EMPLOYING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES ICTs FOR DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

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EMPLOYING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGIES (ICTs) FOR DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT

• Chris Spence, Senior Program Officer
• NDI

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Overview

• The Internet related technologies are having a
  profound effect on social, economic and political
  institutions processes this effect has
  consequences for democracies and democratic
  development
• NDI has been doing IT Democracy programming for
  5 years, Southern Africa
• Formulating and institutionalizing a programming
  framework for effective IT initiatives
• Sharing our thinking on the Access question

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Challenges to Democratic Development

• Internet is a force for good and evil
• Ensuring that all voices are heard by providing
  access
• At first glance this appears to pose a serious
  challenge to exploiting the potential of the
  Internet for democratic development and citizen
  participation in democratic governance
• pragmatic strategies for using the Internet and
  related technologies given and in spite of the
  divide are critical in beginning to narrow the
  gap

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Toward Bridging the Divide

• For most of us it is not useful to become
  distracted by the daunting task of connecting
  everyone to the Internet
• let us move forward with pragmatic developmental
  assistance that deals with the task at
  handproviding useful support to enhance
  democratic development using Internet and related
  technologies (where appropriate) within those
  sectors of society where it is currently
  practical
• In doing so we are inevitably bridging people
  within these societies from one side of the
  divide to the other

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The Divide

• primary issues that hinder access to Internet and
  related technologies for the global (especially
  rural) populations are
• level of technology and infrastructure
• cost
• cultural, linguistic or other social barriers
  and/or
• political will in countries toward addressing
  these issues.
• However, there are thousands of important
  organizations and millions of people on the wrong
  side of the divide today in emerging
  democracies who do not necessarily face these
  issues

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The Other Divide

• These people almost certainly come from
  disconnected communities but are employed by or
  involved with organizations that could and should
  be connected
• Connecting key organisations is as/more important
  than connecting individuals
• They are not connected because they lack the
  technical and managerial competence to adequately
  plan for and procure the necessary equipment,
  systems and services
• These are areas where NDI and others can/should
  provide assistance

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The Divide Assumptions
Connected
Disconnected

• No Infrastructure
• Cost prohibitive
• Social/Cultural Constraints
• Political barriers
• Often Rural

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The Other Divide IT Skills
Connected
Disconnected

• Civil Servants
• MPs / Parl. Staff
• Companies
• NGOs/CSOs
• Political Parties

• No Infrastructure
• Cost prohibitive
• Social/Cultural Constraints
• Political barriers
• Often Rural

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The Other Divide

• For many organizations the divide lies between
  them and the local ISPs, computer vendors,
  consulting companies and IT specialists
• Although local, this divide is a difficult one to
  bridge because of the shortage of IT skills on
  the market in these countries in general (much of
  this due to brain drain)
• NDIs partners typically do not have the
  technical nor IT project management expertise to
  liaise effectively with the IT solutions
  providers about their business processes or
  requirements

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Examples

• Nigeria
• South Africa
• Namibia

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NDI Partnerships

• NDI welcomes partnership opportunities
• Technical / Deployment
• Donors interested in partnering on IT / Democracy
  initiatives