ICT only part of the answer to poverty

The use of ICT to bridge the poverty gap is controversial. The debate on it at the recent ICANN conference in Wellington is echoed in a series of books, one fully available online. The publication comes out of the Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme, a United Nations incentive that “aims to promote the development and application of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for poverty alleviation and sustainable human development in the Asia-Pacific region.” This view of ICT, as a significant part of the answer to poverty, is criticised by some as being unduly optimistic. They point out that as many as 90% of the world’s population, and nearly 99% of Africa’s population, still does not have access to the internet, and many have no access to ICT of any form, including the telephone and radio. The Global Knowledge Partnership’s book, Access, Empowerment and Governance, Creating a World of Equal Opportunities with ICT, attempts to persuade critics that its aspirations are realistic. “ICTs are not a panacea for all development challenges,” write the authors, Ingrid Hagen and Radhika Lal, in the first chapter. “The hype is over and we are fully aware of this now.” Nevertheless, they, and their fellow authors see great hope for the reach of internet communications in expanding markets and even improving real-life governance and government practice. More.

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