摘要：It has been widely accepted in Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) literature that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can foster socio‑economic development, however, the process through which this occurs remains unclear. Historically, there has only been a limited focus on evaluating the impact of ICT projects vis‑a‑vis development, and little concrete analysis of these initiatives in terms of their long‑term effects. In this paper, we evaluate the role ICT education and training play in poverty reduction and economic empowerment using an ICT4D Case study of Jigawa State Government, Nigeria. The State Government funded an initiative aimed to develop 500 ICT professionals annually between the year 2001 to 2012. This was to be attained through local and overseas training, as well as the activation of computerisation within certain government operations, such as financial management, procurement and payroll. In our research, we employed Richard Heek’s Design‑Reality Gap model and Sen’s Capability Approach (CA) framework as a theoretical lens to inform the study and furthermore as an evaluative space for ICT4D impact assessment. A broadly interpretative approach was adopted within the Case Study context. Data collection was conducted using multiple sources including surveys, document analysis, and interviews with project beneficiaries and key policy makers. The primary contribution of this paper is in providing greater insights into the role of ICT Education and Training towards poverty reduction and economic empowerment. Furthermore, it aims to exhibit a unique and novel combination of Sen’s Capability Approach and Heek’s Design‑Reality Gap Model in examining ICT4D policy outcome, which will provide significant insights on how the gap between policy objectives and the outcome might be eliminated.
Loading...
