Information communication networking in rural communities: the case of women in Imo State, Nigeria

2000 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Uhegbu
Author(s):  
Poline Bala ◽  
Roger W. Harris ◽  
Peter Songan

This chapter highlights an initiative by a group of researchers2 from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to connect villagers in the remote and isolated village of Bario to Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), which include computers, telephones, the Internet, and VSATs. This project has eased the information flow in and out of Bario, affecting the well-being of the people by providing a means to keep in touch with friends and relatives in urban areas. The response of the Bario community has been positive, but the objective of the e Bario project is more ambitious than to just provide access to the Internet, computers and other related technologies. The main objective is to identify opportunities for remote and rural communities in Sarawak to develop socially, culturally and economically from the deployment of the technologies. The results of the initiative are expected to demonstrate the many ways in which ICTs can be used to improve the lives of marginalized groups, specifically, here, the rural and remote communities in Malaysia. However, to ensure that the objectives will ultimately be met, the team has had to search for an appropriate methodology that will ensure the full benefits of the initiative to the community. This chapter describes and discusses the approaches adopted, emphasizing the benefits of a close association between the researchers and the community as well as the adoption of suitable participatory methods for engaging with the needs and opportunities that were discovered.


2010 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. 129-143
Author(s):  
AININ SULAIMAN ◽  
NOOR ISMAWATI JAAFAR ◽  
ROHANA JANI

This paper focuses on examining the ICT diffusion by studying an initiative of the Malaysian government to bridge the digital divide that exists across the country's urban and rural communities. This is achieved through investigating the operation and the experience of a typical Rural Internet Centre. The findings of this study showed that there is keen interest among the community to learn and sharpen their ICT-related skills. The Internet Centre serves to provide an avenue for the realisation of this goal. The study showed that despite some operational snags, the Internet Centre performed well. One of the by-products of the centre was that its activities fostered closer relationships among users; it provided an avenue for disparate community members to interact and share their new skills. Bringing the ICT usage and appreciation to the rural areas was successful. About half of the centre users made weekly visits during which they searched for information on the internet, sent and received e-mail and attended the Internet Centre's regular IT classes. They also saw it as a valuable communication channel and a potential leveller of the technological capability gap.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 132
Author(s):  
Angela Iweka Enwereuzor ◽  
Ikpong Sunday Umo ◽  
Chinyere Lawrencia Charles-Akalonu
Keyword(s):  

Author(s):  
Poline Bala ◽  
Roger W. Harris ◽  
Peter Songan

This chapter highlights an initiative by a group of researchers2 from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to connect villagers in the remote and isolated village of Bario to Information Communication Technologies (ICTs), which include computers, telephones, the Internet, and VSATs. This project has eased the information flow in and out of Bario, affecting the well-being of the people by providing a means to keep in touch with friends and relatives in urban areas. The response of the Bario community has been positive, but the objective of the e Bario project is more ambitious than to just provide access to the Internet, computers and other related technologies. The main objective is to identify opportunities for remote and rural communities in Sarawak to develop socially, culturally and economically from the deployment of the technologies. The results of the initiative are expected to demonstrate the many ways in which ICTs can be used to improve the lives of marginalized groups, specifically, here, the rural and remote communities in Malaysia. However, to ensure that the objectives will ultimately be met, the team has had to search for an appropriate methodology that will ensure the full benefits of the initiative to the community. This chapter describes and discusses the approaches adopted, emphasizing the benefits of a close association between the researchers and the community as well as the adoption of suitable participatory methods for engaging with the needs and opportunities that were discovered.


Author(s):  
O. I. Oladele

This chapter examines the applications of information communication technologies in agro-based livelihoods in Nigeria. A multipurpose community information access point was established at a pilot level in Ago-Are, Oyo State, Nigeria. The center equipped with basic ICT infrastructures including Internet connectivity made available through a VSAT, provided timely solutions to the basic problems of farmers’ lack of information on agriculture, lack of access to inputs and output markets, and lack of access to some basic but relatively expensive equipment. The services include the Answering Farmer’s Needs-a private-public collaborative project involving several organizations. There is also the Fantsuam Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that works with farmers in rural communities in Northern Nigeria with an on-going micro-credit project aimed at alleviating poverty among rural women. This chapter highlights the synergistic use and challenges for each of these projects and proffers suggestions for the adoption and adaptation in different parts of the world.


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