Practical Insights on ICT4D

what is ICT4D?

What is ICT4D?

Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D) is the use of digital solutions to magnify the intent of communities to accelerate their social and economic development.

Information and communication technologies (ICT) include hardware, software, content, and the design and implementation methodologies required for their successful adoption. ICT4D employs all technology interventions that can assist poor and marginalized people. Radio, television, mobile phones, artificial intelligence, blockchain, UAV drones, and geographic information systems are common digital tools.

Who Uses ICT4D Solutions?

ICT4D advisors use digital development approaches to deploy cutting-edge innovations in the world’s more difficult environments. They work to reduce the digital divide in education, healthcare, agriculture, and civil society. Advisors  ensure equitable access to information and communication technologies around the world, minimizing disparities in gender, geography, and wealth.

Experts in ICT4D solutions work for major donors, like USAID, DFID, and the Gates Foundation, their implementing partner organizations, and humanitarian aid organizations. They also work in national and local governments, and the private sector.

What Are ICT4D Solutions?

ICTs are deploying in multiple sectors to improve international development outcomes. Here are the three most popular ICT4D solution areas:

  • Healthcare: Mobile phone applications can help patients self-diagnose their ailments using the camera, microphone, or other sensor. Front line health workers can use electronic medical records to track patients, and healthcare managers employ big data and algorithms to see disease patterns at national scale.
  • Education: Students read eBooks to improve their reading ability while teachers employ computer-assisted adaptive testing to understand learner needs. School headmasters leverage educational management information systems to predict learning solutions.
  • Agriculture: Farmers work with drones and GIS to modernize farming practices taught by extension agents trained in online learning programs. Ministries estimate crop yields with real-time satellite data.

Examples of ICT4D Solutions

ICTworks is constantly researching emerging ICT4D programs to identify successful interventions and share lessons learned with our growing readership. You can learn more about impactful projects in the expanding list below:

Register Now for ICTD 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa

Register Now for ICTD 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa

Published on: Oct 28 2013 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on Register Now for ICTD 2013 in Cape Town, South Africa
The continued growth of the ICT4D field and surrounding community has led to many participants organising and coordinating their efforts in order to learn and...
The ICT4D Funding Conundrum And Why Pilotitis Needs to Change

The ICT4D Funding Conundrum And Why Pilotitis Needs to Change

Published on: Oct 25 2013 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on The ICT4D Funding Conundrum And Why Pilotitis Needs to Change
I am Erica Hagen and in a recent post, I talked about how effective feedback loops are close to being realized in Dar es Salaam. In this post, I discuss the challenges...
Please Stop Using the Term “Beneficiaries” in ICT4D

Please Stop Using the Term “Beneficiaries” in ICT4D

Published on: Oct 23 2013 by Wayan Vota - 15 Comments
  We do it every day. We refer to the people we are working with as “beneficiaries”. For years, I used this term as well, but I’ve stopped....
7 Ways We Can Scale ICT4D Pilotitis

7 Ways We Can Scale ICT4D Pilotitis

Published on: Oct 09 2013 by Wayan Vota - 8 Comments
One overarching theme from the recent Mobiles! Conference was the need to get past pilotitis – the too many small projects that never scale, dying the day...
Why is Human-Centered Design Important to ICT4D?

Why is Human-Centered Design Important to ICT4D?

Published on: Aug 14 2013 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
Adele Waugaman recently interviewed Danny Alexander and Sean Hewens of IDEO.org around the use of Human Centered Design in ICT4D for the blog series Best Practice...
How Can ICTs Shape the Future of Myanmar?

How Can ICTs Shape the Future of Myanmar?

Published on: Jul 24 2013 by Aaron Mason - Comments Off on How Can ICTs Shape the Future of Myanmar?
Technologically speaking, Myanmar has had it rough. With a history of human rights violations and a military-controlled government, access to technology has been...
What Are Best Practices in ICT4D?

What Are Best Practices in ICT4D?

Published on: Jul 10 2013 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
My name is Neelley Hicks and I am the Director of ICT4D Initiatives at the communications agency of The United Methodist Church. I had the dubious distinction...
The Challenges of Illiteracy and ICT Training in Bhutan

The Challenges of Illiteracy and ICT Training in Bhutan

Published on: Jun 21 2013 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on The Challenges of Illiteracy and ICT Training in Bhutan
Bhutan’s timeline is unique: formal education was introduced there in 1960, Internet and TV were introduced in 1999, and democracy was introduced in 2008. Because...
Human-Centered Design Approaches in ICT4D

Human-Centered Design Approaches in ICT4D

Published on: Jun 12 2013 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on Human-Centered Design Approaches in ICT4D
I am Adele Waugaman and recently I traveled to Dhaka, Bangladesh, for a project exploring the use of the mobile phones to amplify citizen feedback on the delivery...
6 Guidelines for Better Development Outcomes Using Social Media

6 Guidelines for Better Development Outcomes Using Social Media

Published on: May 24 2013 by Wayan Vota - Comments Off on 6 Guidelines for Better Development Outcomes Using Social Media
In the next few years, another 2 billion people will be coming online; transforming the Internet from what once was an elite network of the world’s privileged...
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