Young leaders use mobile platform to tackle poverty - Newsbytes
A group of young global leaders will pilot a non-profit initiative to
give 1 billion mobile phone users living in poverty access to
educational phone apps. Currently under development, AppBridge is an online platform to
encourage talented software developers to link up with non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and community organizations to produce apps that
will tackle poverty among the “bottom billion”. Thus, the platform will allow an ecosystem of people and organizations –
NGOs, local partners, software developers and telecommunications
companies – to engage and communicate directly with one another in
identifying community needs, creating apps to address these needs and
distributing apps to the target communities. ICT Growth in Indonesia Looks Rosy as the Nation Reaches a Transformative Phase of its Economic Development - IEWY News
Global market volatility and economic uncertainly have led investors to
seek shelter in emerging nations where opportunities for growth still
exists. With Indonesia’s plans to transform itself into an economic
powerhouse coupled with its appeal in the international arena for
foreign direct investments, International Data Corporation (IDC)
believes that information and communication technology (ICT) growth in
the nation looks promising. ICT job market shaky but hopeful in Austrailia - CIO
The ICT job market will slow down in the next 12 months, according to
the Information Technology Contract and Recruitment Association’s
(ITCRA) SkillsMatch data for 2011 and industry data from Longhaus and
the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. However, the situation isn’t entirely bleak because
there will always be a need for a skilled and mobile IT workforce
despite the economic outlook. Internet access in Philippines still belongs to 'privileged few' - PhilStar
Despite
having almost 30 million Internet users, access to cyber space is still
said to belong to a “privileged few” in the Philippines
with the major blame being placed on high Internet rates. Some critics
say the government can address the problem by giving special Internet
rates among public schools or by urging private telecommunications firms to give internet connection incentives to consumers. How Can the Diaspora Boost ICT Development in the Arab World? - Wamda
Arab-American
heavyweights from Google, Cisco, Kiva, CMEA, and the U.S.
State Department, as well as the Ministers of Telecom from Egypt, Iraq,
and Jordan, and the CEO of the IT authority in Oman were present to
discuss how Arab countries can move away from being resource dependent
and towards IT and knowledge-based economies. Looking to
entrepreneurship and youth as a solution for job creation is a theme of
2011 that will continue to build in 2012. Digital Communication and Political Change in China - International Journal of Communication
The
popularization of digital media technologies in the People’s Republic
of China has led to the liberalization of public discourse and provided
the citizenry with new opportunities for political advocacy. This
article employs content analysis of newspapers and blogs to test
information regime theory and finds considerable evidence of a
transformation in the properties of political communication. Chinese
Communist Party-led institutions, however, have responded to new
challenges with legal and technological measures designed to control and
guide political expression. The authors consider evidence that suggests
new media have empowered China’s “netizens” and diminished the state’s
ability to set the public agenda and shape political preferences. Mobile Money Services Make a Mark - Botswanna Gazette
Six months after the concurrent launches of Mobile money services in
Botswana by both Mascom and Orange, the network operators are happy
about the prospective opportunities that are provided by this new market
that enables them to tap into the unbanked population. Mobile Penetration and IPTV Services Fuel Brazil's Market through 2016 - PR Newswire
Brazil
is undergoing a cultural and economic transformation that will cause
mobile penetration to grow from 118 percent in 2011 to 153 percent in
2016 and IPTV services to increase from 21,000 subscriptions in 2011 to
1.5 million in 2016, according to a new report from Pyramid Research. Mobile Financial Services and the Emerging Global Middle
Class - Lydian Journal
Many economists, public policy analysts and philanthropic institutions have
come to the common conclusion that lack of financial access for this large
segment of the planet’s population is a major barrier to further economic
development in emerging markets. At the same time, growth of the global middle
class in Africa, Asia and Latin America has accelerated, making it even more
critical to identify opportunities to close the financial services access gap.
With better access to basic financial service capabilities to make payments,
save and access credit, this growing global middle class population will be able
to play a more powerful role in shaping the future of economic growth over the
next 10 years. Kenya Trailblazes in Mobile Money Transfer Services - All Africa
The
success of mobile money transfer by telecoms in Kenya has excited
investors in Nigeria and Columbia to start rolling out similar services.
Kenya prides itself in the global pedestal as the world's largest
mobile
services financial hub, with almost 18 million people using their
handsets to
transact. How Refugees Use Mobile Phones to Locate and Communicate with Family - Mobile Active
Refugees
often experience a compound trauma: The situation that caused them to
flee in the first place, as well as the fact that many families become
separated during migration. For refugee's health and well-being and
ability to resettle, it is vital to know the whereabouts of relatives,
their safety, and their ability to remain in contact. Today, mobile
phones are the most important technology for refugees to find relatives
and remain in contact. Ghana: ICT Textbooks Launched for Students and Teachers - Modern Ghana
An
ICT textbook with solutions and instructional methodologies designed
basically for students of Senior High Schools (SHS), tertiary and ICT
teachers was on Tuesday launched in Accra to serve as useful information
for students to build “solid foundation for computing”. Environmental Impact of Information and Communication Technology - Decoded Science
Information
and Communications Technology (ICT) has changed our society remarkably
in the last few years. Although its effects on our everyday lives are
obvious, the effects that this technology may have on the environment
are much less clear and seldom talked about. A recent article published
in Nature, however, covers this topic in detail. Ten Facts about Mobile Broadband - The Brookings Institution
Mobile
broadband is reshaping society, communications, and the global economy.
With smart phone usage surpassing that of personal computers, there has
been a sea change in the way consumers access and share information.
Powerful mobile devices and sophisticated digital applications enable
users to build businesses, access financial and health care records,
conduct research, and complete transactions anywhere. The Brookings
Institution looks at 10 facts about mobile phones and broadband. From Smart Phones to Smart Farming: Indigenous Knowledge Sharing in Tanzania - National Geographic
Many
people believe communications technology helps the developing world by
allowing people to link up with the ‘West’ and be given information and
knowledge. It is often people in the developing world with the
knowledge, and what technology can instead do is help them unlock that
knowledge and share it with one another. Using Tanzania as an example. Syrian Authorities Ban the Use of iPhones - The Next Web
Syrian
authorities have banned the use of iPhones in the country, restricting
the use of the device by activists to document government violence,
Lebanese website Al Nashara reports. Blog: Learning from a Kenyan Revolution - The World Bank
Who
would have thought, 20 years ago, that a poor African country would
become a powerhouse of global innovation in Information and
Communication Technology (ICT)? Wolfgang Fengler discusses the
transformations he has seen over the past 10 to 15 years in Kenya. ICT Quickly Reducing Cost of Education and Health Care - Bangkok Post
A
famous claim in economics is that the cost of services (such as health
care and education) tends to increase relative to the cost of goods
(such as food, oil, and machinery). This seems right: people around the
world can barely afford the rising health-care and school-tuition costs
they currently face _ costs that seem to increase each year faster than
overall inflation. But a sharp decline in the costs of health care,
education, and other services is now possible, thanks to the ongoing
information and communications technology (ICT) revolution. Research: ICT Governance vs. Community Empowerment: Grassroots Evidence from Bangladesh - University for Peace and Conflict
Mizanur
Rahman analyzes the assertion that Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) is the catalyst to enhance community empowerment,
reporting on research study, “Community Empowerment through ICTs:
Evidence from the Grassroots in Bangladesh and India”. His analysis of
evidence from Bangladesh shows that ICT penetration alone is not
proportionately related to community empowerment; but rather that ICT
penetration combined with the precise application of ICT governance
strengthen community empowerment. The evidence also shows that if ICT
penetration is high but ICT governance is low, ICT does not remain a
high catalytic factor for community empowerment. Ericsson Index Ranks ICT-Savvy Cities by Benefit for Citizens - Reuters
Ericsson
and Arthur D. Little's latest Networked Society City Index ranks cities
in terms of their ability to use ICT to benefit their citizens.
Top-ranking cities Seoul, Singapore and Stockholm show the benefits of
engaging a society as a whole. Users Spend up to 38 Days a Year on Smartphones and Tablets - The Malta Independent
Smartphone
and tablet users have adapted their recreational time into ‘Mobile
Economic Time’, which is equivalent to 38 days or nearly five and a half
weeks per year. This study, conducted on behalf of CA Technologies
revealed how consumers use Mobile Economic Time to connect with brands,
and their zero tolerance attitudes to online brands and apps which fail
to deliver secure online mobile experience. How Refugees Use Mobile Phones to Locate and Communicate with Family - Mobile Active
Refugees often experience a compound trauma: The situation that caused them to flee in the first place, as well as the fact that many families become separated during migration. For refugee's health and well-being and ability to resettle, it is vital to know the whereabouts of relatives, their safety, and their ability to remain in contact. Today, mobile phones are the most important technology for refugees to find relatives and remain in contact. Clinton Hails Oman's eGovernment, ICT Initiatives - Times of Oman
Former US President Bill Clinton has hailed the Sultanate for promoting excellent e-Services and for making sterling progress in the ICT sector. The 42nd President of the US was the keynote speaker at the much anticipated awards ceremony held to present the Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in eGovernment, at the Sultan Qaboos University Cultural Centre here, yesterday. Blog: SMS for Violence Prevention: PeaceTXT International Launches in Kenya - iRevolution
The purpose of PeaceTXT is to leverage mobile messaging to catalyze behavior change around peace and conflict issues. In the context of Chicago, the joint project with CeaseFire aims to leverage SMS reminders to interrupt gun violence in marginalized neighborhoods. Several studies in other fields of public health have already shown the massive impact that SMS reminders can have on behavior change, e.g., improving drug adherence behavior among AIDS and TB patients in Africa, Asia and South America. Ghana: ICT Textbooks Launched for Students and Teachers - Modern Ghana
An ICT textbook with solutions and instructional methodologies designed basically for students of Senior High Schools (SHS), tertiary and ICT teachers was on Tuesday launched in Accra to serve as useful information for students to build “solid foundation for computing”. United Nations Calls for More ICT to Fight Climate Change - eWeek Europe
The UN’s technology body has highlighted how Ghana is mitigating global warming effects through ICT. The United Nations’ technology body, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is calling for a wider use of technology projects in helping countries adapt to climate change. Environmental Impact of Information and Communication Technology - Decoded Science
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has changed our society remarkably in the last few years. Although its effects on our everyday lives are obvious, the effects that this technology may have on the environment are much less clear and seldom talked about. A recent article published in Nature, however, covers this topic in detail. m-Money Allowed Developing World to Skip a Step as a Do-it-All Phone is Set to Release Soon - The Telegraph
Maybe it’s time to ditch your keys, wallets, debit cards and passports as the smartphone revolutions gathers momentum. A combination of increased security, surging smartphone usage and the advent of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology – which allows users to “swipe” mobiles as they would an Oyster Card – will soon turn the phone in your pocket into a device that gains you entry to your house, doubles as your debit card and probably your passport, your driving license and medical records as well. Access to Web, Phones Key to Helping the Poor - Reuters
Governments worldwide must boost internet accessibility in order to nurture democracy and economic development, entrepreneur Loic Le Meur said at the prestigious LeWeb technology conference in Paris which he founded. Malaysia: Technopreneurship, A Promising Call for the Unemployed - The Borneo Post
The call for the Malaysian society to be a highly-technocratic one is not a new notion. In his Vision 2020 working paper in 1991, former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad highlighted the need to establish ‘a scientific and progressive society’ as the sixth challenge out of nine outlined in the national agenda. As futuristic as it may sound, a technopreneur is basically an entrepreneur with both business and technical training background; or one who applies technology and innovation as the business’ core operating model Why are Mobile Phones an Effective Tool Against Corruption? - The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions
This year, the number of ICT related initiatives and projects that address corruption (defined in its widest sense) have doubled if not tripled. The most visible development is the use of crowdsourcing methods by civil society organizations, making it possible for citizens to voice their concerns, demand improved service delivery and report corruption. Spider, The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions, looks at whether or not mobile phones have been effective in the fight against corruption. Study Shows Many Governments in Asia Pacific Delaying Online Interaction with their Citizens - Computer Business Review
DC Government Insights report, Asia/Pacific Government Insights 2012 Top 10 Predictions, says that citizens today are actively seeking engagements on social networks with brands, products and companies and they are looking to engage with government representatives in a similar fashion. The report states that many governments across Asia/Pacific, however, are delaying online interaction with their citizens until protective policies for security guidelines are spelt out clearly. Ten Facts about Mobile Broadband - The Brookings Institution
Mobile broadband is reshaping society, communications, and the global economy. With smart phone usage surpassing that of personal computers, there has been a sea change in the way consumers access and share information. Powerful mobile devices and sophisticated digital applications enable users to build businesses, access financial and health care records, conduct research, and complete transactions anywhere. The Brookings Institution looks at 10 facts about mobile phones and broadband… Caribbean: ICT Gaining Momentum in the Region - MENA FN
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister in Barbados, Darcy Boyce, notes that ICTs gaining momentum with youth in the Caribbean and as a result, countries must revaluate what is considered basic telecoms services. Nigeria: Nation Must Start Using ICT in Health - All Africa
Health minister Onybeuchi Chukwu says Nigeria must begin deploying information and communication technology (ICT) in health delivery but insists it must be driven by "a policy that's coherent, but more importantly implementable." From Smart Phones to Smart Farming: Indigenous Knowledge Sharing in Tanzania - National Geographic
Many people believe communications technology helps the developing world by allowing people to link up with the ‘West’ and be given information and knowledge. It is often people in the developing world with the knowledge, and what technology can instead do is help them unlock that knowledge and share it with one another. Using Tanzania as an example… mHealth Executive Director Patty Mechael: Leverage Existing Tech in the Developing World - Mobihealth News
The mHealth Alliance, a project of the United Nations Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Vodafone Foundation, is probably the most global of all the groups out there promoting mobile health. And the mHealth Summit, which the mHealth Alliance and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health are staging this week, likely is the most international of mobile health events held in the U.S. Syrian Authorities Ban the Use of iPhones - The Next Web
Syrian authorities have banned the use of iPhones in the country, restricting the use of the device by activists to document government violence, Lebanese website Al Nashara reports. Will the Internet Generation "Take China Down"? - The China Digital Times
The China Digital Times looks at a variety of sources discussing the United States’ right-leaning Republican Party presidential candidates’ stances on China in the upcoming elections. It pays particular attention to responses to candidate John Huntsman’s remarks that the United States needs to “be reaching out to our allies and constituencies within China. They’re called the young people. They’re called the internet generation.” Blog: Learning from a Kenyan Revolution - The World Bank
Who would have thought, 20 years ago, that a poor African country would become a powerhouse of global innovation in Information and Communication Technology (ICT)? Wolfgang Fengler discusses the transformations he has seen over the past 10 to 15 years in Kenya. India Vows Crackdown on Offensive Internet Content - British Broadcasting Corporation
India has vowed to crack down on offensive internet content, accusing web firms of failing to cooperate. Communications Minister Kapil Sibal met officials from Google, Facebook and other websites on Monday. Digital Innovations for the Greater Good - Live Mint
Winners of the Manthan Award, South Asia, which seeks to encourage start-ups using information and communication technology (ICT) for social development, were announced on Friday. This year, the competition received 510 nominations from India and neighbours such as Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Of these, 110 projects were selected to compete in categories such as governance, health, education and learning, inclusion, infrastructure, travel and tourism, environment, community broadcasting, entertainment, agriculture and livelihood, localization, news and media, science and business and enterprise. Malaysia: ICT Competitions Heating Up in Push for Creating an ICT-Literate Generation - The Star
The private sector plays an important role when it comes to training trainers in the field of information-communication technology (ICT). Unimas Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman said competition like this (the 19th Dynabook National ICT Competition) should be held frequently since not only does it promote ICT, it would even unearth talented individuals. In a Few Years, ICT Will Render Workers, Workplace Obsolete - The Gleaner
Rapid advancement in technology will, within a couple of years, eliminate the need for some workers and render the contemporary workplace obsolete, according to Professor Anthony Clayton of the Institute of Sustainable Development at the University of the West Indies. Farming by Phone in Kenya - Africa Good News
Francis Mburu used to keep indigenous cattle in Entasopia village in the semi- arid Kajiado region, 160 kilometres southwest of Nairobi. However, increasing temperatures and frequent droughts in Kenya have made this difficult in recent years. But now, in an area that has never had electricity, where education is not a priority or sometimes not an option at all, residents of Entasopia are using a solar-powered internet facility to adapt to the changing climatic conditions. The Nguruman community, largely composed of the Maasai ethnic group, now has access to an ICT facility locally known as Maarifa ("knowledge" in Swahili) Centre. Here they are able to access climate adaptation information via the internet, videos and books. The Arid Land Information Network (ALIN), in collaboration with the Kenyan government, founded the project ICT Can Democratize Development - The Guardian
Decades after the World Bank and the IMF came into being, we have the technology to ensure that countries can hold their governments to account. Increased Mobile Broadband Spectrum Vital for Africa's Development - IT News Africa
Greater allocation of spectrum for Mobile Broadband is vital for the economic and social development of sub-Saharan Africa, commented the GSMA. New findings from a report by the GSMA and Plum Consulting reveal that, across the region, the release of Mobile Broadband spectrum in the Digital Dividend and the 2.6GHz bands by 2015 in sub-Saharan Africa could create up to 27 million new jobs, increase GDP per capita by 5.2 per cent, and increase GDP and government tax revenues by US$82 billion and US$18 billion per year respectively by 2025. ICT Quickly Reducing Cost of Education and Health Care - Bangkok Post
A famous claim in economics is that the cost of services (such as health care and education) tends to increase relative to the cost of goods (such as food, oil, and machinery). This seems right: people around the world can barely afford the rising health-care and school-tuition costs they currently face _ costs that seem to increase each year faster than overall inflation. But a sharp decline in the costs of health care, education, and other services is now possible, thanks to the ongoing information and communications technology (ICT) revolution. Research: ICT Governance vs. Community Empowerment: Grassroots Evidence from Bangladesh - University for Peace and Conflict
Mizanur Rahman analyzes the assertion that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the catalyst to enhance community empowerment, reporting on research study, “Community Empowerment through ICTs: Evidence from the Grassroots in Bangladesh and India”. His analysis of evidence from Bangladesh shows that ICT penetration alone is not proportionately related to community empowerment; but rather that ICT penetration combined with the precise application of ICT governance strengthen community empowerment. The evidence also shows that if ICT penetration is high but ICT governance is low, ICT does not remain a high catalytic factor for community empowerment. African Lessons in Mobile Commerce - The Wall Street Journal
There is a frequent assumption that, with technology, Africa always has to learn from more developed countries. But what if it is actually leading the way? Perhaps it has lessons to give rather than to receive. Two newly-published reports on electronic cash, one from Forrester sponsored by PayPal, and another from A.B.I. are outlined in The Register. While in developed countries companies continue to debate when or whether people will use cell phones instead of cash for everyday transactions, in Africa it is already happening. How are they making it work? Ericsson Index Ranks ICT-Savvy Cities by Benefit for Citizens - Reuters
Ericsson and Arthur D. Little's latest Networked Society City Index ranks cities in terms of their ability to use ICT to benefit their citizens. Top-ranking cities Seoul, Singapore and Stockholm show the benefits of engaging a society as a whole. Kenyan Awarded $250,000 to Fight Pre-natal Deaths in Sub-Sahara Africa - Business Daily
Two projects, one using cell phones to deliver to expectant mothers in Kenya electronic vouchers for pre-natal care and transportation, the other aimed at promoting maternal and child health in northern Nigeria, will receive $250,000 grants from the Saving Lives at Birth Partnership. Eighty-Three Percent of all PC Software in East Africa is Pirated: Does it Matter? - ICTworks
In the global market for personal computers, 2010 was a watershed year. For the first time PC sshipments to emerging economics outpaced those mature markets, 174 million to 173 million. The Business Software Alliance celebrated this milestone by reporting that emerging economies now acocunt for more than half the global value of PC software theft, $31.9 billion by their count. | 
