Section 2.2 (ICT for Specific Development Goals) demonstrates that ICT is already having a powerful and direct impact on achieving specific development goals in diverse communities in five key areas: health, education, economic opportunity, empowerment and participation, and environment. Section 2.3 (National Approaches to ICT) widened the lens to reveal how national ICT strategies are enabling developing countries to generate export-led economic growth, strengthen national capacity and reposition themselves in the global economy—while simultaneously, in some cases, addressing broader social and human development goals. The case studies in this section strongly suggest that in order to maximize the impact of ICT on development goals, it is important that national strategies have an explicit development focus.
The initiatives profiled in this study—and the resulting lessons learned for development policy and implementation—suggest strong linkages between direct ICT interventions and national-level programs that deploy ICT as an enabler of development. In addition to the direct and powerful impact these initiatives can have on specific development needs, they have the potential to contribute to the success of, and should therefore be aligned with, a development goal-focused national strategy.
The decisions to be made by developing countries and communities are not easy or simple. A framework for deploying ICT for development is needed to prioritize ICT interventions, identify synergies, maximize development impact and coordinate the actions of stakeholders. The framework in Section 3 draws on the empirical evidence available and from the analysis developed in this section. The objective of the framework is to assist developing countries and communities to embark upon bold strategies to harness the power of ICT for the benefit of all members of society.
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