In Search of Local Knowledge on ICTs in Africa

By reviewing and comparing literature on the role of ICTs in statebuilding and peacebuildingin Africa, with a particular focus on neighboring Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, this paperexamines whether the claims of the transformative power of ICTs are backed by evidence andwhether local knowledge – e.g., traditional mechanisms for conflict resolution – is taken intoconsideration by ICT-based initiatives. Several key findings emerged, including: 1) empiricalevidence on the successful use of ICTs to promote peacebuilding and statebuilding is thin; 2)few differences exist between scholarship emanating from the Global North and from Africa;and 3) the literature exhibits a simplistic assumption that ICTs will drive democraticdevelopment without sufficient consideration of how ICTs are actually used by the public.
Working paper