15th IFIP Working Group 9.4 Conference on the Implications of Information and Communication Technologies for Development
Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, May 2019
With the proliferation of ICT related projects to support development, the southern countries are now emerging as important innovators and actors in the global development and adoption of ICT for the community and economic growth. A good example can be seen with how Kenya has been leading the world with mobile payment for several years. The mobile payment (such as Mpesa and Airtel money) has supported micro-financing services and transformed economic activities and lives within the local communities. Such effect offers an exciting setting for reverse innovation whereby lessons learned in ICT4D could offer rich insights for IS research in general. Furthermore, strengthening southern-driven cooperation promotes ICT initiatives and research carried for, in and by developing countries.
The conference theme of “Strengthening Southern-driven cooperation as a catalyst for ICT4D” seeks to stimulate and encourage critical discussions on the different facets of Southern-driven cooperation, its promises, potential, for creating a better world, and the challenges we face in achieving the promised potential. Grounded by Geoff Walsham’s question, ‘Are we making a better world with technology?’ (Walsham, 2012); the conference will aim at offering context-rich theories, methodologies and practical guidance on the use of ICT’s to empower local communities.
