ICTs for development: the good intentions of the mobile phone, by Prof Ulrike Rivett

Professor Ulrike Rivett

Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have changed the world and the mobile phone has been the hope for Africa to leapfrog social and economic development. Mobile health, mobile education, mobile government, mobile money – mobile as a Band-Aid to move the continent to a better place. After twenty years of mobile, how much has really changed?

Ulrike Rivett leads the iCOMMS research team in the Department of Information Systems in the Commerce Faculty. Her work concentrates on understanding the use, application and impact of ICTs in developing countries. By connecting theoretical knowledge with every day challenges, her contribution has been one of shifting the developmental agenda of ICTs from a technology driven approach to a people centred one. Basic service delivery to under-resourced communities remains a core focus of her work and she continues to challenge the notion of “ICT for development”.

Date: Wednesday, October 4, 2017 - 17:00

Venue: Lecture theatre TS2B, Snape Building, Upper Campus, University of Cape Town

Contact Information: RSVP online

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