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ICT
for Rural Development
Promoting access to Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) in rural areas has been identified as an important
tool to alleviate poverty. Through the use of ICT services,
rural communities can find new income earning opportunities,
improve the delivery of basic services, and enhance their
participation in decision making processes.
The Government of Malaysia and other Malaysian stakeholders
have successfully implemented rural community ICT service
projects in various parts of the country. These projects
include the IT Community Centers of the Selangor State Government
covering over 60 locations, and the e-Bario project servicing
remote communities in East Malaysia, as well as several
others in various stages of development. Together, they
represent a substantial body of experience from which best
practices can be drawn and lessons learned.
The “Capacity Development for Effective Design and
Delivery of Rural Community ICT Services” jointly
implemented by ESCAP and the National Institute of Public
Administration (INTAN) of Malaysia wants to bring this experience
to other countries in the region, and in particular to the
least developed countries. A guidebook on developing community
e-centres in rural areas based on the Malaysian experience
has been developed for this purpose.
The guidebook identifies guiding principles and fundamental
requirements for the establishment of rural ICT services
based on the experience of rural ICT projects in Malaysia.
It aims at providing up to date knowledge and good practices
on rural ICT development, basic recommended standards as
well as tools for rural ICT initiatives. Among other things,
it outlines good practices on rural ICT policy, funding
principles and processes, planning, implementation, and
monitoring and evaluation. It provides a basic understanding
of available technology options and offers a framework for
selection of appropriate rural ICT projects and explains
fundamentals of demand studies, business plans and socio-economic
impact analyses.
Download
the guidebook (pdf)
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