ICTlogy

Abstract:

The toolkit is aimed at providing state of the art knowledge and best practice on rural ICT development, basic recommended standards and tools for rural ICT initiatives. Among other things, the toolkit summarizes best practice on rural ICT policy, funding principles and processes, and monitoring and evaluation. The tookit provides a basic understanding for technology options available. It offers a framework to select appropriate rural ICT projects, and explains essentials of demand studies, business plans and socio-economic impact analysis.

The toolkit is addressed mainly to African policymakers and regulators and other interested parties who wish to develop rural ICT programs and projects in their countries. It is also aimed at those wanting to foster regional harmonisation, allowing for cross-border initiatives that can increase economies of scale and thus the attractiveness of the rural ICT market to private investors and players. However, we expect it also to be useful for private sector players wishing to promote projects, by providing a checklist of issues and components to be addressed in project preparation and approaches to donors and other financiers.