ICTlogy

Abstract:

Alison Gillwald (Director) and Christoph Stork (senior researcher) of the Research ICT Africa network (RIA!) have releasedRIA! logo a working paper, Towards an African ICT e-Index: Towards evidence based ICT policy in Africa. The creation of an African ICT research network was in response the growing demand for the information and analysis required for appropriate policy formulation and effective regulation. This paper traverses the work of RIA! and the network’s efforts to bridge the research gap, to contribute to informed policy solutions for Africa and better align these with overall development policies for the region. The paper describes the different research strategies employed since the inception of the network, such as the LIRNE Sector Performance Review and Telecommunication Regulation Environment (TRE) methodologies, and the ground breaking work in household and SME surveys. Work for the future is also described around the RIA efforts to formulate an African e-Index.