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The Research Resource
Centre in Rural Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda
Promoting ICT-Enabled Entrepreneurship
Innovation

•  
• A Presentation to the
• international conference on social innovation
  for a better world in our time
• 07th 08th October 2009
• Rome, Italy
•  

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Summary of Presentation

• Brief background of ToroDev
• Concept of ICT-Enabled Entrepreneurship
  Innovation
• Rationale of the Research Resource centre
• Strategic approach, services activities
• Achievements of the Research Resource Centre
• Challenges
• Recommendations
• Conclusion

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Background of ToroDev

• Initiated in 2006 to promote ICT research
  training for rural economic development
• Started training unemployed graduates and local
  entrepreneurs to access use of ICTs
• Set up information, knowledge sharing
  discussion forums for professionals
• Advocate for appropriate ICT policy, rural
  infrastructure and gender inclusion
• In 2008 started an ICT-enabled business
  incubation initiative

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Concept of ICT-Enabled Entrepreneurship
Innovation

• There is a strong relationship between
  innovation, entrepreneurship and knowledge
  sharing (infoDev, 2007)
• Good entrepreneurship skills and strategies have
  to be validated by reliable information
• Need for a research for development lens while
  promoting social entrepreneurship
• Scarcity of enterprise start-up resources in
  Uganda calls for identifying cost effective
  strategies by young entrepreneurs (Enterprise
  Uganda, 2008)

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Rationale of the ICT Research Resource Centre
In Rural Rwenzori Region, Uganda

• Need to counter high unemployment among the
  graduate young people (82 of graduates
  unemployed annually Enterprise Uganda)
• Entrepreneurship Innovation support not a
  priority to graduates in Uganda yet private
  sector contributes 75 of national GDP
• Bringing the opportunities provided by modern
  ICTs to the rural community
• Need for a public resource access point in the
  rural Rwenzori region

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Strategic Approach Activities of the Centre

• Addressing the problem of Double illiteracy
  combination of both traditional modern ICTs
  (computers, internet mobiles radios)
• Rollout to lower community levels for gender
  inclusion
• Tapping the power of mobile ICT tools for lower
  rural community (e.g. e-RIS).
• Private Public Partnership with local
  governments for expanding ICT infrastructure
  investment (MTN-Google, InfoTrade, etc)
• Experts e-Discussion nodes(success stories
  entrepreneurship mentoring for youths)

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Achievements of Social Innovation
Entrepreneurship

• Local entrepreneurs in the Hotel, Agribusiness
  Tourism sectors from the region trained.
• Enrolment of university and high schools students
  to orient the with ICT-enabled entrepreneurship
  skills has increased from 34 in December 2008 to
  67 by August.
• Local government police staff trained in ICT4D
  tools for effective service delivery.
• Rural women leaders trained in using simple ICT
  tools for lobbying advocacy for gender
  inclusion policy formulation.

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Challenge of Social Innovation
Entrepreneurship in a rural community

• Inadequate both social ICT infrastructure in
  the Rwenzori region, Western Uganda (recent
  budgetary allocation ICT is 0.1 Vs 12 to GDP)
• ICT illiteracy stands at 89 in Uganda, leave
  alone basic illiteracy at 40.
• Inadequate capital resources to expand the
  services and activities to the entire region
• Gender sensitivity in ICT, Innovation
  entrepreneurship not a priority at all levels of
  coupled by cultural hindrances.

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Recommendations for Social Innovation
Entrepreneurship

• In cases of rural communities like Uganda, ICT
  infrastructure needs to be expanded
• Understanding the target groups needs and
  context is paramount (literacy, income levels,
  age, etc.)
• Gender mainstreaming in developing communities
  must be a priority
• Combination of both traditional and modern ICT
  tools to improve production, marketing and
  knowledge generation.

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Conclusion

• Policy formulation is not a responsibility of
  governments alone. It is a collective
  responsibility for all development players and
  stakeholders.
• Learning from current experiences in Uganda and
  Africa as a whole, the process requires
  government commitment, political good will, local
  participation and proper visioning.
• For effective policy formulation and
  implementation, to benefit both men and women,
  the following steps need to be taken

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• Thank you all for listening!!