Since its creation in 1995, infoDev has been a pioneer in exploring innovative uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) as tools of poverty reduction and sustainable development. Through a grant program that has supported over 600 innovative projects, complemented by a diverse program of seminars, workshops, research and publications, infoDev has contributed substantially to the development community’s efforts to understand how best to increase access to ICTs, adapt them to the needs of the poor and developing countries, and use them creatively and effectively to combat poverty and create opportunities for social and economic development.

NIIT / IFC

The last decade has been a time of great experimentation and discovery, both for infoDev and for the development community as a whole. Yet the time has now come to assess more rigorously the results of those efforts, to learn from our experience and those of our partners, and to become more strategic and focused in our ICT-for-development efforts.  The first step in this is a critical and careful examination of where we have been and what we have learned, and an open and frank dialogue among all those active in ICT-for-development efforts.

The ICT4D section of the infoDev web site is NOT intended as an exhaustive compendium of ICT4D-related resources, resources and organizations, or of “what works” in applying information and communication technologies (ICTs) to development and poverty reduction (for sites that already do this, please see the links section of this topic area).  Rather, we hope that it can serve both as a useful general introduction to the topic for newcomers, as well as a place for ICT4D professionals to quickly locate information on a select number of key research findings, leading organizations and major initiatives.

We offer this set of ICT4D resources as a starting point for a broader conversation, and deeper investigation, that can help us all be more effective and targeted in our ICT interventions.