Up-scaling pro-poor ICT-policies and practices: a review of experience with emphasis on low income countries in Asia and Africa

This report looks at the use of ICT for poverty reduction and as its potential and limitations at the grassroots, national, and global levels. It identifies parallels and differences in the use of ICT for poverty reduction in Sub-Saharan Africa and low income countries of Asia. The key questions for the paper are:

• how to mainstream ICTs?: regulatory and policy environment, sector, facilitator) in national poverty reduction strategies?
• how to give poor people a stronger voice at all levels of decision making by using ICTs?
• opportunity: how to enhance income generation by the poor through ICT?
• security: how to up-scale formal and informal education of the poor by the use of ICT?
• what pro-poor ICT regulations and policies (including free/open source software) are required for up-scaling ICT for poverty reduction?

It argues that up-scaling the use of ICT to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs requires additional investment and resource mobilization. National ICT licensing obligations should be accompanied by funding mechanisms to mobilise finances for community initiatives, and to address the financing gap for small and medium ICT start-up businesses. The deployment of ICTs increases effectiveness and efficiency in reaching the MDGs whatever the resources available. Mainstreaming ICTs pays off even when budgets are stagnating or shrinking.

The way forward towards up-scaling pro-poor ICT policies and practices faces significant challenges during the transition phase in the development of national strategies. These include:

• retaining local ownership, capacity building in local communities, adaptation to the local contexts, developing sustainable business models, and defining the level of institutional and public sector support. Successful up-scaling requires action at different levels
• advocacy at all levels, particularly the bringing together of development and technology specialists, is key for up-scaling poverty reduction through ICTs. The added value of declarations and advocacy statements, including the Chennai Statement , depends on the extent to which they are heard by governments, civil society and the private sector regionally, nationally and locally. In particular, the younger generation should be reached.
• global coalitions advancing empowerment, opportunity and security of people in poverty, including fostering gender equality, education, health and democracy, are an effective and efficient channel for taking up-scaling concerns forward. In particular, intensifying South-South networking and dialogue should be pursued.
• South-South exchanges and partnerships can be an efficient and effective way of learning. Comparable contexts and challenges create empathy and facilitate the transfer of knowledge. The MSSRF is using a successful model: a travelling workshop that directly links the Indian grassroots experience with the experience of the workshop participants from other countries and continents.
• building multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSP) to take advantage of the complementary roles of governments, the private sector, and civil society. This is a priority in implementing an inclusive Information Society based on the WSIS’ vision and inspired by the Millennium Declaration. Multi-stakeholder partnerships are a promising and appropriate response to the complexity of tasks, to the need for resources, to scaling up, and to the fact that development is a shared responsibility.

[adapted from author]