INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)

Meaning

ICT: This refers to any communication device or application, radio, television, cellular
phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as
well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as
videoconferencing and distance learning. ICT is surrounded us at home, schools, office
and at any areas where business can take place.
ICT has fought against many challenges relating with economic, social and political
situation. There are some people who increase their economic status because they engage
as experts of collecting and deliver information publicly. The function of ICT is to make
this global of interaction between economic, social and political matters look like a single
village
Poverty Redution

The orld !ank"s orld #evelopment $eport %&&&'%&&(: )ttacking *overty identifies
three crucial elements of poverty reduction efforts: opportunity, empowerment, and
security. ICT plays various roles in poverty reduction, not only in urban areas but also in
rural areas. These roles include:
Create! o""ortunitie! and e#"o$er#ent!% Information and communications
technology can increase poor people" opportunities, empowerment, and security. ICT can
enhance poor people"s opportunities by improving their access to markets and healthcare.
It can empower them by expanding their use of government services. )nd it can increase
security by widening access to +icrofinance
I#"rove o&&a'oration o( $or) grou"!% many countries have large numbers of
agricultural extension workers with valuable intimate knowledge of local society and
conditions, these workers often lack the needed breadth of knowledge and skills that
would enable them to become effective creative problem solvers in their local
communities and enable them to draw upon available funding. ) highly innovative new
professional bachelor"s degree in ICT assisting to eliminate the gape.
Cut o!t% The use of ICT holds great promise to enable this localcerty strategy in poverty
reduction in a cost effective manner. ,ocal government may reduce cost of transportation
that might be used by their officer to travel in various villages to know what the domestic
services re-uired by their citi.ens. In stead ICT have been used o cut cost of
transportation through use of internet. $eaching poor people re-uires low cost access to
Information infrastructure
*+are re!oure!% Information system is being designed that will aggregate data from the
local level to provide evidence to support poverty reduction policy in the country and will
enable monitoring of outcomes of poverty reduction programs
(
Deve&o" on&ine O"erationa& "roe!!% +any developing countries has begun to provide a
viable ICT infrastructure in rural areas, including /0 Internet connectivity, inexpensive
computing devices, and access to power through solar technology. $ecogni.ing an
opportunity where ICT can augment an existing approach and leverage existing
infrastructure
Lo) in u!to#er and *u""&ier!% The close relationship between customer and supplier
in the business maters is assisted or linked by adoption of ICT. ) good example occur in
most public procurement office in town seek where they can get a right supplier, through
ICT a good supplier might be obtained through $adio, in ternate etc
*u""orting "oor #ar)et deve&o"#ent t+roug+ e&etroni o##ere% when villagers
are available for meetings. 1mart cards lower the cost of delivering services by
eliminating paperwork, reducing errors and fraud, and expediting transactions during
meetings, once all its transactions are conducted with handheld computers, plans to leave
a read only device in each village so that clients can check the information stored on their
smart cards.
Inrea!ing ae!! to Govern#ent !ervie!% 2nce government owned computer
3etwork has been making government more accessible to villagers in the poor, reduces
the time and money people spend trying to communicate with public officials and
provides immediate, transparent access to local government data and documentation. 4or
minimal fees, Intranet kiosks provide caste, income, and domicile certificates, enabling
villagers to avoid the common practice of paying bribes. The kiosks also allow small
farmers to track crop prices in market.
I#"roving +ea&t+ are de&ivery% are enabling auxiliary nurse midwives to eliminate
redundant paperwork and data entry, freeing time to deliver health care to poor people.
+idwives provide most health services in the rural areas, with each serving consist
people typically across multiple villages and hamlets. They administer immuni.ations,
offer advice on family planning, educate people on mother5child health programs, and
collect data on birth and immuni.ation rates. +idwives usually spend many days a month
collecting and registering data. !ut with handheld computers they can cut that time by up
to certain percent increasing the impact.
Deve&o" ne$ "rodut% Technology should be adapted to local conditions and draw on
knowledge held by poor people. It involves innovation of product to new product that can
fit customers" re-uirement in the market.
*+orten ,u!ine!! &ead ti#e and re!"on!e ti#e% 2nce business man use ICT means of
communication to announce the public on availability of the certain product hence it can
not take long time that customer go to buy that product hence that is customers respond.
%
Conclude that poverty ruction can be reduced once people in rural and 6rban areas would
get the information relating with the availability of their social services, what do is
0overnment have information net work system to support the role of ICT.
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)dolf +,. 8%&((). Information and communication technology 8ICT975procurement).
Tan.ania. +wakinyuki publisher
:arris $., ICT for poverty $eduction and $ural #evelopment. 8 www.rogharris.org'ict5
for5poverty5 )
orld !ank. 8%&&%). Information and communication technology to reduce poverty.
8www(.worldbank.org''premnote;&.pdf)
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