ICTworks

Technology is progressive. It is constantly changing and evolving as new components make their way into the field.

For ICT4D professionals, this should be exciting. It means that brand new tools are constantly being added to the international development arsenal. Looking back on the history of ICT4D, it is easy to see how emerging technologies helped shaped new landscapes in development. Typically, historical accounts are broken into three eras:

ICT4D 0.0:

During this period from the mid 1950s to the late 1990s, the primary focus of ICTs for development was initially within the government. At first, data processing applications were used for administrative functions in the public sector, and soon after the emergence of the microcomputer and associated software, similar applications were seen as useful for economic growth in the private sector. At this time, the PC database was the primary component of Information Technology.

ICT4D 1.0:

Two factors emerged in the 1990s that changed the landscape of the field. First, the creation of the Millennium Development Goals established specific objectives to pursue in international development. At this point, ICT4D professionals could refine projects to create solutions within specific arenas. Almost simultaneously, the internet emerged, offering free access to information across the globe. These advents led to large investments in ICT infrastructure and the set-up of telecentres where anyone could access information. Unfortunately, these projects were often rushed and poorly planned with almost no monitoring, making many of them unsustainable.

ICT4D 2.0:

A second shift occurred in the mid to late 2000s as professionals began to understand how to leverage the mobile phone for ICT4D projects. Although less often cited, the entrance of all forms of low-cost computer technologies – tablets, low-cost laptops, web 2.0 communication – played a key role in changing the field in this era. Lower cost meant better scalability. Since technology was more affordable, even the poorest individuals could take advantage and even become content providers, greatly improving sustainability of ICT4D projects. Efforts also shifted from disseminating new technology to integrating existing technology and strategizing for its best use.

What’s Next?

Thus far the transitions have followed a trend. New technology leads to new methods of implementation leads to either desirable or undesirable outcomes. It makes you wonder which game-changer will be entering the field next and if it will substantially change the way projects are implemented. Have we hit a prime model with ICT4D 2.0, where low cost technologies offer scalability, and users generate content? Will a new era, ICT4D 3.0, eventually emerge, where artificial intelligence and machine learning, reasoning, and planning change methods for project implementation?

While this remains to be determined, there is certainty that technology will continue to progress as people innovate and create. The focus, however, should not be on where the technology industry is going but instead on how the ICT4D industry reacts and responds to new tools. There is a certain hype and excitement that comes with the emergence of new technologies: a sort of “this is going to change and save the world” mentality that is felt before the technologies’ potentials and implications are fully recognized. It is vital to not get caught up in using a specific new technology simply for the sake of making use of it.

Consider public sector initiatives to promote development with mobile technology, often referred to as m______. Specific projects incorporating mobiles have been proven to be extremely effective in developing nations. Mobile technology currently holds a great deal of potential because of its ingenuity and affordability. However, rushing to implement mobile technology as a development solution without first defining and outlining the problem that the technology is intended to address puts professionals in dilemmas similar to those that arose during the ICT4D 1.0 era. Projects do not have appropriate implementation strategies mapped out, which often results in failure to sustain.

One of the most exciting aspects of the ICT4D field is in the fact that it is one of the few technology industries where professionals are not expected to immediately jump on the bandwagon with new technologies as they emerge. This field really requires individuals to step back and consider which tools existing in the arsenal are best suited to help solve a given problem. While new technologies expand this arsenal and offer feedback on best practices for implementation, their incorporation should happen only at appropriate times. Creating the best solution should always have highest priority in effective development practices.