ICT4D Consortium: Edulink - Alanga Project

The production and utilization of information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play a key role in the context of development and act as a powerful tool for capacity building in human resources. However, there is a lack of capacity in African countries to build, maintain, and utilize the ICT resources to address socio-economic needs. This contributes to the vulnerability of these countries in the global economy. This ICT4D project aims to build capacities to produce and use information and communication technologies for development purposes in Eastern, Western and Southern Africa through the sharing of expertise between existing networks in Africa and Europe with an established history in supporting and building ICT capacity in Africa.

Objectives

1. Create a shared curriculum for ICT4D

One major barrier in out field is that ICT4D education is still in an emergent state. Creating a shared curriculum for ICT4D is a concrete task that will increase the academic quality of all partner HEIs ICT4D education programs by the joint creating curriculum will feature learning materials which are problem-based, theoretically informed, and conceptually rigorous.

2. Increase research and technology capacities of partner institutions

Two major challenges in building capacity are the lack of a shared research vision a lack of expertise sharing. This project aims to increase the capacity for research by helping partners Formulate a long-term inter-institutional research agenda and to foster cross fertilization of expertise in partner institutions.

3. Link two major African-EU IC4D networks

This project brings together two of the major African-EU networks of higher educational institutions (HEIs) that specialize in ICT4D.

• One network consists of Tumaini University/Iringa University College, Tanzania; the University of Joensuu, Finland; the University of Southern Denmark, Odense; and a private ICT4D company, Entertainment Robotics.
• The other network consists of the UNESCO Centre for ICT4D at Royal Holloway, University of London; the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana; Eduardo Mondlane University , Mozambique; Cheikh Anta Diop University, Senegal; and Maseno University Kenya. The UNESCO network is also linked with the Association of African Universities, of which over 100 African HEIs or research institutions are represented in membership.