NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Small box ’to end digital divide’, by Jo Twist

A pared down computer to replace bulky, grey desktop PCs could help close global digital inequalities. Not-for-profit developers, Ndiyo - the Swahili word for yes - said it could open up the potential of computing to two billion more people. The sub-?100 box, called Nivo, runs on open-source software and is known as a thin client. Several can be linked up to a central brain, or server. Thin clients are not new, but advances have mad...

Source

BBC News

Charity weaves a new Cambodia, by Nick Cumming-Bruce

From wooden looms lined up under an open-sided, palm-thatched workshop, a bone-shaking drive of six hours from the nearest town - and that is when the weather is good - Ruen and her fellow workers are weaving silk scarves and fabrics of a quality that is starting to attract the interest of upscale stores and boutiques in New York and London. Weaves (Cambodia) offers governments and international aid agencies a rare example of the kind of enterprise the country desperately needs to overcom...

Source

International Herald Tribune

Ethiopia Takes Lead in African ICT, by Rodney Weidemann

The Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation (ETC) officially launched the country’s broadband service yesterday, in a move that will likely shame many richer African nations. Featuring offerings that include broadband Internet, VSAT and multimedia services, the project’s aim is to get the East African country onto the information highway by providing a strong ICT infrastructure in order to bring technology to all its people. The ETC worked with numerous companies when setting...

Source

ITWeb (Johannesburg)

Biotechnology: Several developing countries now have well-developed programmes

Research being conducted on GM crops and traits more relevant for food security Several developing countries now have well-developed biotechnology programmes; they are approaching the leading edge of biotechnology applications and have significant research capacity, according to a new FAO assessment on the status of research and application of crop biotechnologies in developing countries. Based on a review of the information in the FAO database on Biotechnology in Develop...

Source

FAO

Technology works, people don’t

Study of pilot project using mobile phones for healthcare in Africa finds that technology works, but implementation, management and human factors are real hurdles. Bridges.org has conducted an in-depth investigation of a pilot project by the Cape Town Health Directorate that tested innovative uses of mobile phone technology to improve the treatment of Tuberculosis (TB) in its clinics. This is part of the City’s efforts to fi...

Source

OneWorld Africa

Can There Be Too Much Competition In Developing Nations? by Mike Masnick

As the Afghan government looks to sell more cellular licenses, some are questioning whether or not there’s going to be too much competition. Of course, that’s a problem for the operators, not the regulators. In some ways, it’s almost amazing that this discussion is even taking place. It wasn’t long ago that using a mobile phone in Afghanistan was basically impossible. However, with the rebuilding of Afgh...

Source

TheFeature

Region

South Asia

Internet helps Africa via remittances and VoIP, by Danny O’Brien

MamaMikes.com is a site run from the east African country of Kenya. It looks similar to a flower delivery website, or perhaps a mini African Amazon. It sells online an elaborate range of goods for delivery - 40 roses, a crate of Tusker beer, or a mocha chip cake. You can buy monthly shopping certificates for Kenyan and Ugandan grocery stores, mobile phone airtime or a petrol card. MamaMikes doesn’t look like the internet trans...

Source

Irish Times

Swaziland: Small And Medium a Recipe for Big Hopes, by James Hall

For a country struggling with a stubborn unemployment rate of over 40 percent, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises seems a welcome solution to joblessness. So, it comes as no surprise that Swaziland’s minister of enterprise and employment, Lutfo Dlamini, is an enthusiastic proponent of these businesses - commonly referred to as SMEs. Small and medium enterprises represent a grass-roots solution to the economic downturn. They are good for poverty alleviation...

Source

Inter Press Service