Technology, Innovation and Communication
Concepts
Technology is applied knowledge; invention is the first creation of something new; innovation is putting an idea into practical, commercial or social use. Know appropriate or intermediate technology (fits local skills, incomes, spares and energy), technology transfer, research and development, patents and intellectual property, automation and its labour effects (displacement, deskilling, new occupations). ICT covers telecommunications, computing, broadcasting and the internet. The digital divide is unequal access by income, location, age, gender or disability. Also learn e-government, mobile money and fintech, e-learning, telemedicine, cybersecurity, data protection, misinformation, and media freedom and regulation.
Why it matters for development
Technology raises productivity, widens markets, enables leapfrogging (mobile networks replacing fixed lines) and improves service delivery. It also concentrates market power, can raise unemployment, generates e-waste, and often arrives faster than the law that should govern it.
Traps
Newest is not best: capital-intensive equipment fails without technicians, spares or reliable power. Technology does not automatically reduce poverty, and access is not use - a computer room with no internet or trained teacher changes little. Do not confuse innovation with invention, or the digital divide with a simple shortage of devices.
Rule of thumb
Apply the appropriateness test to any technology: is it affordable, adaptable to local conditions, accessible to intended users, and accountable (safe, regulated, maintainable with local skills)? A technology that fails on maintenance and skills becomes a white elephant.