“In order for ICT to effectively support the reduction of poverty, inequality and exclusion in developing countries, it must also be used as a tool to aid practical and sustainable interventions which address the underlying causes of poverty.”
Irish Aid White Paper

“Information technology... is a powerful force that can and must be harnessed to our global mission of peace and development. This is a matter of both ethics and economics; over the long term, the new economy can only be productive and sustainable if it spreads worldwide and responds to the needs and demands of all people. I urge everyone in a position to make a difference to add his or her energies to this effort.”
Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations 1997-2007

The Challenge

ICT use is proliferating in developing countries as Governments, businesses and the public increasingly realise the opportunities they provide for improving services, management, productivity and profitability; and as ICT suppliers realise the potential market that developing countries constitute.  While ICTs have the potential to be positive tool for furthering poverty reduction, their unregulated penetration of developing country economies can also be a source of inequality and economic exclusion.

The Least Developed Countries might further run the risk of being left behind in the global ICT revolution. African countries still lag far behind the developed world in the roll-out and application of ICT, which is crucial for improving the efficiency of business practices and also attracting foreign direct investment. Developing countries will find it increasingly difficult to compete on a global level without adequate ICT infrastructure in the future.

Ireland’s Response

Ireland is an example of a country that has successfully employed ICT as a tool and an enabler in its development, and has become a knowledge-based economy. Our experience of using ICT to drive economic transformation has garnered the interest of governments in many developing countries. We will work in the coming years to make the policies and thinking behind this transformation more accessible for interested countries, making use of the expertise available across the public and private sectors in Ireland, as recommended in the eighth Millennium Development Goal, in which Ireland is committed to developing a global partnership for development.

In order for ICT to effectively support the reduction of poverty, inequality and exclusion in developing countries, it must be used as a tool to aid practical and sustainable interventions which address the underlying causes of poverty. In the area of education, for example, Irish Aid supports the Dublin-based Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GeSCI), which seeks to use these technologies to improve the quality of education in the developing world. GeSCI works with partner countries at the local, national, and international levels to support, create and implement strategies to harness ICT for education and community growth.

Last updated: 13/02/07