Lena Trojer

Inclusive innovation processes – experiences from Uganda and Tanzania

It has been well known since the 1960s that developing countries need to improve their capacity to use science and technology and that more efforts must be put into R&D that would benefit poor countries and people. Serious efforts to accomplish this exist but they are still too few and small in relation to the size of the problem. Whilst the supply of knowledge and competent people slowly has been growing, there is still a continued lack of demand for domestic knowledge. Foreign consultants dominate knowledge supply to government, industry and aid donors. Small firms and farms are not used to articulate their demand for knowledge. Such weak demand and timid articulation are typical signs of emerging innovations systems. Despite this, there are signs of a fragmented domestic creative potential that could be mobilised to increase innovation for inclusive development. In this article, practical experiences in Uganda and Tanzania illuminate possibilities to articulate and address the knowledge demand from firms and farms through cluster formation. In this type of cluster formations, universities have key roles as knowledge providers and as intermediaries that assist in building the ties and linkages necessary to move the innovation system to a higher state.

Digital Divide: Catch up for What?

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become a mantra for economic development at the global and local levels. The hopes concern the potential of ICT to solve economic and social problems such as inadequate resources, unemployment, centraliza tion, marginalization of women, and social inequalities. It is not unreasonable to suppose that the digital divide will be a significant feature of political dialogue in the near future, especially because of the uneven spread of the benefits of ICTs.This article deals with ICT discourses and practices in the areas of encounter between rich and poor cquntries. The digital divide, which may consist of divides between individu als, groups of women and men, and between nations, is now frequently cited as a pivotal factor in the growing economic divide. This leads us to wonder—who is catching up and for what?

Techno-economic analysis of UMTS900 and UMTS2100 for rural connectivity in Tanzania

Rural areas of the developing countries lack Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructures such as access network, also known as last mile connectivity, to deliver ICT services. The lack of connectivity is due to high cost of implementing ICT infrastructures. Wireless technologies are envisioned as candidates for rural connectivity. They are not only easier and faster to deploy but also cheaper than the wired technologies. This paper presents a techno-economic analysis of two wireless technologies in Tanzania, called third generation (3G) implemented at 900MHz and at 2100MHz frequency bands. Objectives of techno-economic analysis are to investigate economic feasibility and to determine a cost effective option between the two connectivity options. Results show that, 3G at 900HMz is a feasible and cost - effective connectivity technology in Tanzania. These results can be generalized to other developing countries, since rural areas pose similar characteristics with regard to ICT infrastructure development.

Strategies for implementing hybrid e-learning in rural secondary schools in Uganda

This paper discusses the strategy that should be used while introducing e-learning in rural girls’ secondary schools in Uganda for the benefit of female students of advanced level Physics and Mathematics. The strategy was formulated after numerous field visits to Arua, one of the poorest districts in Uganda. Urban secondary schools where Uconnect and SchoolNet projects are being implemented were also visited. Some literatures were reviewed from the Web on the subject. The results show that a limited form of e-learning, the Hybrid E-learning, can be introduced in rural secondary schools and the main delivery platform is the CD-ROM. To implement the hybrid e-learning, multistakeholder participatory approach, VSAT internet connectivity, and use of open source software are recommended. The implementation of this strategy will result in reducing the digital divide and achievement of one of the Millennium Development Goals of empowering women at reduced costs.

Design and Development of Interactive Multimedia CD-ROMs for Rural Secondary Schools in Uganda

The paper discusses the design and development of interactive multimedia CD-ROMs for advanced-level secondary school Physics and Mathematics for use by the disadvantaged rural female students in the rural district of Arua. Multimedia content of the CD-ROMs was developed at a Workshop of advanced level secondary school Physics and Mathematics teachers from the district in September, 2005. The Interface design and production of the two CD-ROMs (one for each subject) were made after some ‘trade offs’ and are being tested in the two girls’ schools in Arua: Muni and Ediofe. It is expected that their use by the female students will result in improved performance in national examinations. This is the first successful case of advanced level course content being delivered to students using CD-ROMs that were locally developed based on the Ugandan curriculum. It is also a successful application of ICT in women empowerment.

Utilization of Broadband Connectivity in Rural and Urban-Underserved Areas: The case of Selected Areas in Arusha-Tanzania

Utilization is a key aspect in the management of any societal resource not only when it is scarce but in all cases to allow for optimum benefits to be accrued to everyone in the society. Internet ...

Feminist Technoscience Rearranging in the Black Box of Information Technology

What kind of focus will feminist research develop at a technical university, where information technology (IT)38 constitutes the overarching research field? In this article we want to illustrate this question with the core issues that we have identified, as well as to animate these with the authors’ stories. Finally, we want to propose a short agenda of issues and challenges for future feminist technoscience research.