2017 ICT4D Conference

The invention of Internet, especially wireless communication technologies has triggered the growth of global economy and improved the income of different types of businesses. We can say that humankind is now almost entirely connected on Internet. People are using social media and Instant Messaging platforms enabled on their smart hand-held devices, hence facilitating them to get information necessary for businesses.

Globally, time spent on social networking sites surpassed time spent on e-mail in November 2007, and the number of social networking users surpassed the number of e-mail users in July 2009. Today, social networking sites are the preferred platforms for all kinds of activities, both business and personal, and sociability has dramatically increased — but it is a different kind of sociability

In this spirit, Rural communities practicing off-farm businesses got trained on the use of ICT Tools and Services (especially using Facebook), then facilitated to have access to Internet through Community Knowledge Centers (CKCs), that they may access market information for selling their products and services. After only one year, community witnesses the role of using ICT services and tools for development of their businesses, hence impacting their lives. Today, It is not necessary to pay for a rent of a shopping place, as it simple to create an electronic store platform which can link the business and customers in easy, quick and flexible manner.

Today, the gap in linkage between business and market was filled. It is obviously crucial to use and benefit from current communication technologies for growth in economy.

Therefore, The Internet and the Web constitute the technological infrastructure of the global economic growth, and the understanding of their logic is a key field of research. It is only from success stories of community that will enable us to cut through the myths surrounding this digital communication technology.