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UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
Information technology solutions for
The Developing
World
ICT4D is a multidisciplinary field which investigates the design
and creation of computer systems for the developing world.
These systems could cover any sub-discipline in ICT, for example,
virtual environments, computer security, interaction design,
artificial intelligence, and information retrieval. However, such
systems need to be designed and configured according to the
needs of the developing world within which power is limited,
networks are scarce, and users can be illiterate. ICT4D thus
focuses on the creation of ICT solutions that address defined
developmental and social challenges such as education, medical
care, identity and human dignity.
T
he work of the UCT Centre in ICT for Development (ICT4D) is about bringing
digital technology to bear on the challenges facing society. The centre creates
new forms of technology to directly address the developmental problems within
society, problems that do not exist in developed economies where most of the
world’s technology is created.
In order to ensure the efficacy, relevance and sustainability of the centre’s work, it has
partnered with a variety of departments throughout the university – the spectrum ranges
from recent projects with the Department of Civil Engineering to others with the Centre
for Film and Media Studies in the Faculty of Humanities. The centre also engages with
NGOs and civil society through developing digital technology to enhance and improve
the work that they are doing.
As educators and researchers, staff affiliated with the centre also take a long-term
approach to the problem of creating technology relevant to Africa. The best and most
sustainable way to reach that goal is to impart those skills to students and educators
throughout Africa. To this end, the Hasso Plattner Institute in Germany sponsors nine
PhD bursaries in the centre, specifically for African postgraduate students to visit UCT
and conduct research in ICT4D.
The centre is also helping define this field of research internationally by co-hosting the
ICTD conference in 2013. This is the first time it will be held in Africa, and it is expected to
attract some 500 delegates from across the world, drawn from commercial organisations,
government, NGOs and a wide variety of academic disciplines. The work of the centre is
further supported by technology companies, the most recent of which is Nokia, which will
open a research lab within the centre in 2013.