Christopher Chepken

ICTD interventions: trends over the last decade

In this study, we examine Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) technology interventions that have been developed over the last decade. The purpose is to provide a snapshot of the trends that have characterized ICT4D technology interventions from the period starting 1995 to 2010. This paper presents three general dimensions i.e. ICTs, development and research which are further broken down into seven variables used to categorize projects over this period. The seven variables include: telecommunication, terminal device, target group, domain area, region, research methods and discipline. Results suggest that applied research stood out as the methodology of choice; health and education as the most researched areas; hand-held interventions as the most popular choice of solutions; and Computer Science, Informatics and Information Systems as the disciplines that offer ICT4D technology interventions. Consequently, we argue that these trends will facilitate understanding the past performance of ICT4D, both as an academic field and as an area of development practice, and identify defining ideas on the potential directions for the future.

Mobile Blogging System

The mobile blogging system involves remotely updating a web site from a mobile phone. It represents an attempt to bring reality closer to the end-user via sending text messages to a Web site. Today in Africa communication is hampered by lack of adequate physical infrastructure this may include: poorly constructed road networks, limited access to electricity and unreliable telecommunication infrastructure. These issues affect the coverage of news events that occur in remote and highly insecure areas. With todays mobile phones almost anyone can create text messages about an occurrence in their environment in order to deliver news worthy stories in real time as they unfold. This paper documents the work done on creating a service that makes it possible to share news events with the world by allowing a user to submit, delete and edit text messages from a mobile phone and these actions are automatically reflected on a Web site on the Internet. It is noted that the outcome of the work undertaken was successful and useful. This service only deals with text messages and it is recommended that more work should be done to incorporate other forms of multi-media for example pictures, sound and video.

Revisitant les facteurs affectant l’utilisation des Tics sur l’information relative aux intrants agricoles par les paysans dans les pays en voie de développement

Malgre une exposition des paysans aux Tics sur l’information de production agricole, la contribution de ceux-ci dans ce domaine n’est encore satisfaisante. Par consequent, une etude a ete menee pour informer notre audience sur les facteurs affectant l’utilisation de ces Tics par une revision des Tics et les articles publies sur ces Tics en utilisant la Theorie Ancree. Les facteurs avantage relatif, compatibilite, simplicite, l’influence sociale, observabilite, alphabetisation, savoir-faire Tics et qualite de l’information affectent positivement l’utilisation de ces Tics tandis que et le cout excessif des Tics affectent negativement leurs utilisations.Despite farmers’ exposition to ICTs on agricultural input information, their contribution to the access and use of agricultural input information is far from expectation. This study therefore, reviewed these ICTs in developing countries to extract the factors that affect ICTs’ adoption by small-scale famers using the Grounded Theory. The factors Relative Advantage, Compatibility, Simplicity, Social Influence, Observability, Literacy, ICTs’ Skills were identified as affecting positively ICTs’ use while the High Cost was identified as negatively affecting these ICTs.