Policy Development

This summary is part of a research project carried out between March and October 2006 in support of the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), one of The Communication Initiative (The CI)'s partners.

According to this case study, there was only one internet service provider, with fewer than 100 users, in the whole of Mozambique up to the mid 1990s. The country was very much on the periphery of the global information society. Despite this, the Mozambican electorate expected effective information and communication technology (ICT) programmes from the government to assist in alleviating poverty and to put the country on the road to economic recovery. Several developments converged to bring about a favourable climate in the field during the next decade, up to the publishing of this report in 2003: stability of the country, government commitment to national development, exposure to regional and global ICT events and a few ICT champions, including the International Development Research Center (IDRC), who commissioned this report.

The author of this study, Dr. ZM Ofir, explains that the IDRC’s Acacia programme played a pioneering role in entering this high-risk arena. Launched in 1997, it was aimed at the development of ICT in Africa and focused on four countries, one of which was Mozambique. Acacia’s central hypothesis is that ICT will empower communities to take effective control over their own development. The programme looks at a number of different models of community access through facilitating four areas of development: policy, infrastructure, tools, and technologies and applications to stimulate demand at community level. Although Acacia did not directly influence government ICT policy, their design of ICT projects and facilitating of high-level stakeholder consultation indirectly had a substantial influence. These activities included establishment of the Mozambique Acacia Advisory Committee (MAAC) to act as an expert consultant in ICT development, to direct financial and technical support, to fund several pilot projects, and to support advocacy and awareness creation initiatives and research.

The timing of the IDRC intervention coincided with a favourable environment for considering the introduction of ICT into Mozambique. This included the government’s focus on development priorities through the Action Plan for the Reduction of Absolute Poverty (PARPA), a small but well-networked group of key decision makers such as MAAC and the ICT Policy Commission, the keen interest of the President and Prime Minister, early demonstration of the practical benefits of ICT and the government’s commitment to public consultation.

A number of policy initiatives can be attributed to Acacia’s involvement: donor agency interest, credibility of telecentres as vehicles for rural development, local capacity development in ICT, and policy design. Several participants felt that they had gained expertise and credibility with donors, decision makers and the public by being involved in this process.

There were at least 23 potential significant role players in the ICT policy area in Mozambique during this period, including foreign governments, donor organisations and consultants, international agencies such as the World Bank, and regional influences such as the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the African Union through the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

IDRC’s role as a ‘true partner’ in development was much appreciated, especially in the field of empowering and building capacity amongst the indigenous population. The report specifically identifies the importance of gender-sensitive projects being part of any implementation strategy. Some measure of gender sensitivity was found in all the Acacia projects in this case study. The participation of women in Acacia structures and processes was encouraged and some projects did include gender dimensions in their work. However, the report suggests more could have been done to integrate into projects a conscious focus on gender issues as well as systematic strategies to address them.

With few projects on the ground, little information was available from similar initiatives in other parts of Africa. Acacia therefore could not provide comparative studies or comprehensive information on the impact of ICT on development. There was limited ICT policy expertise in Mozambique during the period of the process.

The IDRC has been recognised for its timely and effective contribution to the establishment of an enabling ICT policy environment in Mozambique. IDRC pioneering work has been applauded from public and private platforms, both by its participants and key decision makers as well as by the President and Prime Minister of Mozambique.

A clearer understanding within the IDRC of how Acacia research can best be designed to have a more effective impact and influence on policy was a product of this process. Other government ministries took lessons from the ICT policy process and applied it to their activities and are incorporating ICT into their sector policies. There was also a need to focus more on comparative analytical research, including between countries, and the effective implementation of an evaluation process such as ELSA - Acacia's Evaluation and Learning System.

Decision makers and the public are more aware of the potential of ICT in Mozambique. Provinces are now focusing on ICT in their own development strategies. The ICT policy process has also helped create an awareness of the need for accelerated reforms in the telecommunication sector.