Abstract

Acacia is an international program to empower sub-Saharan communities with the ability to apply ICTs to their own social and economic development. Acacia was approved by IDRC's Board of Governors in 1997 with a view to: demonstrating how information and communication technologies (ICTs) can help disadvantaged sub-Saharan communities, especially the women and youth, solve their development problems; learning from community-based research and experimentation, and disseminating this knowledge widely; and building international support and momentum to expand access to ICT's by rural and disadvantaged groups. In addition to these original goals, Acacia is considered to have accelerated the appropriation of ICTs by sub-Saharan communities and to have facilitated the development of appropriate public policies within selected countries. Following the completion of Phase I in March 2001, IDRC's Board of Governors approved a proposal to integrate the Acacia Initiative into the new ICT4D (Information and Communication Technology for Development) program initiative. This grant will allow a consultant to organize and facilitate an Acacia Planning Meeting, 30 April- 6 May 2001. The meeting will serve as the starting point for drafting a prospectus for the new program initiative. The meeting will also serve as a team-building exercise and involve field visits to several ICT initiatives in Ghana and Bénin.

Recipient Institution(s)