ICT4D Research by Africans for Africa

The Centre provides specialist research services on ICT for Development. Our professional team has extensive knowledge of the ICT for Development sector and provides research and information services tailored to meet the specific client requirements.
   
You can commission AeRC research services to conduct targeted independent research to support your organisation’s information needs.

All commissioned research undertaken by AeRC will be consistent with our commitment to confidentiality and impartiality. From time to time, AeRC will carry out non-commissioned primary research for publication.

The latest non-commissioned research undertaken by the centre is: - Rapid scan of e-Government applications in Kenya

Selected Assignments

Regional ICT Support Programme - ICT Policy Review for Tanzania

The overall objective of RICTSP is to contribute to the regional integration agenda through an effective and efficient Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) environment which will reduce the costs of trade and investment and thereby stimulate economic growth and reduce poverty. The purpose is to achieve a reduction in the digital divide by removing some of the constraints to the efficient use of ICT.

The project involved a review of the existing ICT policy to identify strengths and weaknesses based on the development objectives defined by the EAC Partner States as per the objectives defined in the EAC Treaty under Articles 98 and 99. These articles provide for the adoption of common policies in the telecommunication sector, today referred to inclusively as ICT sector, improving and maintaining of regional connectivity, tariffs harmonisation, cooperation in maintenance of communications equipments and human resources development, private sector participation and common frequency management and monitoring scheme.

The Research involved desk, online and face to face interviews with key stake holders using both structure and unstructured questionnaires: The study examined the current institutional set up with regard to the definition of respective roles for Tanzania's national ICT industry stakeholders (policy makers, regulators, civil society, operators, investors, etc), and the existence of a clear implementation plan for the Policies adopted; and the implementation of the policy in line with the stated objective. The review included;

• Infrastructure development, including broadband components
• Urban and rural access and usage of ICT services
• Urban and rural access and usage of ICT applications
• Human resources development (all levels of education)
• Facilitative measures adopted by Government (e.g. zero rating on import duties for ICT equipments), and investment incentives in the ICT sector
• Funding strategies/mechanism

e-Government Services Rapid Scan

This project was an outcome of one of the e-Government Dialogues, hosted by African eDevelopment Resource Centre in collaboration with the World Bank’s eDevelopment Thematic Group, where a request was made to the Centre to commission a rapid scan of e-Government Services and with bias on m-Government being delivered currently. The Centre commissioned Archway Technology Management to carry out a rapid scan under its supervision.

The objectives of the study was to identify m-Government Services available to the citizens; Identify areas where m-Government services can be introduced and identify opportunities for government in the ever swelling mobile penetration and use this modern and faster technology as a delivery channel for government services to the citizens including rural population.

Other objectives of the study were to study Kenya's the e-Government Strategy and identify the gains so far and the challenges. Research covered areas such as internet use within Government in Ministries and Agencies.

Report can be viewed on the African eDevelopment Library.

ICT in Education Survey

ICTs are widely believed to be important potential levers to introduce and sustain education reform efforts.  Despite evidence of increasingly widespread use of ICTs in education initiatives around the world, however, there is little guidance available for policy makers and donor staff specifically targeted at countries contemplating the use of ICTs to help countries meet the education-related Millennium Development Goals.

Despite rhetoric related to the ‘digital divide’, especially in Africa, scattered and typically uncoordinated initiatives utilizing ICTs to benefit education throughout the continent, and interest in using ICTs to help meet EFA objectives and other education-related Millennium Development Goals, there is no consolidated documentation of what is actually happening in Africa in this area.  In addition, there exists no comprehensive baseline data of the state of ICT use in education in Africa, against which future developments can be compared.

It if from this background that InfoDev and the Commonwealth of learning commissioned this survey to examine:

•     How are ICTs currently being used in the education sector in Africa, and what are the strategies and policies related to this use?
•     What are the common challenges and constraints faced by African countries in this area?
•     What is actually happening on the ground, and to what extent are donors involved?

The survey aimed at understanding how ICTs are used in the various levels of an education system: Primary education, Secondary education, Higher education, Vocational education. AeRC were contracted to survey 6 countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. The report can be downloaded from http://www.infodev.org/en/Publication.353.html