ICT in poverty reduction

28.06.2006 The current generation of young people is not afraid of technology and this should be harnessed for the development of information society in Africa.

23.06.2006 Alcan Inc. announced today that it will support the Government of Ghana's efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through a 3-year US$300,000 collaboration, which is aligned with the Company's commitment to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC).

22.06.2006 The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) announced on Wednesday the creation of an ambitious new initiative, Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS).

22.06.2006 After two days of meetings in Malaysia involving over 700 experts from around the world, the United Nations initiative to foster information and communication technologies (ICT) in developing countries has established a framework for their activities.

21.06.2006 What’s the best way to move entire towns from poverty to the middle class? Buy each and every child in the community a $100 laptop computer, said MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte at a recent conference launching the IDB’s new Building Opportunity for the Majority initiative.

21.06.2006 Speakers at a workshop on "SMB revolution and the new roadmap for technology" stressed the need for the small and medium businesses to invest in Information Technology.

21.06.2006 The newly-born Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (GAID) Tuesday vowed to narrow the digital divides between the rich and the poor around the world.

20.06.2006 The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General and Malaysia's Prime Minister today launched the Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Development at a meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

20.06.2006 The United Nations on Monday urged private businesses to help governments make information technology more accessible and affordable, especially in developing countries.

19.06.2006 According to the UN estimates, at least 11 million people in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are in crisis, making this the region’s worst drought in a decade. The impact of drought has been most severe in pastoral areas on the Ethiopia–Kenya–Somalia border, with reports of malnutrition
levels far beyond emergency thresholds.

16.06.2006 The Global Open Food and Agriculture University is a CGIAR Program for open distance learning and capacity strengthening that serves traditional and open universities in developing and developed countries.

15.06.2006 The need to enhance information flow to farmers led to the inception of the Information and Communication Support for Agricultural Growth in Nigeria Project (ICS-Nigeria). The hope is that access to information will trigger an increase in farmers’ use of agricultural technologies, which in turn will increase their productive capacity.

15.06.2006 Reliable information on water depletion for agricultural production is much needed when freshwater resources are getting scarcer. This is the case in the irrigated Indus basin.

15.06.2006 Poverty is subjective, complex, and multidimensional. While poverty is primarily about income, limited access to the necessary natural resources for agricultural production is a major constraint to poverty alleviation in the dry areas.

15.06.2006 The trial transmission of programmes for Radio Alakal, the first community radio for fisherfolk, commenced in 15 coastal villages on Monday, through a network of radio kiosks.

15.06.2006 Diaspora Nigerians in Science and Technology (DiNiSAT) has called for strategic partnership with stakeholders in Nigeria to advance the development of science and technology in the country.

14.06.2006 Microfinance is recognized as an effective development intervention in improving the livelihoods and reducing the vulnerability of poor and low-income people. While the gap between the supply and demand for microfinance services is huge, the main constraint is the lack of capacity in operating sustainable institutions, not the lack of funds.

13.06.2006 DevInfo is a database system which maintains indicators by time periods and geographic areas to monitor commitments to human development.

13.06.2006 Tanzania last week signed two credit agreements with the World Bank worth US$240million for the implementation of the 4th Poverty Reduction Support credit (PRSC 4) and the Accountability Transparency and Integrity Project (ATIP).

13.06.2006 Grameen Foundation, a global non-profit organization that combines microfinance with new technologies to empower the world's poorest people, and local GSM network operator, MTN RwandaCell, are launching Village Phone Rwanda, an innovative new joint venture.