Internet subscribers: 3.8/100, as compared to 3.23 regionally with 6 computers per 1,000 people.
Telephones: World Bank figures show that the rise in mobile subscriptions since 2000 has been steep in the
last few yearsxvi, a common pattern in Sub-Saharan African countries. However, Ghana is one of the few African
countries that also has sustained growth in land or fixed line subscriptions. The price of these services is lower
than the regional average, according to World Bank statistics.
Fixed lines increased to 376,509 by the end of 2007, from 248,900 lines in 2001. During the same period mobile
phone users rose from 215,000 in 2001 to 7.6 million, bringing the total for fixed and mobile subscribers up from
463,900 to 7,980,552 at the end of December 2007. Telephone penetration at the end of the period was 36.3%.
Mobile phone services cover all of the 10 regions in the country. Zain have just joined the established mobile
service providers, increasing the quality and number of mobile services.
Internet access: While 2007 statistics show that Ghana is ahead of the region in terms of telephone and
mobile access, the figures for internet and PC use are way below the average for Sub-Saharan Africa. Internet
subscription is estimated at 1.5 million users, while broadband subscribers number just over 13,000. The first
phase of the country’s fibre-optic development is complete and this is expected to facilitate the deployment of
ICT applications nationwide.
Cybercafés are the most important source of internet access in Ghana. In early 2003, there were more than
750 Internet cafés in Ghana, mostly using dial-up. About 90% of these are located in Accra, with the rest in
other cities such as Kumasi and Takoradi. Ghana’s Ministry of Communications is constructing 230 Community
Information Centres (CICs) to enable people in remote areas to access information on relevant topics such as
farming, education and health. Staff in the centres will be trained in ICT skills, and a model for selling prepaid
vouchers for fast internet connection is being piloted in some centres. The CICs have also been the focus for non-
governmental and donor support to universal access (i.e. UNDP, IICD and GIFTEL for example).
However, there have been some independent ICT4D projects introducing telecentres and computers in community
development contexts. For example, the Open Digital Village (ODiV) is like a telecentre project that promotes local
community oriented wireless networks, open source and open content technologies and approaches. Winneba and
Ibadan are prototype open digital villages, which operate as hubs hosting various activities to engage the grassroots in
the communities in their respective communities. They are supported by IDRC through the Meraka Institute and the
International Institute forCommunication and Development (IICD) as well as other organisations and projects.
ICT Policy
Independent analysts consider that Ghana was among the first African countries to establish the legal and
regulatory framework to enable growth in the ICT sector. The country’s medium-term development plan captured
in the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (GPRS I&II) and the Education Strategic Plan 2003-2015 all
suggest the use of ICT as a means of reaching out to the poor in Ghana. Since 1990, the Ghanaian government
has liberalised the telecoms sector to enable the private sector to increase coverage and improve the quality of
services and goods available. The International Institute for Communication and Development state that:
“The Ghana ICT4D process is one of the most documented and most consultative in Africa, and
discussion and debates centred on ICT4D are broadcast on radio and television, reported on in
the news, and are firmly on the political agenda. The Ghana ICT4D policy has been approved
by Cabinet and Parliament, and considerable improvements have been seen in various areas. “
The ICT Policy process, supported by the UNECA, is known as “ICT for Accelerated Development”, applying ICTs
to aid Ghana’s development efforts and move towards a knowledge based information society and economy as
quickly as possible. The policy document was published in 2003, and details the government’s commitments in
relation to ICT for Accelerated Development, approved by the cabinet. It is essential reading to establish to what
extent that the policy and programmes are supportive of Plan’s approach to the application of ICTs in support of
child centred community development. To find out more or send comments or suggestions contact: policy@ict.
gov.gh . The priority areas of the nation’s ICT4D policy include:
• accelerated human resource development;
• promoting ICT in education;
• facilitating government administration;
• facilitating development of the private sector;
• modernisation of agriculture;
• deployment and spread of ICT in the community;
• promotion of national health;
• rapid ICT physical infrastructure development;
• legal, regulatory and institutional framework;
• facilitating national security and law and order.
When the policy was developed, half of the telephones in the country were in Accra, while 70% of the population
lived in rural areas, with phone lines costing around US$1,000 to install. To overcome these obstacles to access
telecommunications services, two national network operators were authorised, including the newly privatised
Ghana Telecom and the newly established WESTEL, and financing arrangements to enable the necessary
infrastructure development and investment were established.
Recent reports show that Ghana is likely to meet, or even exceed, UN MDG targets for telephone lines, mobile
phone subscriptions, personal computer and internet use by 2015. Minister of Communications Benjamin Aggrey-
Ntim said at the ITU meeting in December 2008:
«In the relative short period since the development of our national ICT vision, Ghana has
witnessed appreciable growth in the ICT sector. Telephone subscription has hit the eight million
mark, giving a telephone density of nearly 40%,»
Aggrey-Ntim is certain Ghana’s progress in infrastructure development so far will speed efforts to complete
its e-governance programme and the establishment of community information centres in all 230 political
constituencies of the country. Funding has been one of the major factors hampering the speedy progress of ICT
development plan, and the private sector are being urged to invest more heavily in national infrastructure and
services. Currently, the key practical focus of the policy implementation process, supported by UNDP and others,
include:
• e-governance, setting up the appropriate structures and capacity to roll out e-government services and systems;
and
• access, expanding and consolidating the Community Information Center network.
ICTs in Education:
In recent education policy reforms, the content of the curriculum has shifted towards the teaching and learning
of ICT as well as Science and Technology. A committee set up by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports
outlined an ‘ICT in education policy’ framework and produced a policy aiming to promote ICT as a learning tool
at all levels of education, and ensure that the appropriate skills and resources are built to enable teaching of
and with appropriate ICT. Through the help of various agencies, including Global e-Schools and Communities
Initiative (GeSCI), a final ICTs in education policy document was finalised in 2007.
In the basic and secondary education sector, a project to set up computer laboratories in all science schools
in the country has lead to a significant number of computers being installed across the country. A computer
levy is allowed in most secondary schools. The tertiary education sector in Ghana is the most advanced in the
deployment and use of ICTs in the country. All the country’s major universities have their own separate ICT
policy, which includes an ICT levy for students. This enables students to have access to 24-hour computer labs
with broadband connection.
However, access is still inadequate and unevenly distributed, with an urban bias and the capacity of teachers
to deliver ICT education is still low and there is still resistance to adoption and inadequate skills. Stronger
partnerships are needed to implement the policy intentions across the board. The 2007 infodev survey of ICT
and Education in Ghana by Kofi Mangesi offers an overview of education related ICT projects and initiatives in
Ghanaxvii.
MTN-Ghana, the mobile network operator, in partnership with the Government of Ghana has launched MTN
ICT learning centres to improve the teaching and learning of ICT in communities. The project involves the
construction of ICT learning centres in each of the 10 regions in the country, each equipped with computers and
related office equipment, and digital audio-visual equipment. Furthermore, the Ghana Education Service and the
education ministry have organised a number of training programmes for teachers to help improve upon their
knowledge and skills in ICT.
The Global Teenager Project in Ghana offers educational virtual exchange programmes to secondary school
students. It was launched in September 1999 with only four schools.
Since then, the collaboration has extended to involve over fourteen schools and five hundred students. The
primary activity, “Learning Circles”, last for ten weeks each and are run twice a year by coordinators in each
participating school. They give participating students the chance to chat with their peers in other countries,
and additional activities including school fairs, lectures, debates and symposia, as well as award ceremonies for
participating students.
ICTs in Health:
Healthnet runs two centres in Ghana, to facilitate the flow of information and communication between health
services nationally and internationally. The Grameen Technology centre are also developing a Ghana programme
for ICT innovation with the Gates Foundation focusing on mobile phone health applications. One application
will use mobile phones to feed detailed community-level health information into the District Health Information
Management System, saving nurse time and increasing the level of detail available at the district level.
Key ICT for development actors

• The National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee was set up by the government to develop
(through extensive consultations) a national policy and plan that puts ICT at the service of socio economic
development. The Chair of the committee is Professor Clement Dzidonu.
• The National Communications Authority was created in 1996 to regulate the telecoms sector and promote
a stable operating environment, with efficient services and fair competition. The main tasks of the NCA include
licensing and regulation of operators and allocation of frequencies.
• The Ministry of Communications was created in 1997 to facilitate the strategic development and application
of various human, material and technological resources for effective communications throughout the country.
The Ministry then embarked on a process aimed at formulating a workable national communications policy for
Ghana.
• In 1998, the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) supported the Ghanaian
policy process, facilitating national ICT Roundtables. These processes generated various pilot projects, as well
as recommendations to feed into the policy development.
• In Ghana local information exchange, knowledge sharing and networking is coordinated by GINKS – the Ghana
Information Network for Knowledge Sharing. The focus of GINKS as a network is to use ICT as a tool for
poverty alleviation by facilitating the work of network members and encouraging knowledge sharing on ICT4D.
The GINKS network is currently focussing on the health and agriculture sectors, with an emphasis on education
and gender issues.
• The Ghana Investment Fund for Telecommunications (GIFTEL) is a public private partnership, funding
projects including CICs, which promote sustainable advances towards universal access to ICTs for social,
economic and cultural development in Ghana.
• Providing funds for the development of the national telecoms services,
• Building awareness of the benefits of ICT,
• Conducting research into the state of ICT in Ghana, and
• Promoting universal access and community ICT applications through support to CICs.
• The United Nations Development Project (UNDP) support Ghana’s efforts to build capacity to achieve the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and middle-income status by 2015, and consider ICT to be central to
this effort as an enabler but also by generating economic activity and strength.
Institutions:
• Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT / Advanced Information Technology Institute (AITI-KACE)
http://www.aiti-kace.com.gh/
• Ghana Information Networking and Knowledge Sharing (GINKS) http://www.ginks.org/
• Ghanakeyboards works on ICT and Ghanaian languages http://www.ghanakeyboards.com/
• Internet Society of Ghana (ISOC chapter)
• Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
• Ubuntu Ghanaian Team https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GhanaianTeam
• Global Teenager Project Ghana http://www.globalteenager.org.gh/
Policy analysis resources:

• Ghana ICT Policy official website: http://www.ict.gov.gh/
• APC page for Ghana: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21827e_1
• PanAfri wiki page for Cameroon http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Cameroon
• Economic Commission for Africa – NICI Cameroon http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Cameroon/cameroon.htm
Mali ICT briefing

There are no activities with a clear ICT component, perhaps because of the low level of rural penetration of ICTs,
and high cost? However, there is a thematic focus on children’s participation, which includes a strong information
and communication element. For example, Plan supports the Mali Children’s parliament and children’s clubs.
Children’s clubs are also being trained to participate in communication with sponsors, including using video.
Specific media related activities:

• YETAM
• Kids Waves is a radio programme prepared and hosted by children and broadcast nationally by partner radio
stations. Plan supports the programme and trains children on radio animation.
• Training of journalists working on female circumcision awareness and information.

Statistics from the ITUxvii are mostly from 2006, with some even earlier. As things change so rapidly in
telecommunications, and especially mobile subscriptions, it is worth trying to get more recent data locally.
• Mobile subscribers: 12.6/100 as compared with regional average of 13.5xix
• Internet users: 0.6/100 (60,000 or 0.5% of the population as of Sept 2006) as compared to 3.8 regionally with
0.4 computers per 1,000 people, lower than the average for Sub Saharan Africa.
Telephones: Mali’s telephone network is at a low level of development. The development of its telecommunication
infrastructure is mostly in the urban areas with 69.9% of all lines in the biggest cities. Its telephone density
(telephones per hundred people) in urban areas is 1.78 compared to 0.08 for the rest of the country.xx Cellular
phone usage has grown tremendously since the 1990s, due in part to the vast and sparsely populated areas in
the north and west.
Internet access: Internet in Mali is limited because there is no direct access from the sea to a backbone, meaning
that Mali must negotiate its access to international networks with its neighbours, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. A
reliable Internet connection is still difficult to obtain for a reasonable price. There are an estimated 24 private
internet service providers. Recently an association has been formed called the Association de Fournisseurs de
l’Internet au Mali to represent these providers.
Telecentres are still the main means of access in the country in Mali, and in addition to the private companies in
cities there are several projects:
•C
LIC (Community Learning and Information Centers) financed by USAID, which include CLAC (Clubs des Amis
du CLIC) to support the management of the Centres – coordinated by Afriklinks. CLICs are community- based
telecenters providing information and communication services and locally relevant content to support other
USAID efforts in sectors such as education, health and local governance. However, early evaluations showed
that only 13% of users were womenxxi.
• CMC (Centres Multimédias Communautaires) financed by UNESCO. The UNESCO Community Multimedia
Centre Scale-Up Project enables ICT access for villages. 2007 figures there were 23 CMCs where people can
access computers, printers, community radio, digital devices, and other services.
• TCP (Télécentres Communautaires Polyvalents) managed by the Association des Municipalités du Mali is an
ambitious public programme to set up 701 telecentres over the next years to support the newly created local
governments (701 municipalities) and to promote development.
However, usage statistics suggest that these services are failing to reach women, and with up to three quarters
of the population without literacy skills, access falls short of meaningful usage.
Radio and TV: Mali has allowed private radio stations to operate since 1994. Foreign, and some commercial,
funding have helped to establish 160 FM stations in Mali, though many of those are small community radio
stations. Private radio stations are required to be members of URTEL, the radio union http://urtel.radio.org.ml
Skills: ICT is now used in many sectors in Mali, but a critical lack of trained personnel, in both the private sector
and government, has negative impacts on productivity and sustainability of ICT use. There are development
partners willing to introduce open source software, which offers real advantages for the country’s sustainable
development, but they have difficulties finding local structures that can support this move.
ICT Policy
Malian president Alpha Konaré was one of the early protagonists giving a high priority to ICT4D and it looked like
Mali would become an eager implementer of ICT4D projects in Africa. At regional level, Mali was instrumental
in identifying good practice and networking public ICT initiatives and strategies. However, at national level,
although there has been significant interest and investment from the highest levels of government, and substantial
development in the improvement of infrastructure, policy, planning and strategy issues have yet to be addressed.
Furthermore, the lack of infrastructure and capacity of human resources and institutions, low levels of private
foreign investment and huge geographical distances have hampered the efforts and achievement of ICT for
development goals. IICD point out, however, that:

“Although it is very challenging to achieve results in Mali, successful implementation has an
enormous impact, simply because there was nothing resembling an information infrastructure
before”.
Mali’s National Information and Communication Infrastructure development process was launched in May 2002
and finalised in December 2004. The ICT Policy was adopted by the Council of Ministers and a decree was
passed to create the «Agence des Technologies de l’Information et de la Communication (AGETIC)», which has
the mandate to implement the NICI plan. The NICI Policy and Plan documents were approved by the Cabinet in
June 2005.
However, it lacks strong financing and implementation plans and commitments. In 2007 the priority actions
were:
• Setting up a legal and statutory framework
• Developing ICT infrastructure
• Education and capacity-building
• Health support
• Good governance and administrative intranet
• Popularisation of internet access and connection of all communities of Mali
Key actors in ICT policy and regulation

• AGETIC (Agence des technologies de l’information et de la Communication) was created to ensure the
administration and implementation of national ICT policy and strategic plans.
• The Ministère de la Communication is the governmental body responsible for the telecommunications sector.
• The Société des Télécommunications du Mali (SOTELMA) was the sole operator in the sector, established by
decree of the Council of Ministers, and reporting directly to a Board of Trustees representing key ministries in
the country.
• UNDP, UNECA and IICD support Mali in developing the ICT policy and strategy.
ICT and education

One of the objectives of ICT policy is to set up an empowering environment for the promotion and use of ICT
in education and capacity building for the formal and non-formal sectors. ICT use, access and skills are strongly
promoted amongst the youth. ICT is introduced as a school subject in the first years of primary level and the
government of Mali have put in place incentives to increase the cyber cafés and internet access. The main
constraints to adapting schools to ICT use stem from the slow development of infrastructure and the high cost
of ICT materials.
A number of actors, including the Ministry of Education, local and international public and private partnerships,
and many others, have been working to enhance Mali’s education system. For example, USAID has invested over
a billion CFA francs to interconnect 10 sites of the University of Bamako. The University of Montreal works with
various partners, including the IIRCA and IDRC to deliver online teacher training. They also work with ROCARE
to carry out assessments with schools to understand their ICT needs and capacity.
Other notable initiatives in the formal system include:
• Cyber Edu: Initiated by the Ministries of Education and Communication, Cyber Edu provides computer labs to
enable teachers and school managers to access virtual educational and manage human and material resources.
The project involves 10 school groups and three teacher training institutes in the regions of Sikasso and Mopti
and the District of Bamako.
• School Net Mali: USAID has supported SchoolNet Mali to equip some high schools with computer materials
to allow student access and learning, train teachers and students on ICT use, and establish systems to allow
exchanges between Malian teachers and students with others around the world. The project partners with the
Global Teenager Project Mali, iEARN international and the Malian Association for Linux users.
• UNESCO: UNESCO has established an ICT training programme for those working in adult literacy and informal
education that aims to improve the visibility of non-formal education and enable them to produce and exchange
information across electronic networks.

• NEPAD e-Schools Initiative: The NEPAD e-Schools Initiative is part of the e-Africa initiative and aims to
provide all African schools with the necessary ICT infrastructure and equipment, trained teachers and
appropriate applications and content to ensure that ICTs enhance education and health in Africa. In 2007 there
were 6 schools in Mali participating in the demonstration phase of the project.
• ICT Development Centre: Supported by IICD and run by ICD the ICT development centre provides ICT skills
training for staff of companies, government bodies and non-governmental organisations, as well as university
students, health professionals and IT professionals. There is also a social component involving internships and
training for students wishing to work in the ICT sector, who can subsequently train other students in grassroots
organisations.xxii
References and Links

• NICI policy http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/mali/malpol.htm
• TOGUNET is a network for exchanging and sharing information among ICT users for development in Mali.
TOGUNET currently has nearly 200 subscribers or members. http://www.mali-ntic.com/
• Initiatives Mali Gateway «un site dédié à la promotion des initiatives locales de développement du Mali» http://
initiatives.net.ml/ has information on the status of the ICT policy and implementation. http://initiatives-mali.
info/spip.php?rubrique2
• Agetic - http://www.agetic.gov.ml/
Mozambique ICT briefing

Plan Mozambique’s progress report for 2008 stated that:
“The situation of poverty is exacerbated by weak capacity by both government and communities
to overcome the causes and consequences of poverty. There is lack of adequate financial
resources on the part of government; not enough room for community participation due to top-
down centralisation of power by the government; and widespread illiteracy, particularly among
women. In general many communities are left without adequate access to their fundamental
rights, and duty bearers, need to do much more to fulfil these rights.”
This is in stark contrast to the policy aims and objectives summarised below. The policy commitments and
opportunities for increasing information and participation are clearly falling short of the need.
Although YETAM operates in Mozambique, there is no explicit mention of ICT, media or radio in the plans and
progress reports. There are activities which include an information and communication element, including the
birth registration campaign and sponsor communications, but it seems that there is a wide breach between
aspirations of the role of ICT in supporting development and the conditions on the ground for implementing and
designing development initiatives.
Education is one of the areas where the link between information and participation, rights or development is most
explicit. Plan Mozambique recognises this link, and the contradiction with the reality of children out of school,
and poor conditions and quality of education. There is no mention of ICT as an enabler, as most of the activities
in both health and education are based on construction and setting up. However, it is a great opportunity to
make the leap in quality, access and availability through the integration of ICTs into local resources and capacity.
Education was and continues to be the key for access to information, for participation, as well to influence the
processes that tend to reduce poverty and accelerate development. Even though the knowledge of the link
between knowledge and development is widespread, the reality is controversial, where many children as still
excluded from the education processes, or, in some cases, subject to bad learning conditions, which compromise
the quality of the teaching and learning process.

According to the World Economic Forum Global Information Technology Report, Mozambique ranks 101 out of
115 economies using the Networked Readiness Index, which measures the degree of preparation of a nation or
community to participate in and benefit from ICT developments. World Bank 2006 data shows:
• Telephone lines: 0.3 per hundred people as compared to 1/100 in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
• Mobile subscribers: 11.2/100 as compared with regional average of 13.5.
• Internet users: 1.9/100, as compared to 3.8 regionally with 1.4 computers per 100 people.
The Infodev report on ICT and education in Mozambique has a useful table of factors that are enabling and hindering
ICT adoption in the countryxxiii. These include infrastructure, cost and skills.
Telephones: The two mobile providers are Mcel and Vodacom. The country is undergoing a gradual process of
privatisation of Mcel and expansion of competition with 95% mobile network coverage in the country. Since
passing the new telecommunications law in 2008, the Government and Communications Regulator Authority are
working in preparing conditions to licence more operators in fixed telephony service. The Research ICT Africa
survey suggests that 1 in 4 people over 16 in Mozambique have a mobile phone or active SIM card. In urban
areas this rises to over 50%xxiv. These users spend on average half of their disposable income (over 10% of total
income) on mobile services.
Internet access: 2006 figures show internet is very expensive, at double the regional average (over 30 US$ per
month) and facilities for the general public to use ICT-based services are rare in Mozambique. Those who can
access the internet do so via a variety of means: cybercafés, work, educational institution or domestic connections
and even via mobile phone. Cost, language and literacy and lack of relevant content are major barriers to those
who do have access. To deal with these issues government, donors and NGOs have invested in developing models
for community access, which include capacity building and content elements. This has been a major strand of the
government and their partners’ ICT for development strategy and include:
•U
NESCO Community Multimedia Centres integrate community radio and traditional media with ICT and
local content. Latest figures available number these at 16, all located in rural communities, with more planned.
Provincial Digital Resource Centres (CPRD) are public institutions situated in provincial capitals and provide
IT services, management and training for provincial government and civil society. They also act as public
information points. The CPRDs also have mobile ICT units to support schools, health centres and remote
communities to access ICTs and training. Schoolnet Mozambique is another large scale public programme of
ICT access and capacity building, through secondary schools. The government’s ICT strategy recognises that
these public access points are insufficient and emphasises the importance of scaling them up to reach all parts
of the country. The implementation strategy states:
“Well-defined business models are needed, and subsidy schemes should be considered along
with public-private partnerships. In addition, further exploration is needed of innovative
combinations of modern digital technologies and low-cost conventional technologies, such as
combining Internet access with broadcast radio technology.”
• The Centre for Informatics at the Eduardo Mondlane University runs a telecentres networking and services
development programme with a web presence, which seems out of date, but still shows the established
projects and evaluations amongst other resources.
Radio and TV: Twenty radio and television stations are in operation, including state, private and community
owned media. However, a 2002 study indicates that print media only reaches 1% of the population and TV
stations are confined to the main provincial capitals. Radio, however, has continued to grow, covering about 80%
of the population. Considering the vast cultural and linguistic diversity of Mozambique, local and community
radio has become a valuable tool in information and communication for work, for development and public media.
There is a community radio network: Fórum Nacional das Rádios Comunitárias (FORCOM) with 60 community
radio stations in its database at http://forcom.org.mz/.
ICT Policy
The role of communication and information has been increasingly recognised by the Government of Mozambique
for its potential to support development and poverty reduction at different levels, including the local. The
2006-2009 Plan of Action for Poverty Reduction (PARPAII) places special emphasis on access to information
and knowledge as essential means to increase participation and dialogue, and engage citizens in the fight
against poverty. Furthermore, the vision of the Mozambique government is to deliver public services through
e-government, requiring digitisation of government information as well as training and capacity, citizen access
and registration and infrastructure.
Mozambique was among the first countries in southern Africa to adopt a national ICT policy. In May 1998 an
ICT Policy Commission, chaired by the Prime Minister, was established by a Presidential Decree, to draft and
propose to the Government an ICT Policy and promote the general use of information technologies in the
country. In December 2000, following a two-year nationwide debate, and drawing upon the Pan-African effort
through the African Information Society Initiative (AISI), an ICT Policy was approved by the Government of
Mozambique. In 2002 the ICT Policy Implementation Strategy was approved by the Cabinet and presented to
broader stakeholders.
The ICT policy was based on research into the informatics capacity of the country, which showed that Mozambique
needs to make a great effort to correct urban bias and become part of the global information society. The
policy and implementation strategy aim to put ICTs in service of the objectives of the government’s Action
Programme for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty (PARPA), in particular supporting literacy and human resource
development, providing access to information, and improving administration and governance. A technical
implementation unit (UTICT) was established within the ICT Policy Commission to oversee the implementation
of strategic projects. The policy also aims to create a strong legal and business environment for the domestic
production and dissemination of ICTs. Mozambique is developing a favourable legal environment that promotes
private sector participation in the development of ICTs.
The ICT strategy recognises the capacity and skills gap, the lack of infrastructure and the need for sector
reform in order to provide the facilitative environment for a knowledge society and effective application of
ICTs to development of the country. However, it seeks to combine some long-term strategies to overcome
these challenges, and some medium term activities within these constraints. One of the main mechanisms for
improving rural access are the Provincial Digital Resource Centres (CPRDs) which support rural access through
affordable technologies, and link into a wider communication network with linkages to the district level. The
strategy identified actions along several lines:
• Human resource development (education, curriculum, literacy, training institutions, content development)
• Infrastructure
• Contents & Applications (including information on HIV and AIDS, science and technology and distance
education)
• Governance (including health information, digital land records, govnet and state financial records)
• Policy & Regulation (capacity building and sector reform)
• Enterprise (ICT incubator, and small business support)
• Provincial development (telecentres and mobile units)
The government plans to invest substantially in eGovernment services and has launched the Government
Electronic Network (GovNet)-Pilot to improve public services and increase transparency in the public
sector. The pilot has established a common communications platform for the Ministry of Public
Administration, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Science and Technology, among
others, aiming to give them a unified e-mail system, intranet, and document management system, as well
as cost-effective shared access to the Internet. Further work is detailed in the implementation strategy.xxv
The Implementation Strategy caused an increase in investment in ICTs and more confidence from external
partners/donors. It is clear that external partners are more comfortable with making commitments because
there is a strategy in place.xxvi
During the life of the policy process various organisational changes came about. The Ministry of Higher Education,
Science and Technology was created. Similarly, the Ministry of State digitalised years ago. And there is no doubt
that the ICT policy process has expanded the awareness of the telecom sector and regulator by bringing them
into contact with the “attentive public” who tried to get them to understand the needs of citizens who cannot
afford or do not have access to ICTs and telecommunications. Constraints and challenges include:
• how to demystify ICTs to a mainly rural population,
• how to develop the necessary human resources needed for using and managing ICTs in the public and private sectors,
• how to roll out expensive infrastructure to provide platforms for using ICTs,
• how to best promote innovative and affordable telecommunication solutions,
• how to make ICTs provide information that meet Mozambicans’ real needs, and
• how to set up a monitoring system which will adequately measure the progresses intended.
ICT in Education
The Ministry of Education’s interest in ICT has undergone a substantial modification and the role of ICTs in
education has changed dramatically, due in part to the Implementation Strategy. There are various initiatives to
provide training and equipment in schools, for education or wider community access to information, including:
• SchoolNet Mozambique started in 1997 with support from IDRC and World Bank. The pilot project worked
in 10 secondary schools to provide equipment, training and other resources to encourage schools to use
and teach ICT and become centres of information sharing and communication for the community. In 2002
SchoolNet Mozambique was launched was integrated into the Ministry of Education to promote access to ICTs
in all of Mozambique’s secondary schools and to establish an education portal and a Mozambican teachers’
network. A technical services centre was established at the Industrial Institute Maputo to refurbish and deploy
of second-hand PCs to schools. PC labs had been established in 75 out of 280 secondary schools by July 2006
with an estimated 25 schools connected to the Internet.xxvii
•N
EPAD eSchools Mozambique. The NEPAD eSchools Initiative is active in several countries and both at primary
and secondary level. The first phase of the initiative is a demonstration project to determine needs and challenges
in implementation, and identify best practice for large scale implementation of internet connection and ICT
access in schools across Africa. This has supported six secondary schools with equipment, teacher training and
information for health and education. NEPAD have a dedicated liaison person at the Ministry of Education for
SchoolNet Mozambique.
• EPCI Working in one secondary school in Inhambane, this project is interesting as it not only equipped the
school and trained teachers and managers (with a Research and Information Technology Centre based at the
school for public access), but also developed a framework to integrate ICT into relevant issues for learning
and application to real situations, including environmental management and translation. Within these sub-
projects students and teachers conducted research, established partnerships with government and private
institutions, and developed products and services in support of the community and the provincial economy.
The project developed partnerships with the provincial and district government offices, and the provincial
Education Department. The Research and Information Technology Centre trains the future workforce and those
aspiring to go on to higher education, as well as civil servants, students, teachers etc. It promotes the use of
ICTs through local NGOs and the community.
• The Centre for Informatics at the University Eduardo Mondlane (CIEUM) played a pioneering role in
introducing ICTs for development in Mozambique. It served as the home for a number of pilot projects during
the late 1990s and has evolved as a leading agency in promoting the development of Mozambique’s national ICT
policy and implementation strategyxxvii. Recently the CIEUM facilitated the establishment of the Mozambique
Information and Communication Technology Institute (MICTI) to address the challenges of skills shortage,
postsecondary education and a weak ICT sector. It has several components including learning, research, and
technology.
Policy analysis and resources:

• APC page for Mozambique: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21815e_1
• PanAfri wiki page for Mozambique http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/mozambique
• Economic Commission for Africa – NICI Mozambique http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/
Mozambique/mozampol.htm
• Infodev survey of ICT and education in Africa: Mozambique country report By Shafika Isaacs http://www.
infodev.org/en/Document.419.pdf
• http://www.ngopulse.org/thetha is a discussion forum for civil society on ICT for development in southern
Africa, including Mozambique and has a link to the 2009 report on digital inclusion in Mozambique.
Institutions:
• http://www.infopol.gov.mz/ has all the information on the national ICT policy and its implementation plans
and status.
• http://www.telecentros.org.mz/ has some information about telecentres from the network.
•
UNESCO have information on their community telecentres http://www.unesco.org.mz/programmes/
communication/cmc.htm
Senegal ICT briefing
In terms of the type of social structure that underlies appropriate and effective use of ICTs, Plan Senegal has been
working with children’s clubs for twenty years. These constitute the spheres of exchanges and dialogue between
the youth and the children and evaluations have shown that children from the clubs show knowledge of their
rights, develop and implement their own actions plans, participate in local parliaments of children and school
cooperatives. They also run YETAM projects.
omputers: Plan Senegal has been supporting a cyber project in Dakar, in Medina Gounass commune, in
C
partnership with the local women’s group and children’s clubs. The project has supplied a children’s club with
6 computers and accessories, provided electronic and traditional games and organised internet training for 25
children’s associations. Children were part of the procurement process. Plan also provided computer equipment
and educational materials to schools and children’s organisations promoting the rights of the child through the
TELNET project, reaching 7,000 students at primary and secondary levels.
edia and communications: The organisation has employed different technologies and media to raise awareness
M
of child rights and enable children’s voices to be heard. For example they organised radio programmes with the
participation of 324 children and developed “a dynamic partnership with the community radios and the national
radios for that purpose.” Kids Waves has been running since 2005 with RTS, Senegalese Radio Television, and the
involvement of community and rural radio stations to be in closer touch with local communities. A TV version of
this project is currently being developed.
The Going Further project builds on existing music and radio work (Tundu Joor and Radio Guneyi) and explores
new ways to use media and ICT to raise awareness about and promote children’s rights. Training has also
been provided for children on communication techniques and child rights. They have used radio and other
communication channels such as theatre, to promote key behaviours for children’s survival.
ICT situation in Senegal

Senegal has modern telecommunication infrastructure: a completely digitised telephone network and an Internet
protocol network covering a large area of the country. The sector already plays a significant role in the economic
and social development of the country, comprising 7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 5.4% in total
capital. The will to make communication services one of the vehicles for the country’s economic and social
development has been a goal since the mid-1990s. However, the country is still far from having universal access,
or sufficient local digital content, to be considered a knowledge society. World Bank 2006 statisticsxxix show:
• Telephone lines: 2.3 per hundred people as compared to 1 in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
• Internet users: 5.4/100, as compared to 3.8 regionally with 2.1 computers per 1,000 people.
Telephones: There are three mobile operators, Orange, Tigo and Expresso. Mobile phone subscription rates
have shown strong growth and 85% of the country had mobile coverage in 2006, with an estimated 50% of the
population subscribing to mobile services (ART figures 2009). Fixed line phones, operated solely by Sonatel, the
ex-public company, cover approximately 1,000 out of over 14,000 villages.
Internet access: There are 6 internet service providers, including the local NGO Enda, yet the penetration rate at
March 2009 was of only 0.45% of subscribers and about 820,000 users, or 6.1% of the population (ART figures).
There are over 800 public access points in the country, many private. To overcome the rural access problems,
the government is working, with the support of UNESCO, to build community multimedia centres to provide
radio broadcast and ICT services. Twenty four CMCs had been established by 2007, giving access to internet,
community radio, computers and digital equipment. CMCs are the most important network of community access
to ICTxxx. Enda also run Cyberpop centres for access and content development in poor areas of Dakar. IDRC
supports these, and other initiatives, and in addition supports national infrastructure development models and
studies on rural demand, and the use of ICTs by women’s groups and in schools.
ICT Policy
According to ICT for Development analysts, including IDRC, Senegal is one of the sub-Saharan African countries
with the best-developed infrastructure in telecommunications and highest levels of Internet connectivity. One
2002 report claims that:
“Within Sub-Saharan Africa, Senegal is a pioneer in the field of new information and
communications technologies. ... In this respect, Senegal brings a unique combination of assets to
bear: its geographic proximity to Europe and the Americas; a highly educated population; a vast
commercial and financial trade network drawing on a young and energetic émigré population;
and a relatively well-developed telecommunications infrastructure capable of providing highly
competitive services.” xxxi
However, other analysts note that the Senegalese government have had difficulties coming up with a strategy to
couple the use of ICTs with the socio-economic development problems it is facing, with unstable decision-making
processes making it difficult to establish a broad and coherent national policy.xxxii
Senegal’s ICT infrastructure and actors were already developed before the ICT policy process began in earnest.
The process has been very elaborate with international and local support, and implemented by the information
and communication technology secretariat at the office of the President. The Acacia programme started operation
in Senegal in 1996 and was instrumental in supporting and developing the ICT policy and strategy. Private sector
and professionals working in ICT have also been active in spearheading the implementation of ICT programmes
through a plan entitled “the ICT Grape”, which aims at harnessing ICTs to reduce unemployment and poverty,
increase literacy and access to the healthcare, improve competitiveness and efficiency in government and private
sector institutions.
The ICT strategy involves the creation of enabling environment to attract investment and innovation, universal
access to ICTs by all including young people, harnessing ICTs in health and delivery of other public services,
enhancing the capacities of small and medium enterprises and creation of content and building key instruments to
advance information and knowledge. ICTs are also central to the accelerated growth strategy of the government,
and are a core instrument for delivery of the National Programme of Good Governance. This strategy has,
according to APC, worked well in terms of bringing down prices and improving quality of services.
Since 2000, with the national strategy for ICT development defined, a new code of telecommunications
was adopted and the regulation agency created. Also created were the state data processing agency and a
telecommunications ministry. Liberalisation of the sector enabled robust growth in infrastructure of which spare
capacity is now available for countries such as Mali. Other policy instruments facilitate the development of its
information infrastructure.
ICTs are still high on the political agenda, and The State Informatics Agency (ADIE) has brought in legislation
on cyber crime, the protection of personal information and electronic transactions to promote confidence and
use of ICTs. However, despite such a promising start, and these continued commitments on paper, the current
situation does not live up to the promise: young graduates have difficulty finding work and ICT entrepreneurs
finding credit. Furthermore, the global financial crisis is having an impact, with many local ICT service providers
losing contracts and closing down.
By 2008, the priorities for ICT development in Senegal were growth in the telephone market, increasing
contribution of the telecommunications sector to GDP, improvements in rural services – total phone coverage
by 2010, and the internet as a universal service. However, the APC CICEWA project has found that the de facto
monopoly of state-owned operator Sonatel has undermined genuine competition and kept internet connection
prices too high for the average Senegalese user, as seen by the closure of many internet cafés and access points.
APC point out that, despite the presence of three mobile operators in the country, there is no real competition as
all three pass through the same infrastructure, which is controlled by State-owned Sonatel. APC note that: “Since
Tigo and Expresso depend on the prices fixed by Sonatel, it is Sonatel that ultimately determines the conduct of
the other operators who are also seeking to make a profit, and it is this dependence that essentially eliminates
competition.”
Sonatel also control the market in fixed telephone and internet, where they are the only operator, reducing the
power of the national regulator, ARTP. In reality, according to a local communications expert, “small internet
service providers are ... forced to accept the tariff conditions imposed by the incumbent operator. All of the less
costly alternative technologies such as voice over internet protocol (VoIP), WiMAX or wireless are prohibited for
public use.” Currently, competition is limited to the mobile phone market, but APC suggest that the ARTP should
be facilitating and promoting the entry of competitors to the fixed line telephony and internet services in order
to bring prices down and increase quality, and for this they need total independence from Sonatel.

• Ministère de la Communication et des Technologies de l’Information, the ministry in charge of ensuring the
regulation in the sector of telecommunications and to adopt the suitable reforms.
• The Agency of Regulation of Telecommunications (ART) playing the role of referee and regulator and on the
other hand creating the conditions for healthy and fair competition between the operators.
• The State Informatics Agency (ADIE) works to increase the availability and use of ICTs in government agencies.
ICT and education

Although Senegal’s public officials and government bodies recognise ICT as a powerful engine for progress, it has
not yet been integrated into the education sector in any kind of formal policy. However, in its Ten Year Education
and Training Program (PDEF), the Ministry of Education envisions promoting information and communications
technology for administrative development and the improvement of education. As well as the government, NGOs
have been working actively to supply computers to schools.
However capacity and infrastructure issues are still key obstacles to achieving these goals. For instance, by 2007, only
38.5% of schools were connected to the electricity network, with a disparity between rural and urban areas, with only
7.9% connected in the district of Kedougou to 100% in Dakar City. As far as internet connections are concerned, 100%
of universities are connected, two-thirds of high schools and 10% of junior high schools. However, the computer-to-
student ratio ranges from 1 to 20 at Mariama Bâ highschool of Gorée to 1 to 2,000 at Parcelles Assainies high school.
Examples of ICT education projects in Senegal.xxxiii

• Between 1998 and 2004 the Senegalese NGO Groupe pour l’étude et l’enseignement de la population (GEEP)
introduced ICTs in 20 school-based youth clubs. GEEP became an ICT for development expert and now
coordinates Schoolnet Africa, helping to enhance learning with ICTs. Schoolnet Africa has its head offices in the
School of Education at the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. GEEP also advised the Senegalese education
ministry on its strategy to harness ICTs and the Ministry’s current research in select schools preparing for an
ICT rollout in primary education.
• The Senegalese Ministry of Education’s Institut national d’études et d’actions pour le développement de
l’éducation are collaborating with Université du Québec à Montréal, in Canada to test ICTs as a teaching
complement at a pilot elementary school. The aim is to gradually extend new curricula and teaching approaches,
in tandem with the government’s curriculum reform and ICT rollout in elementary schools.
• Projects such as the Global Teenager Project and the Mtandao Afrika programme support and network youth
internet education programmes. Ynternet.org Senegal is a youth organisation that aims to help young people
use ICT and the internet in particular, in a positive way through training, information and access support
through youth internet kiosks. The Nepad e-Schools Demonstration Project is active in six schools in Senegal
to provide internet connection and training for staff on ICT teaching materials and resources.
• The Canadian International Development Agency funds several projects that focus on the promotion of ICT
use among youth and women, the promotion of distance education, and the provision of support to the
development of instructional resources.
Links and resources:

• Osiris is the observatory on ICT policy and development in Senegal, and has a comprehensive list of publications,
research and opinion on the state of play. http://www.osiris.sn/rubrique9.html
• APC page for Senegal: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21834e_1
• PanAfri wiki page for Senegal http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Senegal
• Economic Commission for Africa – NICI Senegal http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Senegal/senegal.htm
Uganda ICT briefing

There is no specific mention of ICT, internet or computers in recent Plan Uganda progress reports. However, the
themes of Plan’s work in Uganda do have strong information and communication elements, including:
• Children’s participation.
• Awareness raising and behaviour change work on HIV and AIDS.
• Sponsor communications.
• Child rights awareness and monitoring.
For example, children are designing their own IEC support materials. Another example of a strong communication
element, that may be supported by ICT, is the PMTCT Plus project in Mukuju which involved community leaders
travelling to visit partner communities in Ireland.

While Uganda has a strong policy and public investment framework, supported by well established programmes
and capacity of local and international NGOs, infrastructure, capacity and content issues still undermine the
achievement of ICT-enabled social and economic development, especially outside of urban areas. World Bank
2006 statisticsxxxiv show:
•T
elephone lines: 0.4 per hundred people as compared to 1.0 in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
•M
obile subscribers: 6.7/100 as compared with regional average of 13.5
Telephones: Mobile phone growth has been very steep and, by the end of 2008, around a third of the population
were subscribed to mobile services – over 8.5 million subscriptions. Mobiles are not only allowing voice and text
communication between subscribers, but being offered as public phones where previously there were none, and
strengthening access to radio and internet services.
Internet access: A 2005 studyxxxv revealed that access to the internet across the entire country is far below what
would be expected with the often-praised policy and regulatory environment in Uganda. In 2008 there were an
estimated 2.5 million internet users in Uganda. Driving the growth has been the surge in mobile wireless internet
access with more than 200,000 active accounts reported by end of December 2008, compared to only 22,000
fixed line internet subscribers (UCC).
«The low level of [internet] utilisation to date is largely attributed to a lack of awareness combined
with high costs, limited points of access, lack of content relevant to the needs of the majority of
the citizens and the high rate of illiteracy.»xxxvi
The national ICT policy aims to establish the infrastructure necessary to enable connectivity in schools, health
centres, agricultural extension units and administrative and commercial centres throughout the country; however,
this is still a long way off. According to the Telecommunications Sector Policy Review, there is almost insignificant
access to and utilisation of computers and the internet in areas outside the major urban centres.
To facilitate rural access, the government established the Rural Communications Development Fund (RCDF)
administered by the Uganda Communication Commission, to provide subsidies for access to basic communication
services such as telephones, computers and internet for all in Uganda. The Fund has already supported 100
internet cafes, 70 ICT training centres, web portals and internet points, research projects, community telecentres,
ICT school labs and health facilities.
Furthermore, the private sector and NGOs have made efforts to expand ICT access and services to rural areas.
Multi-purpose community telecentres, sponsored by UNESCO and others, have also attempted to bridge the gap,
offering a broad range of communication services such as fax, telephone, computer services, e-mail and internet,
media services, books and other reading materials, etc. to rural areas. Other initiatives include
• CEEWA-Uganda,
• Busoga Rural Open Source Development Initiatives (BROSDI),
• Community Organisation for Empowerment of Young People in Uganda (COFEY-Uganda),
• Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH),
• Uganda Development Services (UDS), and
• SchoolNet Uganda.
Private sector efforts have largely been through the large scale telecommunication operators – Mobile Telephone
Network (MTN), Uganda Telecom Limited (UTL), and Celtel.
Radio and TV: There are currently 188 radio stations and 35 TV stations on air. Studies, including the field survey
done in 1998 to provide background information for the ICT policy, show that Radio Uganda has been the major
source of information in Uganda. What’s more, the report “Towards an African E-index” notes that the rapid increase
in availability of phone services has had an impact on the relevance and accessibility of radio for all Ugandans:
«The spread of mobile phones has created a synergy with the spread of private FM radio stations,
with more than 100 operational stations in Uganda providing near total national coverage in local
languages. Where radio used to be a passive tool for development information dissemination,
it has become an interactive public tool and discussion forum through the popular phone-in
programmes. Daily programmes range from political debates and other topical issues to health
issues, agriculture, education, gender issues and the environment.»
Content: The lack of local and relevant digital content is a factor impeding the growth of internet use and
penetration across Africa. Furthermore, the PanAfri wiki recognises the lack of appropriate content in local
languages as an additional factor.
ICT Policy
Uganda was one of the first countries in Africa to develop a policy on universal access to telecommunications,
with what many consider a far-reaching and proactive approach to providing access to ICT for the poor.
The national ICT policy development process was initiated in 1998, managed by the Uganda National Council
of Science and Technology (UNCST). A 1998 IDRC funded study revealed low coverage and skewed distribution
of ICT infrastructure in the country, concentrated in urban areas, especially around Kampala. Private service
providers had no incentive and lack the requisite infrastructure, as well as appropriate policy and legislative
framework, to cater for nationwide coverage. The maintenance and sustainability of the ICT development
initiatives also remained a critical challenge. In 1999 a multidisciplinary ICT policy task force with representation
from government and private sector was set up to oversee the formulation of an ICT policy to deal with these
challenges. Workshops and policy dialogues also made space for participation from research, training and
development institutions, and civil society groups.
The National ICT Policy Framework was finally approved in December 2003. This envisions ICT as a tool for:
reforming government service delivery; achieving transparency, accountability and credibility; providing
effective access to information; broadening public participation and promoting democracy; facilitating research
and development; and enhancing competitiveness in the global economy (NRM, 2006). There are three areas of
focus in the Policy:
• Information as a resource for development;
• Mechanisms for accessing information;
• ICT as an industry, including e-business, software development and manufacturing.
The policy considers categories of information from different sectors, including: health, education, agriculture,
energy, environment, business, science and technology. Furthermore, it recognises the potential of convergence
so that ICT enhances rather than replaces traditional media. The policy states:
“Although the majority of the population is still dependent on the conventional and traditional
information delivery systems, especially radio, new ICT can greatly enhance the efficiency of
these systems in delivering development information.”
At the heart of the policy is integration, with ICT as not only an economic objective, but also an enabling
factor for other development objectives. The implementation of the National ICT Policy in Uganda therefore
necessarily involved various ministries, district and local authorities, development partners and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), as well as the private sector. The cabinet directed all government ministries to create a
budget line for ICTs. However, an e-readiness assessment in 2004 revealed that a more focused and coordinated
approach to implementation was required. This led to the establishment of an ICT Working Group that tabled a
number of recommendations, including the establishment of a Ministry of ICT to address the convergence of ICT
and to provide coordination of policy development. This was set up in 2006, although still seems to be finding
its feet.
Implementation strategies for the policy include sensitisation and awareness creation; ICT capacity development
among rural people; building appropriate infrastructure; supporting favourable investment environment;
supporting innovative ICT projects; stimulating production, storage, and dissemination of national information;
and facilitation of access to public domain information. Progress has been made in a number of areas of the policy,
including developing a national backbone, rural access, education, systems integration, and stimulating private
sector investment. The government has also removed taxes on all imported ICT equipment. This is gradually
reducing the costs of providing ICT services.xxxvii In the 2006 presidential elections, President Museveni included
ICTs as one of the key areas for consideration during his new term in office.xxxviii
The Rural Communications Development Fund offers subsidies and grants to incentivise private sector
development in rural areas, funded by a 1% levy on telecommunication operators’ revenues. It has helped to set
up internet access points, training centres and websites, as well as public pay phones and telecentres. According
to the APC, teledensity figures have leapt from 12% in 2006 to 22% in July 2008 – half way to the universal
service goal of 40% by 2012. However, many argue that high taxes on mobile service providers, as well as the
bad management of liberalisation and privatisation of telecommunications, are undermining the purpose of the
RCDF, and keeping prices high for the consumer.

• Ministry of ICT.
• Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) is the regulator of the communications industry in Uganda. UCC
regulates and promotes the developments in the communications industry.
• The national ICT Coordination Committee aims to give political guidance to the ICT sector. It includes
representation from the offices of the President and Prime Minister, and the Ministries of Communication,
Finance, Education and Tourism.
• The Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) coordinate the policy development and
implementation processes.
Other non-governmental actors include:

• IICD are managing or supporting projects in the sectors of education, good governance, health and livelihoods,
including training, rural health data and information management programmes, ICT maintenance facilities for
rural areas, and the Agricultural Research and Information Network (ARRIN).
• I-Network Uganda is a national network acting as a platform for sharing knowledge and information on applying
ICTs. One of its programmes, DistrictNet, focuses on providing public information using ICTs
• The Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) aims to promote the use of ICTs by women and women’s
organisations, and hosts the secretariat of the women’s caucus on information society for Uganda.
ICT and education

As it adopts ICT in education, Uganda faces the same challenges as most developing economies – poorly
developed ICT infrastructure, high bandwidth costs, an unreliable supply of electricity, and a general lack of
resources to meet a broad spectrum of needs. However, with the rapid emergence of wireless network capacity
and the growth of mobile phones, the context is changing. The Ministry of Education and Sports is taking steps
to coordinate ICT development and has allocated resources to support implementation of its ICT strategy. In its
Review for 2005-2006, the Ministry listed the following achievements:
• Over 300 teachers have been trained.
• Three generators and 300 computers have been provided to NEPAD e-schools.
• Software and upgrades for 6,000 desktop computers already in schools have been procured.
• Preferential rate agreements with Uganda Telecom for voice and data connectivity have been secured.
• Work has started on introducing ICT into the teaching and learning process in primary and secondary schools.
The Education Ministry has approved a curriculum for ICT Training for Secondary Schools, and a limited number
of schools are offering ICT Training. These schools are being equipped under various programmes, including
the Schoolnet and ConnectEd Projects. However, the ICT policy points out that only a very small percentage of
Secondary Schools offer ICT Training, and in almost all cases the facilities are inadequate for reasonable hands-on
experience.
At Makerere University, the Institute of Computer Science provides high-level academic training in the field of
computer science to Computer Science specialist students. The Global Distance Learning Centre at the Uganda
Management Institute hosts similar facilities.
Examples of ICT education projects in Ugandaxxxix

There are many projects working at small, local or national (and even international) scale to improve facilities,
services and capacity of ICT in education. For example:
• Uconnect is a non-profit NGO that aims to advance public education by using ICT to improve the quality and
efficiency of communications. Activities focus on providing computer connectivity and training for schools and
providing ICT training to officials of rural districts. More that 225 schools have benefited to date and 22 district
offices have been connected to the Internet. Multi-sponsors are involved such as telecom, hardware, learning
software, transportation, and internet provider companies.
• The British Council has launched Connecting Classrooms, a project to link schools in Uganda to other schools
in Africa and the UK. The project is aimed at coordinating ICT, science, vocational skills, global citizenship, and
cultural science in the schools.
• SchoolNet Uganda supports educators and learners by providing pedagogical and technical expertise and
advice, infrastructure and human resources, coordination, training and capacity-building, and developing local
and international partnerships.

• APC page for Uganda: http://africa.rights.apc.org/?apc=he_1&w=s&c=21849
• PanAfri wiki page for Uganda http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/uganda
• Economic Commission for Africa – NICI Uganda http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/country_profiles/uganda/
uganpol.htm
Cameroon ICT briefing
Themes relating to communication and inclusion are front and centre in Plan Cameroon’s programmes. PLAN
Cameroon Day 2008 theme was “Children’s participation; let the children be seen and heard”: encouraging
dialogue between children and adults and to initiate young children in the process of decision-making and
democracy. During the day children put questions to government, including one question put to the Minister of
Communications showing concern about ICT:
“Nowadays, we observe the improvement of new technology; however, several children and other populations
in remote and enclave areas are excluded from this modern technology. What does the Ministry envisage for the
information of these populations?”
In the ‘Building Relationships and Resource Mobilisation’ component of their work Plan Cameroon have a strong
focus on child-sponsor communication; ensuring communities manage their own portfolio through communication
committees, with a strong dimension of informing about and debating local development priorities and activities.
Specific ICT or media related activities:

• 35 education inspectors and head teachers received training on ICT and in particular the education management
information system and school evaluation
• Sponsoring a radio programme: contracted the Cameroon Radio Television Corporation (CRTV) to broadcast
the programme ‘I am a child but I have my rights too’ over provincial and private radio stations. Provided
a 5-day training for radio hosts and representatives of local NGOs in charge of monitoring the project and
involved youth in monitoring through listening clubs.
• Local newsletters and sponsor communications, as noted in their annual report: “More children from Esse
are now writing articles and drawings for the “EYEKE-Y’OR” and “Planète Jeune” magazines. Sponsorship
communications have become a tool for development education in Esse”.
• Involvement in YETAM.
ICT situation in Cameroon

ITU 2007 statisticsxl show:
•M
obile subscribers: 24.45/100 as compared with regional average of 18.28.
Cost is still a major barrier for both telephone usage and computer usage for the majority of Cameroonians,
with the costs of equipment, subscriptions and calls relatively high and, proportionate to most people’s income,
prohibitive.
Telephones: World Bank figures show that the rise in mobile subscriptions since 2,000 has been steep in the
last few yearsxli, a common pattern in Sub-Saharan African countries. Meanwhile the rise in internet and PC
use is slow but steady. Cameroon has two mobile operators, MTN and Orange, both operating GSM coverage
(Cameroon was one of the first countries in the region to provide GSM coverage).
Internet access: There are 12 internet service providers, including Camtel, ICCNET and Creolink, but there are
wide disparities in internet access, in terms of income and location. Mobile internet is available from at least two
providers. Though there is less than one PC per hundred people, and over 60% of institutions have no computer
meaning that most people cannot access the internet at work, the internet is available through cybercafés,
concentrated in Yaoundé. However, telecentres are spreading throughout the country due to government, NGO
and private sector initiatives. For example:
•T
he government is introducing telecentres offering phone, internet and money transfer services, in rural areas
throughout the country funded under the HPIC agreement. The objective is to have close to 2000 telecentres
in the country by 2015 to attain the millennium development goals, supporting education, health, livelihoods
and entertainment in rural areas and reducing rural flight. However in 2007 the ministry reported that the
project was slow to get off the ground and past pilot phase.xlii
• Local company Douala1.com which provides wireless broadband in Yaoundé and Douala, is working on
extending its network of cybercafés nationwide, linking to the internet via satellite technology or optical fibre
where available.
• The ADEN project of the French government is funding and providing software for telecentres throughout
francophone Africa, and has three public access to the internet centres currently operating in Cameroon.xliii
Radio and TV: CRTV runs 33 public radio broadcast stations, at least one in each province, and 2 production
stations per province. The ICT policy document states that land reception limits actual coverage to about 60%
of the country. They also run 33 public television stations broadcast from Yaoundé reaching about 85% of the
country. There are also 3 private television operators running 5 TV stations and several cable television operators,
of which 16 have applied for licenses, the vast majority operating illegally. There are 37 private radio broadcast
stations, mostly located in the big urban centres of Yaoundé and Douala. There are no private stations in the
Adamaoua and South provinces. 29 community radio stations were set up under an agreement with ACCT in
1996, providing radio services by and for rural populations. However, these are very unevenly distributed.
Content: The ICT policy paper notes that Cameroon does not have a developed “infostructure”, that is to say
there is not a culture of making national or local information or data available on databases, which could make
the internet more useful for domestic purposes. “The practice of information gathering, processing, preservation
and dissemination in usable formats to other users is uncommon in Cameroon. As a result, Cameroon has no data
banks or information systems that can be consulted by citizens and enterprises.” However two exceptions that
it notes are:
• the Integrated System for the Management of Public Finances (SIGEFI)
• the Integrated System for the Computerised Management of State Personnel and Salaries (SIGIPES)
Only 10% of Cameroonian institutions have a website.
ICT Policy
Independent analysts consider that the government of Cameroon have failed to support ICT growth with
appropriate policies, and in fact point to missed opportunities to turn the country into an engine for growth in
the regionxlv. They were ranked 179 out of 206 countries by the ITU. As things stood in 2008, reported in the
National ICT Policy document:
• The public telecommunications network is obsolete and lacks the necessary capacity.
• 15% of the country is still out of national communications coverage despite the satellite relay.
• Cameroon has no Internet Exchange Point that can enable local service providers to exchange traffic without
relying on transnational infrastructure.
• There are many digital disparities between urban (Douala and Yaounde) and rural areas.
• The infrastructure for gathering, processing and disseminating information is still rudimentary;
• There is no strategy for enabling the country to develop all ICT-related sectors including production.
In 1995, Cameroon began to restructure their telecommunications sector, establishing the Telecommunications
Regulation Agency (ART) to promote competition between operators. Between 2002 and 2008, 123 network
operating licences were awarded, including around fifty for internet providers, but the quality of services is still poor,
and prices of all but mobile calls within networks are still out of reach for most Cameroonians. Cameroonian NGO
PROTÉGÉ QV note that “less than 2% of Cameroonians have a fixed-line telephone, because of an inadequate supply
of lines (175,000), the degraded state of the infrastructure, administrative red tape and high installation costs”. The cost
and availability of internet services has also suffered from inadequate infrastructure and lack of competition.
The regulator, ART, was set up by the government to manage competition, monitor services and protect
consumers. Managed by the Ministry of Telecommunications, PROTÉGÉ QV argue that it does not have the
authority, resources or – crucially – the independence to fulfil this function, and regulate fairly between private
operators and the public supplier, who have the monopoly on developing new infrastructure. Furthermore,
regulation does not currently cover cross-border connections and online business and transactions, leaving an
area of growing economic significance ambiguous, opening private sector loopholes and losing opportunities for
new products and services.
The APC Communication for influence in Central, East and West Africa (CICEWA) project has found that the high
cost and low quality of communication services have paved the way for illegal mobile phone and internet providers
to emerge, dodging the high cost of licensing, and passing down the savings to their customers. While this allows
Cameroonians to find cheaper services, it also means there are no quality guarantees, and results in a loss of tax
revenue and license fees for the government. Meanwhile, the licensed operators and the regulator are not able to
guarantee or fund universal access.
In 2000 the process of creating the National Information and Communications Infrastructure (NICI) plan was launched,
with the support of UNDP. This is a tool of the UNECA which is applied across the Africa, and resulted in the publication
in 2004 of the “Plan National des Infrastructures de la Communication et de l’Information du Cameroun (NICI) 2004-
2015”xlvi. This plan identifies 10 priority areas: agriculture; human resources; e-commerce; e-government; education;
health; ICT services; infrastructure; tourism, environment and natural resources; youth and gender.
In 2002, in response to a lack of coordination of different organisations working on the national ICT policies
and strategies, and the resulting lack of direction and vision, the government set up the National Agency for
Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC). ANTIC deals with infrastructure, regulation, capacity and
security issues. Their plans and strategies are set out in the “National Policy for the Development of Information
and Communication Technologies”xlvii. This includes a summary of the current legal and policy framework, the
different actors and lines of accountability, as well as plans and strategies, and would be essential reading for any
advocacy work on ICT or social media policies and investments. The NICI was handed over officially to ANTIC in
April 2006 for submission to Government.

• The Agence de Regulation des Telecommunications (ART) is Cameroon’s telecommunication regulatory body,
established in July 1998 by the Telecommunication Act.
• Responsibility for ICT policy rests with the Comité Interministériel composed of representatives from the
ministries of communication, telecommunications, higher education, education, economy and finance, foreign
relations and the Prime Minister’s office. There are also various technical thematic committees.
• The Sub-Regional Development Centre for Central Africa (SRDC-CA) is the UN ECA’s sub-regional arm charged
with supporting sub-regional electronic information exchange networks of economic experts, civil society
organisations, NGOs and the private sector.
• Institutions involved in ICT training are:
• The Département d’Informatique of ENSP;
• The Faculté des Sciences at the Universite de Yaounde;
• The Institut Universitaire de Technologie in Daoula and Bandjoun.
• The Laboratoire d’Electronique et Traitement de Signal of ENSP has been behind the establishment of the
Connectivity Information and Training Centre for Internet (CITI-CM) with financial support from InfoDev,
ORSTOM, UNITAR, ACCT and local companies.
ICT and education

In terms of education, in the NICI plan document the government commits to the following:
• Modernise the educational system through the introduction of ICTs in schools
• Introduce ICT application training modules into national universities
• Prepare a sectoral ICT policy for the educational sector
• Train teachers in the use of ICTs
• Equip all schools with ICT facilities
• Multiply resource centres for teachers and students
• Establish distance training facilities
• Provide support for the production of ICT teaching materials
There is an inter-ministerial committee working on ICT for education, and a commitment to introduce ICT courses
into all levels of the public education system. However, the ICT Policy document notes the level of knowledge and
skill relating to ICT and the knowledge society is still very low, even compared to other low-income countries.
While higher educational establishments are better equipped and prepared, and virtual resources are being
developed at this level, schools are still poorly equipped. There have been several initiatives by NGOs and
donors, including the Canadians, French and Islamic Development Bank, including the construction of multimedia
resource centres with internet access in 16 public schools. But most primary and secondary schools are without
multimedia resources and the great majority of children leave school without having had any exposure to ICT
use. For instance about 44% of pupils drop out of school before completing the primary level, while less than
4% get into the higher education cycle.
Where ICTs are available their use is still very basic. For instance most of the websites are static, providing no
interactive services to users and some with obsolete content; virtual absence of didactic materials, management
and guidance systems.
Examples of ICT education projects in Cameroonxlviii

The Cyber Education Project aims to use ICTs to support training in secondary and technical schools and in
higher education (universities). For more information: www.cam-educ.com/. The project includes establishing
multimedia resource centres, training teachers and monitors, connecting schools to the internet, establishing
learning resources and distance training for teachers. As a result, 60,000 students have access to computers
compared to 10,000 in 2001. According to the ministry of Education, 80% of government secondary schools
have computer rooms and two-thirds have computer labs.
SchoolNet-Cameroon
SchoolNet-Cameroon (ISC) is a non-profit organisation that enables young people to use the Internet and other new
technologies to engage in collaborative educational projects. ISC facilitates collaborative projects where communities
of learners collectively develop on-line content related to school curriculum. It provides training to teachers in the
integration of ICTs across the curriculum. Currently, it is seeking to sign an agreement with MINESEC and plans
to distribute 200,000 computers to Cameroon schools. SchoolNet also works in collaboration with ROCARE, the
African Teachers Network (ATN), and the UNDP in the framework of the Tokyo International Conference for African
Development-Information Technology Project. For more information: www.iearn.org and www.schoolnetafrica.net
The ROCARE Project

ROCARE (Réseau Ouest et Centre-Africain de Recherche en Education) is a professional scientific, non-political,
and non-profit association of teachers and lecturers of West and Central Africa. It aims to promote African
expertise to positively influence educational policies and practices. ROCARE developed a regional study on the
integration of ICTs in education in West and Central Africa, and individual national studies. ROCARE Cameroon
also published a book on the integration of ICTs in education. For more information: www.rocare.org
PROTÉGÉ QV E-learning Initiatives

PROTEGE QV (which means promotion of technologies that guarantee environment and a better quality of
life), is a Cameroonian NGO created in 1995. It aims to promote individual and collective initiatives to induce
rural development, to protect the environment, and to improve the well-being of the community. Some of their
projects have been financed by Global Knowledge Partnership, the World Bank, the French Cooperation in
Cameroon, the United States Embassy, the Japan Embassy, and the Commonwealth, including:
• Open Nkam e-learning: business training for women by women using traditional ICTs and radio based training
for women entrepreneurs to support them in setting up small businesses
• The Upper Nkam Women Opened to the Challenges of Innovations in ICTS: a project that introduced 150
women to data processing on computers
• Small Business Training for Women in Cameroon 2005: An ongoing project using a standardised multimedia CD
geared to reinforce the capacities of women involved in small businesses
• A radio programme entitled “Woman and The Pride of Her Being” at Radio Fotouni to sensitise and share
knowledge with the targeted women through radio messages

• APC page for Cameroon:
• English: http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21850e_1
• Français: http://afrique.droits.apc.org/index.shtml?apc=s21850e_1
• PanAfri wiki page for Cameroon http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Cameroon

• Economic Commission for Africa – NICI Cameroon http://www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Cameroon/cameroon.htm
• CICEWAhttp://www.apc.org/en/node/9692/
Institutions:
• Ecole Nationale Supérieure Polytechnique de Yaoundé (ENSPY) (computer engineering)
• Institut Africain d’Informatique (IAI), Cameroon
• Associations:
• RESCATIC - Réseau de la Sociéte Civile Camerounaise pour la promotion des TIC http://fr.groups.yahoo.com/
group/RESCATIC/
Kenya ICT briefing
Kenya is a regional centre, and leader, in ICT4D initiatives. The latest progress reports from Plan Kenya do not
specify any ICT4D activities, although themes of participation and awareness raising are central to much of
the work. The Harnessing ICT for Community Health Project was implemented by Plan Kenya in partnership
with AfriAfya. The project applies ICT and multimedia to facilitate equal and universal access to quality health
and development information. The 2007 mid-term evaluation of the project showed that this type of activity is
relevant to Plan’s approach and objectives:
“In all Plan’s programmes and projects, the child, its views, needs and rights are put at the centre
and communication is crucial in achieving this. The project is an effort to provide relevant, practical
health and other development information to the communities, mostly through the school model
at Primary and ECCD levels... All the Plan Kenya members of staff interviewed were agreed that the
project is relevant to their mandate and congruent to their activities in the community.”
The evaluation recommends that :

“Plan Kenya should consider the possibility of extending the ICT project with AfriAfya as the
use ICT for development in the marginalised areas is a fairly new concept that that is taking root
slowly.”
Furthermore, the 2008 progress report makes mention of work in Kisumu using ICT to link schools with the
United Kingdom.
Mobile advocacy and campaigns:

The Plan Kenya web page mentions that “as part of the Learn Without Fear campaign to end violence against
children in schools, we have launched an SMS campaign where children who have been violated can receive help.”
The progress report notes the successful lobbying for a telephone helpline service for children and youth who are
the victims of violence or abuse. Since 2008, Childline, via the toll free helpline number ‘116’, has been accessible
countrywide in Kenya via mobile phones, offering counselling and referral for children and their families.
Using media for development:

The use of video, radio and magazines to enhance child participation and give children a voice, in relation to child
protection, including
• Radio programmes for children to share their experiences of post election violence and advocate for peace,
• For example, “Sauti ya Watoto”, a Swahili phrase meaning “The Voice of Children” are radio programmes
broadcast by the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. There were also forty one (41) broadcasts of children’s Radio
Programmes that were previously aired on community radio.

• Children’s video highlighted issues of concern for children, from their perspective - as identified, scripted and
acted by them.
• YETAM – if they were not mentioned in the internal docs do they not go here or would you be adding things
you know they are doing also? There is also UBR. They may be doing some GIS work also....

As a traditional transport and communications hub for East Africa, Kenya has become a leader in communications
in Sub-Saharan Africa, with amongst the best rates of literacy, school enrolment, internet access and coverage
and services for mobile phones, for example. World Bank figures for 2006xlix show:l
• Telephone lines: 0.8 per hundred people as compared to 1 in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole.
Telephones: There are four mobile phone operators; Safaricom and Celtel have been joined in late 2008 by Telkom
Kenya and Econet Wireless. An increase in mobile penetration to 43.6% of the population is attributed in part to the
new competition, which has reduced the costs of mobile use considerably, but also to availability of low denomination
top-up cards. The competition is also broadening the available pricing structures, and has resulted in a stark increase in
voice calls, and reduction in the use of SMS. 83% of the country now has mobile network coverage.
Internet access: Whereas the number of internet users is increasing, it is doing so much slower than mobile phone
use, hampered by high prices and poor infrastructure. The Kenya telecoms regulator state on their website that:
“Internet penetration is low and way behind the penetration of other communication services
(e.g. mobile) despite liberalization efforts; and there is general lack of information on the Internet
service penetration, its impacts and factors that influence its development and diffusion.”
The costs of Internet services have remained high in comparison to the income levels of Kenyans, there is very
little local content to invoke demand, as internet service providers have focused on access rather than services and
applications. People are increasingly turning to mobile and wireless internet connections, and fixed dial-up internet
services are not as affordable as mobile internet or even SMS services according to the KCC survey from 2007.
Only a small percentage of educational institutions are connected to the Internet and these are mainly higher
education institutions. Most internet subscribers are commercial businesses. In general, 80% of the internet
business serves customers in Nairobi. There are over 80 licensed cybercafés throughout the country.
There is the usual mix of private, public and NGO supported telecentres across Kenya, for example, the Arid
Lands Information Network manages community knowledge centres, known as Maarifa centres. The centres
play a catalytic role in offering appropriate information and documentation of local knowledge.li Most recently,
the government are looking at supporting local entrepreneurs to set up ICT and media centres in low access
areas, with a mixture of loans, bandwidth guarantees and relevant content – i.e. online government services
and national information portals. One of the anchor projects of the National ICT Board is the creation of Pasha
Centres, a combination of cyber-café and training centre. It is expected that 63 of these centres will be opened
by 2011, the simplest providing basic services but more advanced centres with a full range of training, access and
entertainment facilities.lii
Pasha centres are designed to reach rural areas that have not yet got connectivity. The services include different
types of training, video, cheap internet phone services, media facilities and government e-services such as the
payment of taxes online; legal and constitutional information; and digitised land and vehicle registrations. These
centres are set up by entrepreneurs funded by loans from a government revolving fund, building on the success
of other information services such as Safaricom’s M-Pesa mobile banking service, which has over 7,000 agents
across the country. A national information portal has been launched to provide relevant digital content for
Kenyansliii, and the initiative is partnered with Cisco, Google and Microsoft.
Radio and TV: 18% of household had a television set in 2006. There are hundreds of licensed radio stations, and
several television stations, across the country, many of which are local stations or community radio.
Content: The Communications Commission of Kenya’s internet market studyliv recognises the importance of
relevant content for driving internet use, and notes that the lack of relevant digital content is one of the main
factors hampering growth in the market. For example, the study states:
“The availability of locally relevant content drives internet growth the world over. For example, when the Ministry
of Education released the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education results via the web in March 2007 the
internet traffic increased drastically.”
ICT Policy
Kenya was a leader in developing ICT policy and legislation, but recent events have changed the context for
policy and legislation. The East African Marine Cable (TEAMS) system was launched in Kenya in June 2009,
bringing broadband connections to Kenya, and heralding a new converged communications landscape.
The Kenyan ICT policy was developed via a multi-stakeholder process, coordinated by the Kenya ICT Action Network
(KICTANet). A number of civil society organisations and private sector players, including media, were instrumental in
establishing the network, after lobbying for broader participation and better coordination of the Kenyan ICT policy
process. At first the key issues were universal access and breaking the monopoly in telecommunications service
provision, as well as the integration of ICT into the national economic development programme.
Civil society played a significant role in the development of ICTs by creating awareness, training, and introducing
ICT services in the early 1990s. Through the Kenya WSIS Civil Society Caucus, with a secretariat based at the Arid
Lands Information Network, civil society was able to lobby in a coordinated way in the policy development process.
The private sector lobby was also organised, through TESPOK, and these two lobby groups joined into a multi-
stakeholder network, KICTANet, in 2004. The National Rainbow Coalition launched an official draft of the country’s
ICT policy in 2005, and KICTANet coordinated civil society, private sector, media and development partners’ input
into the process, organising workshops, seminars, email debates and local forums, to collect and share comments
on the policy with the government. The network worked with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the
NCS, the CCK to finalise the ICT policy.
As a result, the ICT policy represents a broad consensus reached between the different stakeholders on most issues.
The final document was approved in 2006 and implemented through the Information and Communications Bill
2006, and a Media Bill and Code of Conduct for broadcasters. The policy is based on a long-term vision for the
ICT sector as contributor to socioeconomic development, and sets out to redefine of the roles in the sector, with
clear responsibilities for policy, market regulation, resolution of conflicts and the operation of services. The private
sector is considered the key investor in the ICT sector with profit its main incentive. The Government withdrew as
an investor through the privatisation of the telecommunications service provider.
However, despite the multi-stakeholder networking and consensus building, there is still a need for greater, more active
participation of the NGO and CSO (Civil Society Organisation) sector in ICT policy, as noted in the GIS Watch article:
“Civil society’s engagement with the policy processes has not been as active as the private sector’s.
And while a few CSOs engaged in the ICT sector have managed to articulate the complexities of
interactions between ICTs, poverty reduction and development, and have managed to link ICTs
to human rights and social justice, these organisations are not adequately represented. There is
also a need for civil society to engage in more outreach and mobilisation activities to include
CSOs that work in sectors other than ICTs. Currently there is a culture where many CSOs feel
they are not part of a process or do not need to act on ICT issues because they are not directly
involved in the sector. NGOs working in areas such as agriculture or human rights still do not
recognise how ICT policy impacts on their work.lv”
Kenya’s amended Communications Act (2008) includes new regulatory mechanisms for controlling online, as well
as print and other media, content. The controversial Section 88 gives the Minister of Communication powers
to search broadcasting stations and seize communication equipment, intercept and disclose communications
between people, and to intercept postal articles. The regulator, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK),
has been given the power to revoke licences and impose fines. APC note that “The exact implications for online
content are not yet clear, and just how the new legislation will affect broadband and everything that can be piped
down fibre, including television, has not been spelled out.”
Beyond the ICT policy itself, in the country’s Economic Recovery Strategy (2003-2007) the government identified
key ICT-related goals. These include:
• investing in adequate ICT education and training;
• reviewing the legal framework to encourage the adoption and use of e-commerce;
• implementing tax reductions and tax incentives on software and hardware to make them affordable to micro-
enterprises and low-income earners; and
• establishing an inter-ministerial committee to incorporate ICT into government operations.
The government also published an e-government strategy in 2004 that aims to use ICTs to “transform government
operations and promote democracy” (Government of Kenya, 2004).

The Kenya Communications Act No. 2 of 1998 unbundled the Kenya Postal and Telecommunications Corporation
(KPTC) into five separate entities:
• The Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) is the independent regulatory authority for the communications
industry in Kenya. Its role is to license and regulate telecommunications, radio and postal services in Kenya.
• The National Communications Secretariat (NCS) serves as the policy advisory arm of the government on all
matters pertaining to the information and communications sector;
• The fixed-line operator, Telkom;
• The Postal Corporation of Kenya (POSTA); and
• The Communications Appeals Tribunal.
Set up in February 2007, the Kenya ICT Board has a four-fold mandate that encompasses: marketing Kenya as a
business process outsourcing destination; advising the Government on the development of the ICT sector in the
country; providing skilled capacity for the achievement of ICT projects for development; and managing key ICT
projects, such as the Pasha centres.
ICT and education

Kenya has a sophisticated ICT in Education Strategy and Implementation Plan. It is embedded in the national ICT
policy and was developed through a consultative process with stakeholders. The plan has costing estimates, time
lines with measurable outcomes, and specified lead agencies. Support is widespread. The national ICT policy
states that government will encourage “…the use of ICT in schools, colleges, universities and other educational
institutions in the country so as to improve the quality of teaching and learning.”
The policy suffers constraints in terms of human capacity and infrastructure deficits in the country, but counts on
strong collaborative support. Some of the other key partners are:
• The Network Initiative for Computers in Education (NICE), a consortium of NGOs involved in ICT in the
education sector, and other NGOs are implementing partners of the strategy.
• The Kenya ICT Trust Fund was formed in 2004, with the aim of spearheading ICT initiatives in education, to
facilitate public-private partnerships that will mobilise and provide ICT resources to Kenyan public schools and
community resource and learning centres.

• ICT Board http://www.ict.go.ke
• Ministry of Communicaiton and Information http://www.information.go.ke/indexphp? option=com_content&
task=view&id=239&Itemid=370
• Information portal http://www.information.go.ke/
• Kenya Communications Commission (CCK) http://www.cck.go.ke/home/index.asp
• APC page for Kenya http://rights.apc.org/africa/index.shtml?apc=s21843e_1
• PanAfri wiki page for Kenya http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Kenya
• KICTAnet http://www.kictanet.or.ke/
© Plan Kenya ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT strategically to support Plan’s work. 78
Plan’s current work

on ICT4D in Africa
This section is based on information pulled from country programme plans and progress reports, as
well as information from the workshops, where participants mapped their current work using ICTs.
Summary of Plan’s ICT work
Promoting child rights and participation through media

In West Africa, Plan has developed strong work using radio to raise awareness of child rights and the responsibilities
of children and adults to protect and uphold them. “I Am a Child but I Have Rights Too” is a weekly radio programme
produced and broadcast by public, private and community radio stations in nine West African countries: Burkina
Faso, Guinea, Togo, Mali, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Benin, Niger and Cameroon. The programmes include plays
and sketches produced by children and actors, interviews, debates and competitions. Stories promote the right to go
to school, access clean drinking water, good health, protection from violence and so on. For example, Plan Cameroon
partnered with Cameroon Radio Television Corporation to broadcast the programme, and provided training for radio
hosts, local NGOs and young people for both contributions and monitoring of the programmes.
Kids Waves, another weekly child rights programme broadcast on radio stations across the region, has developed out
of this work. These programmes are prepared and hosted by children, allowing children and young people across the
region to express themselves and provide entertainment whilst raising awareness of child rights and the associated
responsibilities. Plan Mali supports the programme and trains children on radio animation. In Senegal Kids Waves runs
in collaboration with the national public broadcaster as well as a number of community and rural radio stations to be in
closer touch with local communities. A TV version of this project is currently being developed there too.
Youth Empowerment Through Arts and Media (YETAM) seeks to give youth the skills and tools to communicate
about issues impacting on their lives and engage in the community development process and beyond. The project
operates in Senegal, Mali, Cameroon, Rwanda, Kenya, Ghana and Mozambique. Using mapping, participatory
video, visual and performing arts, young people aged 12-18 work in teams to identify and analyse issues that affect
their lives, produce arts and media about them and develop local action plans to raise awareness and support to resolve
them. In YETAM, arts and media are a starting point to raise issues and youth viewpoints with community, district and
national leaders and the public, and to advocate for change. The materials produced by young people are posted on
the web so that the public can learn more about issues and get involved.
In addition to the more traditional arts and media, YETAM trains youth on new technology including mobile technology
and applications, internet, social media, Flip cameras, video production, editing and digital mapping. These social
media components are key to allowing young people a space in global debates and to enter directly into dialogue.
In Mozambique, Plan is looking for ways to link YETAM to other ongoing projects and processes, such as the child
savings project, and sexual reproductive education for primary level two. In Cameroon, integration with a project with
the Baka in the North is being considered also.
The Going Further project builds on existing music and radio work in Senegal to explore new ways to use media
and ICT to raise awareness about and promote children’s rights. Training has also been provided for children on
communication techniques and child rights. They have used radio and other communication channels such as theatre,
to promote key behaviours for children’s survival. Plan Ghana also have several other projects promoting greater
communication with and between young people, including ‘Girls Making Media’ project, Tumu Radio which is part of
the Upper West region education programme, and the ‘What’s Up Let’s Talk’ TV project.
In East Africa, Plan Uganda have been using radio talk shows to raise awareness of child rights issues, including
one on orphaned and vulnerable children, and one on gender-based violence. Plan Kenya, in addition to their work
with YETAM, supported a radio series “Sauti ya Watoto”, meaning “The Voice of Children”, broadcast by the Kenya
Broadcasting Corporation as well as radio programmes for children to share their experiences of post election violence
and advocate for peace.
Campaigning and
awareness raising
What is: CROWDSOURCING
As part of the Learn Without Fear
campaign, many Plan country programmes Crowdsourcing means bringing the ideas and inputs
in Africa are using ICTs to overcome barriers of lots of different individuals together in one place.
of reporting violence against children and Typically it is used to refer to online spaces, such
abuses of children’s rights. Plan Benin as Ushahidi (www.ushahidi.org), which brings data
staff are piloting the use SMS reporting sent from individuals’ mobile phones onto maps and
(using FrontlineSMS) and digital mapping webpages to show an overall picture or analysis.
and crowdsourcing (using Ushahidi) to
strengthen reporting, tracking and response
to violence against children at local and national levels. The campaign in Senegal organised a demonstration,
and provided people with materials such as CD-ROMs and magazines to raise public awareness of the impact of
violence at school.
In several countries, Plan has supported helplines for children to report and talk about violence and rights abuses.
In Kenya, Plan worked with the government and Childline Kenya to establish a free 24-hour helpline for children
to report violence. The most common forms of violence reported are neglect, physical abuse and sexual violence.
In Mozambique, a toll-free line has been set up to report cases and offer counselling and referral services. The
helpline service is also the basis for policy advocacy and campaigning for anti trafficking and domestic violence
laws. Efforts are currently ongoing to bring mobile operators onboard to ensure free access through mobile
networks. Such helplines have also been supported by Plan in Uganda and Senegal.
Providing access to important information

In Tororo, Uganda Plan has been working with partners to improve young people’s access to information on
sexual and reproductive health. Plan provide equipment, technical support and training for young people to use
the internet to access information and empower themselves to better manage their reproductive health. Plan
Kenya runs a similar project, in partnership with AfriAfya, called “Harnessing ICT for Community Health”. The
project applies ICT and multimedia to provide access to quality, relevant and practical health and development
information, mostly through Primary and Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) schools.
In Ghana Plan use the radio to ensure that farmers have access to the latest prices for their crops and in Uganda
Plan support the use of ICTs to improve farmers’ access to reliable weather information.
Supplying computer equipment and training

In partnership with the local women’s group and children’s clubs, Plan Senegal has been supporting a cyber
project in Medina Gounass commune, Dakar. The project has supplied a children’s club with 6 computers
and accessories, provided electronic and traditional games and organised internet training for 25 children’s
associations. Children were part of the procurement process. Plan Senegal also provided computer equipment
and educational materials to schools and children’s organisations promoting the rights of the child through the
TELNET project, reaching 7,000 students at primary and secondary levels.
In several countries, Plan collaborates with ICT capacity for the education system. Plan Cameroon has provided
ICT training for basic education inspectors and head teachers, with specific focus on management of education
information and school evaluation systems. Plan Senegal is providing ICT equipment for the district education
directorate to enable better management of children’s information. Plan Ghana, despite their reliance on radio
for information and communication work, are now piloting an ICT telecentre approach linked to school resource
centres. Notwithstanding the serious drawbacks such as connectivity costs, sustainability, maintenance, and
literacy, this is considered important not least because ICT is part of the curriculum. Children are learning about
ICT without equipment, only seeing computers in books. The pilot ICT centres are used by schools during the
day and then for training and internet cafe use for a small fee in the afternoon/evening. It is hoped that in this
way they may pay for themselves in the long run.
Enabling feedback and learning

Plan Uganda provided funding, technical support and internet connectivity for the Partners in Learning Project, which
links communities in Uganda (Mbula) and Ireland to exchange knowledge and learn from each others’ experiences.
In Cameroon, Plan supports the development of local newsletters, with the participation of young people, to share
information and also to report to sponsors. The progress report states that “Children are writing articles and drawing for
the “EYEKE-Y’OR” and “Planète Jeune” magazines. Sponsorship communications have become a tool for development
education in Esse”. As part of the YETAM project, blogging has also started by youth and partners.
Gathering data
Senegal is one Plan office using a global online system called ChildData with digital cameras, to collect, organise
and store data, making it more accessible to staff and reducing the use of paper. They have also used the existing
computer systems to connect and enable sharing of documents between programme units and central functions.
They also use mobile phones and cameras to collect data for sponsorship, situation analyses and monitoring and
evaluation purposes.
Communicating Plan’s work

For example, Plan Ghana have produced video documentaries about their work for broadcast on
national television, including a recent documentary on village savings and loans associations and a
TV programme produced to share the objectives, beneficiaries and achievements of a pilot urban
child media project. Some sponsorship staff have also been using their mobile phones to collect
and share information for sponsors. Plan Senegal also pointed out the use of mobiles and cameras
to document events and learning. Plan Uganda also mentioned using video to document and share
good practice for their own research.
Organising and staying informed:

In all Plan offices staff have access to computers and the internet, and in many cases this is considered a
base for connectivity in communities. Plan staff use their mobile phones to organise their work and connect
with stakeholders and local leaders, keeping abreast of developments and organising meetings. Senegal staff
noted that this saves them a lot of time and enables closer communication, but there are many setbacks, as not
everyone has a mobile phone, people can have difficulties reading text and, ultimately, the culture respects and
responds to physical presence much more than telephone conversations.
Case study: B
reaking the silence
on violence against
children in Benin
Commonly in Benin, acts of violence against children go unreported. In a culture where elders are to be respected
and obeyed, it is difficult for children to report abuses – especially where they fear reprisal and stigma, lack of
interest or ineffective responses. Difficulties in communication and access to relevant authorities, and lack of
awareness or political will to motivate appropriate responses, undermine further attempts to increase reporting.
Even when violence against children is reported, national response and judicial systems in many countries don’t
do a good job of addressing it. Plan Benin are experimenting with the use of SMS and websites for reporting,
mapping and responding to child violence, to help overcome the culture of silence which surrounds violence
against children. It is hoped that, considering young people’s growing access to mobile phones, the provision of
an anonymous, impersonal and rapid reporting mechanism will help to overcome this problem and make it easier
for children to speak out.
How does it work, and what does it do?

Under the new system, anyone that experiences or witnesses violence against children can send a text message
from their mobile phone to a special number, and through an application called Frontline SMS1 this event will
appear on a map on the website of Plan partner Ushahidi2. Children can also choose to email the website
and upload audio or video themselves, giving more substance to statistics and better understand attitudes
towards violence. Plan Benin has trained young people to use video and audio to document violence and to take
testimonials from other youth and community members, to generate dialogue around the causes and practices
of violence. These materials, uploaded to the website, can also enable young people to connect and share their
realities, challenges and accomplishments with others outside their communities.
The website will be carefully monitored by a trained administrator, who will verify each case. The website
administrator, with support from government and local partners, will ensure that children who report abuse
are referred to appropriate support by the relevant institution. SMS can alert local authorities quickly and help
improve response. For now, Plan staff are managing and administrating the system as well as acting as liaison
points to ensure timely responses to reported cases. When a case reported in a particular community, Plan staff 1. w
ww.frontlinesms.
for that community and child protection services, as well as the local police, are automatically alerted. These com Frontline SMS
is software that
authorities have the mandate and training to verify the cases and provide follow up. However, the aim is that allows you to use
eventually the system will be managed by national public authorities, with support from a range of government your laptop or PC
agencies and NGOs working to protect children. and mobile phone
for two-way group
But the aims of the system are wider than the tracking and responses to individual cases of abuse and violence. It is messaging - sending
also hoped to be an advocacy and awareness-raising tool. The idea is that the more people report cases of violence and receiving text
against children, the more information is available, and the more analysis is possible on the scale and nature of the messages from
a large number
problem. Youth groups, Plan and partners will be able to use the statistics gathered to raise awareness of the severity of people. It has
of the problem, and advocate for the necessary resources to prevent and deal with it. Mapping is a visual tool that been used by
children and youth can use to advocate for an end to cultural practices that allow for violence against them. And the NGOs and CBOs
awareness itself may promote greater vigilance and reporting, reducing the incidence of violence and ensuring that around the world
for communication
those suffering abuses are quickly given the care and support they need. around a huge variety
of themes and issues.
The website includes
some case studies to
set your imagination
Connecting and supporting people and creativity going.
to stop violence against children 2. w
ww.ushahidi.com
Ushahidi has used
While the Plan system of mobiles connecting to a website is itself new, it connects to existing structures and similar systems to
mechanisms for reporting violence against children, rather than replacing or undermining them. In this way it map violence during
seeks to improve access to, bolster and connect up the existing system, strengthening public social services to elections in Kenya,
in South Africa,
ensure legitimacy and sustainability. Linda Raftree, Plan’s adviser on media and ICTs in West Africa, noted that: Gaza and Pakistan,
“The system reflects real information and communication flows on the ground, the roles of the different actors to monitor elections
– including youth – are clear, it can add value to local structures and initiatives, and it could be sustainable and in India and Sudan
potentially scaled into a national level system in Benin and possibly other countries.” and keep track of aid
efforts in Haiti.
Working closely to complement and support public services, including the Ministry of Family and Child Protection
Services, is important to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to deal with the increase in reported cases of
violence. Putting in place a system like this raises the expectations of young people that their concerns will be
listened to, and that reported cases will be dealt with. But if there is not the capacity to meet increases in demand
for these services, people will be disillusioned and may decide not to bother again. During the pilot phase, Plan
is working with district authorities, but in the long run the use of the information to advocate for more resources
is considered a more sustainable approach.
The young people participating in the initial workshops were also clear about their role, and responsibility, within
the system, which is encouraging for sustainability and ownership. It is important that they defined their roles
themselves, so that they are willing and interested, and ensuring that it is culturally acceptable and safe for them.
They wanted to work to:
• promote the SMS number for violence reporting,
• take testimonials from youth and community members on the situation of violence,
• carry out radio and poster campaigns against violence,
• lead educational sessions in schools and communities on violence and the SMS service,
• approach local leaders and decision makers to engage them in the campaign, and
• provide orientation and support to potential users of the system.
They will also monitor and feedback to the team how the system is working– what are the challenges children
and youth face in reporting by SMS, how can they be resolved, and what other factors should be considered.
Taking responsibility, and finding ways to make it work

There are many challenges for making ICT systems and programmes work where infrastructure is poor. Many
people who wish to report may not have a phone, or credit. The electricity may be down, creating problems
uploading to the website. And in the case of Benin, it was difficult to find a phone suitable for running frontline –
not because they are out of date but in fact quite the opposite - they were too modern! However, none of these
problems were considered insurmountable.
For people to report incidents they need access to a mobile phone – with credit. Though Plan Benin is talking to
mobile operators and government about getting a freephone number set up, young people who were consulted
about the usability of the system acknowledged that there is always a way to do it: borrow a phone or ask a
friend for help. As Anastasie Koudoh, the regional coordinator for the programme pointed out: “This is not
only happening here in one community or one district. This is a problem that we all share, and we all have a
responsibility to do something about.”
Internet connections and electricity supplies are always a challenge, and usually out of our hands to control, but
with some workarounds like using mobile internet as a backup, and a degree of patience, the system did work
under local conditions. The Ushahidi system is being managed from two Plan district offices with good internet
connections, but it may be more of a challenge when it is passed to local authorities to manage.
Capacity to use, and develop, the system

The scope and usefulness of the system itself depends a lot on the capacity of administrators to use and develop
it creatively, and overcome glitches and problems. Staff members are starting to see the potential for their
work, whether to follow up on individual cases or use sorted and aggregated data. There is a lot more learning
to be done on how to get the best out of Frontline SMS and Ushahidi, including exploration of existing add-on
functions, to try to meet these needs. The team are currently looking into how the status of individual cases and
incidents can be tracked and closed, with information about how it was resolved.
As the system is being rolled out, the team are finding more problems. Many users try to call instead of text
the number, or request a call back, perhaps because of literacy issues or because they are used to calling not
texting into helplines, and they may expect to talk to a live person. Many are not using the keyword “ALT” in
their text messages, meaning that the information is not being automatically mapped onto the Ushahidi site.
Other messages are too vague to be able to identify and find the victim, and many people are not following the
suggested format. However, the team feel that this will improve with time, and more sensitisation work.
Protecting victims, witnesses and data

One very thorny problem is the conflict between the need for privacy and protection of victims and witnesses of
violence on the one hand, and the need to raise awareness and share information on the other. Of course there
are tried and tested ways of dealing with and resolving this conflict, but these require good understanding of
the laws on data protection, the needs of victims and witnesses, and the operation of the system. Linda Raftree
describes the challenge thus: “Can we capture all the information that comes in, yet scrub it before publication on
Ushahidi so that it doesn’t identify the victim or alleged perpetrators, yet keep it in a file for the local authorities
to follow up and respond? And a second challenge: If everyone knows everything that happens in the community,
how can we ensure privacy and confidentiality for those who report?”
While the first issue is a question of looking into the functionality and potential of the system to enable some
information to remain private, the second requires sensitivity and careful facilitation. Project staff are consulting
with children and youth to identify ways to ensure confidentiality at the community level.
References
i - The Mobiles for Development Guide is available here: http://mobileactive.org/

research/mobiles-development-how-mobile-technologies-can-enhance-plan-
and-partners-work-africa
ii - A selection of frameworks for designing and implementing ICT for Development
projects is included in Tuulia Virhiä’s 2010 Masters’ dissertation: “Design
Framework for Sustainable Mobile Services in Developing Countries”.
iii - F or more information and insights on the project and process see: http://
lindaraftree.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/finding-some-ict-answers-in-benin/
iv - For more information and insights on the project and process see: http://
lindaraftree.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/modernizing-birth-registration-with-
mobile-technology/
v - For more information and insights on the project and process see: http://
lindaraftree.wordpress.com/2010/01/11/an-example-of-youth-led-community-
change-in-mali/ or the virtual village website: www.virtual-villages.org
vi - For examples, see Plan’s Mobiles for Development Guide(Beardon 2009)
vii - The Mobiles for Development Guide is available here: http://mobileactive.org/
research/mobiles-development-how-mobile-technologies-can-enhance-plan-
and-partners-work-africa
viii - Many of these exercises were adapted from the Reflect ICT methodology,
available here: www.actionaid.org.uk/1413/ict_for_development_
empowerment_or_exploitation.html
ix - mobileactive.org/research/mobiles-development-how-mobile-technologies-can-
enhance-plan-and-partners-work-africa
x - http://lindaraftree.wordpress.com
xi - www.alnap.org/pool/files/8rhach3.pdf
xii - mobileactive.org/research/mobiles-development-how-mobile-technologies-can-
enhance-plan-and-partners-work-africa
xiii - See the relevant blog post from Linda Raftree: http://lindaraftree.blogspot.
com/2009/10/its-all-part-of-ict-jigsaw-plan.html
xiv - See http://www.apc.org/en/projects/communication-influence-central-east-
and-west-afri
xv - www.itu.int
xvi - http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/cmr_ict.pdf
xvii - www.infodev.org
xviii - www.itu.int
xix - http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/mli_ict.pdf World Bank Mali ICT data at a
glance
xx - w
ww.infodev.org Survey of ICT and Education in Africa: ICT and Education in
Mali by Babacar Fall
xxi - «Selected Snapshots of the 12,000 CLIC Clients» www.dot-com-alliance.org/
newsletter/article.php?article_id=113
xxii - www.iicd.org/projects/mali-icd
xxiii - Factors Influencing ICT Adoption from survey of ICT and education in
Africa: Mozambique country report By shafika Isaacs www.infodev.org/en/
Document.419.pdf
xxiv - www.researchictafrica.net/new/images/uploads/ria-policy-paper_ict-access-
and-usage-2008.pdf
xxv - www.infopol.gov.mz/
xxvi - w
ww.idrc.ca/ Lessons learned from the Mozambique ICT policy process.
xxvii - For more information on Schoolnet Mozambique www.mec.gov.mz/img/
documentos/brochura.pdf and on the current status of Schoolnet: www.mec.
gov.mz/dep.php?p=56
xxviii - For more information: www.cieum.org.mz or www.micti.co.mz
xxix - http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/sen_ict.pdf
xxx - http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=24335&URL_DO=DO_
TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
xxxi - New information and communications technologies: challenges and
opportunities for the Senegalese economy by Gaye Daffé and Mamadou
Dansokho, 2002 http://tinyurl.com/2evo8ct
xxxii - Olivier Sagna, Information and Communications Technologies and Social
Development in Senegal: An Overview www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/
(httpPublications)/63CFC0D257A25E5980256B81005E2C17?OpenDocum
ent quoted in www1.american.edu/initeb/ib2769a/National_Policy.html IT
landscape in Senegal website.
xxxiii - From www.infodev.org/en/Publication.390.html ICT in Education in Cameroon
Briefing paper
xxxiv - http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/uga_ict.pdf
xxxv - Tusubira et al (2005)
xxxvi - (Towards an African e-Index) quoted in PanAfri wiki
xxxvii - www.idrc.ca/en/ev-93066-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html women and ICT in Uganda
xxxviii - Global Information Society Watch Uganda report www.giswatch.org/en/
node/606 (Wougnet)
xxxix - From www.infodev.org/en/Document.435.pdf ICT in Education in Uganda
Briefing paper
xl - www.itu.int
xli - http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/cmr_ict.pdf
xlii - www.itu.int/ITU-D/study_groups/SGP_2006-2010/events/Case_Library_old/
africa/CAMERON.PDF
xliii - See www.africaden.net/spip.php?rubrique9
xliv - www.antic.cm/IMG/pdf/Cameroun_National_ICT_Policy_10-03-2008.pdf
xlv - Gillwald, A. (Ed.) (2005). Towards an African e-Index. Household and Individual
ICT Access and Usage in 10 African Countries. Johannesburg: The Link Centre.
xlvi - www.uneca.org/aisi/nici/Documents/1rst%20DRAFT%20NICI%202004.pdf
xlvii - www.antic.cm/IMG/pdf/Cameroun_National_ICT_Policy_10-03-2008.pdf
xlviii - From www.infodev.org/en/Publication.390.html ICT in Education in Cameroon
Briefing
xlix - http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/ken_ict.pdf
l - www.cck.go.ke/UserFiles/File/SECTOR_STATISTICS_REPORT_Q2_0809.pdf
CCK statistics 2008/09
li - www.alin.or.ke/CKC%20Pullout%20EDITED.pdf
lii - www.balancingact-africa.com/news/back/balancing-act_456.html
liii - www.information.go.ke/
liv - www.cck.go.ke/internet_market_study/
lv - www.giswatch.org/files/pdf/GISW_Kenya.pdf
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Photo Cover : © Linda Raftree

Checklist for planning strategic use of ICTs.................................................................. 9

Stage 2: Finding a match between priorities and possibilities.................................23

Stage 3: Planning and implementing concrete initiatives......................................... 31

Stage 4: Building a culture of systematic,

Country ICT Briefings.................................................................................................... 53

Plan’s current work on ICT4D in Africa...................................................................... 79

Ever since new information and

A strategic approach to ICT for Development

Information and communication - central themes in Plan’s work:

Of course, when you are used to using

Checklist for planning

4 • Undertaking a participatory communications

Development programmes aim to reduce poverty and inequality, so it is essential to understand

1.1 The external context:

the communities where ICTs are to

Partnering for real priorities:

Finding out what is possible, and what could be:

Being aware and prepared:

Breaking the silence: supporting responses to child

Registering children for their rights in Kenyaiv

Young people express themselves, and make

Lessons learned: integrated ICT can be sustainable

Making the most of ICT: needs or tools first?

Protecting and reinforcing rights:

In line with Plan’s rights-based and child- Thinking about:

Roles Policy Access Content Training

Ideas and suggestions:

Theme Country Suggestion ICT Strategy

ICT Enabled Development: Using ICT strategically to support Plan’s work. 30

Thinking about: setting up a new ICT system

their culture does not allow them to handle

Thinking about: the communications context

Not just accessible: useful and beneficial

Thinking about: overcoming local obstacles

Monitoring development, and ICTs:

or how many hits on a website, but in ICT-enabled work

3.3 Technical issues

Data and child protection issues:

Thinking about: ICT

4.1 Linking ICT with programmes:

Fitting ICT to existing problems, and opportunities:

of identification of tools, partnerships,

Building common understanding

enables information flow and communication.” Another participant from Mozambique

Some recommendations for bridging the gap

Supporting the change in country offices

4.3 Building expertise of the cultural

Opportunities and constraints for ICT4D in Africa

Policies and regulations: the operating

Strong, early promotion of ICTs makes a difference:

ICT as enabler – or generator – of development

Good intentions, stark realities:

Salim’s ICT4D advice part 1:

August 1, 2010 by Linda Raftree

Salim Mvurya, Plan Kwale’s District Area Manager

Salim’s ICT4D advice part 2:

August 1, 2010 by Linda Raftree

Salim (left) with Solomon in Kinango community.

Any last advice for development organisations around integration of ICTs?

Country ICT Briefings

Ghana ICT briefing

4 • Undertaking a participatory communications

4.3 Building expertise of the cultural

Opportunities and constraints for ICT4D in Africa

• PanAfri wiki page for Cameroon http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Cameroon

i - The Mobiles for Development Guide is available here: http://mobileactive.org/