Using ICT as a smart enabler of socio economic development

One of the major challenges facing most developing countries today is how to take full and smart advantage of quite spectacular and far-reaching advances in science and technology not only in promoting national economic development, but particularly addressing the needs of poor and marginalized sections of society. Whilst technology access in the pre-digital era has always been a major barrier to economic and social development in developing countries, this is no longer an absolute barrier for at least three reasons: firstly, the proliferation of distributive and open technologies, and limits to the power of proprietary frameworks; secondly, the increasingly lower delivery cost of new technologies; and thirdly, the emergence of multiple sources of technology innovation and development in civil society with specific emphasis on mobile technology. This paper will outline ways to establish community successes using mobile technology as an enabler in the current era of economic uncertainty. The paper will touch on the challenges faced by rural citizens and offer some tangible examples of how to overcome these.