ICTs and Employment for Poverty Alleviation: review of a joint ILOECAITU study

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ICTs and Employment for Poverty Alleviation
review of a joint ILO-ECA-ITU study

• Mactar SECK
• SRO-EA, Kigali
• 2 May 2007
• http//www.uneca.org/codi

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Global Context

• Global Context
• collaborative efforts involving the ITU, ILO and
  the ECA
• a study covered 9 countries Burkina Faso,
  Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique,
  Nigeria, Senegal and Uganda
• to assess the potential of ICTs in employment
  creation and poverty alleviation and to assess
  the existing challenges for ICT in the employment
  environment
• To propose appropriate strategies to ICT sector
  development

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The Committee on Development Information (CODI)

• Presentations
• Presentation on the study on ICTs and employment
  for Poverty Alleviation Overall finding
• Presentation of the study countries studies

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CONTENTS

• the main objective of the study was to
• assess the impact of ICT on Employment creation
  and Poverty Alleviation with focus on
• ICT sector as a major contribution to employment
  generation and
• ICT as an enabler that could boost productivity
  of other sectors and create jobs in other
  sectors of the economy
• review policy development, strategic framework,
  reforms, awareness and necessary collaborations
• analyse ICT contribution to poverty alleviation
  strategies

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Discussions

• Data accuracy between the data presented during
  the global presentation and the presentation of
  the country specific studies
• Methodology and approach and cost-benefit
  analysis
• Lessons learnt
• Linkages between the impact of ICTs and the
  liberalization of the ICT sector
• the liberalization of the ICT sector
• Importance ICT to the African Trade Union
  movement
• Consideration of informal sector and thematic
  ares including, ICT sector, non-ICT sector
• Putting more emphasis on that the role of the
  citizens in Diaspora

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Suggestions and Recommendations

• Review the methodology
• Set the scene for information specialists, to
  discuss ways of creating appropriate
  interventions for Africas development
• Keep a common template for all the countries
  studied,
• Reflect explicitly a model for linking ICT to
  employment
• Make in-depth analysis on ICT generated jobs in
  formal and informal sector with emphasis on
  sustainability
• Clarify the highlights how ICT is generating new
  jobs, enhancing old ones and diminishing and
  destroying existing ones

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Recommendations

• Undertake Education reform with emphasis on
  skills required by the knowledge economy
• Promote an enabling environment through
  appropriate policies and incentives
• Promote Community Multipurpose Telecenters (CMCs)
• Promote e-Agriculture policy, strategy and plans
• Encourage life-long learning, distance learning,
  e learning, and re-skilling
• Promote technological innovation through business
  incubation and technological Parks
• Promote venture/risk capitals to support young
  entrepreneurs
• Define the Role of Information specialists on
  African governance discourse
• Involve African Academia in the ICTs and
  employment for Poverty Alleviation research
  activities and put the role of the citizens in
  Diaspora

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• Thank you
• http//www.uneca.org/codi