Wayan Vota
@wayanvota.bsky.social
📤 263
đź“Ą 102
đź“ť 126
Digital development leader in
#ICT4D
- Publisher of ICTworks - Creator of Fail Festival.
Apply Now: $1 Million for Free and Open Source Software Projects The IndiaAI Mission is spending taxpayer money for open-source LLMs. India is also a strong advocate of Digital Public Goods and Digital Public Infrastructure on the global stage, both of which are deeply intertwined with FOSS. FOSS…
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Apply Now: $1 Million for Free and Open Source Software Projects
The IndiaAI Mission is spending taxpayer money for open-source LLMs. India is also a strong advocate of Digital Public Goods and Digital Public Infrastructure on the global stage, both of which are deeply intertwined with FOSS. FOSS is the true engine behind any meaningful manifestation of DPI and DPG. The Linux kernel, Wikipedia, and OpenStreetMap are perhaps the best examples for the ultimate global public goods that fundamentally reshaped the world through true openness and collaboration, way before these terms were even coined.
https://www.ictworks.org/free-and-open-source-software-project-funding/
1 day ago
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African Countries Should Demand Better than $150M Zipline Deal The State Department's $150 million grant to Zipline represents everything wrong with current "America First" aid policy. This deal positions African governments as paying customers for a proprietary American technology system they'll…
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African Countries Should Demand Better than $150M Zipline Deal
The State Department's $150 million grant to Zipline represents everything wrong with current "America First" aid policy. This deal positions African governments as paying customers for a proprietary American technology system they'll never own, control, or truly understand. Zipline Drone Delivery Impact is Real With 1.7 million autonomous deliveries and zero reported safety incidents since 2016, the technology clearly works…
https://www.ictworks.org/african-countries-demand-better-zipline-deal/
5 days ago
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What the Top 10 ICTworks Posts in 2025 Say About 5 ICT4D Trends in 2026 I started ICTworks seventeen (17!) years ago to engage digital development leaders, and help us all implement technology solutions more effectively in international development programs. This humble website is now the blog of…
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What the Top 10 ICTworks Posts in 2025 Say About 5 ICT4D Trends in 2026
I started ICTworks seventeen (17!) years ago to engage digital development leaders, and help us all implement technology solutions more effectively in international development programs. This humble website is now the blog of record for a global digital development community and we’ve lasted longer than USAID itself. We now have 20,000 email subscribers from around the world, after the defunding of USAID caused many to lose jobs and change emails.
https://www.ictworks.org/top-10-ictworks-posts-2025/
7 days ago
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Apply Now: $5,000 for Your African Telecom Hardware Startup Idea African startups raised just $2.2 billion in 2024. That is only 0.6% of global startup funding. Worse, most startups primarily focused on software-driven solutions, while hardware and semiconductor ecosystem remains underdeveloped.…
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Apply Now: $5,000 for Your African Telecom Hardware Startup Idea
African startups raised just $2.2 billion in 2024. That is only 0.6% of global startup funding. Worse, most startups primarily focused on software-driven solutions, while hardware and semiconductor ecosystem remains underdeveloped. For example, despite housing 18% of the world's people, Africa accounts for less than 1% of global data centre capacity, creating fundamental barriers to AI and connectivity innovation. The massive funding and capacity gap means…
https://www.ictworks.org/african-telecom-hardware-startup-idea/
8 days ago
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How Will You Respond? 6 Forces Reshaping Global Health in 2026 The global health sector faces its most dramatic transformation since the creation of multilateral institutions 70 years ago. While most organizations are still planning for recovery, the data reveals something entirely different:…
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How Will You Respond? 6 Forces Reshaping Global Health in 2026
The global health sector faces its most dramatic transformation since the creation of multilateral institutions 70 years ago. While most organizations are still planning for recovery, the data reveals something entirely different: we're not heading back to 2024. We're building something completely new from the wreckage of what's breaking. The year 2026 will mark an inflection point for global health in low- and middle-income countries.
https://www.ictworks.org/forces-reshaping-global-health-2026/
12 days ago
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An African AI EduTech Moment: Move Forward with Intention We're at a critical inflection point for artificial intelligence in African education. The conventional wisdom in our community is that AI represents an unprecedented opportunity to leapfrog traditional educational barriers. Genesis…
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An African AI EduTech Moment: Move Forward with Intention
We're at a critical inflection point for artificial intelligence in African education. The conventional wisdom in our community is that AI represents an unprecedented opportunity to leapfrog traditional educational barriers. Genesis Analytics estimates that by 2030, AI could inject $2.9 trillion into the African economy, potentially lifting 11 million Africans out of poverty and creating half a million jobs annually.
https://www.ictworks.org/an-african-ai-edutech-moment-move-forward-with-intention/
14 days ago
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Apply Now: Digital Health Leadership Fellowship for Africans Africa's health systems are undergoing unprecedented digital transformation, yet digital health initiatives often remain fragmented or misaligned with national priorities. The continent needs health leaders who can collaborate…
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Apply Now: Digital Health Leadership Fellowship for Africans
Africa's health systems are undergoing unprecedented digital transformation, yet digital health initiatives often remain fragmented or misaligned with national priorities. The continent needs health leaders who can collaborate effectively with ICT4D practitioners and guide strategic technology adoption. They must understand interoperability, data governance, and cross-border digital health initiatives. Kofi Annan Fellowship in Global Health Leadership The Kofi Annan Fellowship in Global Health Leadership…
https://www.ictworks.org/digital-health-leadership-fellowship-for-africans/
15 days ago
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Apply Now: TechGirls 2026 Exchange for Young Women in STEM Gender gaps in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies become evident from a young age, with girls facing barriers including unequal access to digital assets and skills. Fewer than 1% of rural young women from the poorest…
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Apply Now: TechGirls 2026 Exchange for Young Women in STEM
Gender gaps in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies become evident from a young age, with girls facing barriers including unequal access to digital assets and skills. Fewer than 1% of rural young women from the poorest 20% of households complete secondary school in 20 countries, including many in Sub-Saharan Africa. Women comprise only 35% of STEM graduates globally, with the economic cost of girls' education gaps reaching $15-30 trillion worldwide.
https://www.ictworks.org/techgirls-2026-exchange/
22 days ago
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Why Every ICT4D Practitioner Should Care About Responsible Technology When All Tech Is Human released its 2025 Responsible Tech Guide, it crystallized something I've been feeling: the work we've been doing at the intersection of technology and social impact has a name, a framework, and an…
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Why Every ICT4D Practitioner Should Care About Responsible Technology
When All Tech Is Human released its 2025 Responsible Tech Guide, it crystallized something I've been feeling: the work we've been doing at the intersection of technology and social impact has a name, a framework, and an increasingly urgent mandate. Subscribe Now for more digital development reports The comprehensive guide reveals a field in rapid maturation—one that ICT4D professionals are already part of, whether we realize it or not.
https://www.ictworks.org/ict4d-responsible-technology/
26 days ago
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We Must Help Countries Resist the Sovereign Generative AI Trap The digital development community has make this mistake before. We chase politically appealing solutions that sound like empowerment but actually deepen dependency on the very systems we claim to escape. Now we're doing it again with…
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We Must Help Countries Resist the Sovereign Generative AIÂ Trap
The digital development community has make this mistake before. We chase politically appealing solutions that sound like empowerment but actually deepen dependency on the very systems we claim to escape. Now we're doing it again with sovereign AI. The latest fashion in tech policy circles is pushing countries to demand sovereign Generative AI solutions - the idea that countries need their own domestically controlled artificial intelligence systems rather than relying on global models from American and Chinese companies.
https://www.ictworks.org/resist-the-sovereign-generative-ai-trap/
28 days ago
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Apply Now: $100,000 for Your Student Climate Tech Startup Idea Developing countries currently receive less than 10% of the funding needed to adapt to climate change, creating a staggering $310 billion annual finance gap by 2035. This massive shortfall is driving unprecedented demand for innovative…
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Apply Now: $100,000 for Your Student Climate Tech Startup Idea
Developing countries currently receive less than 10% of the funding needed to adapt to climate change, creating a staggering $310 billion annual finance gap by 2035. This massive shortfall is driving unprecedented demand for innovative climate solutions. Recent data shows that 88% of climate tech startups in emerging economies are youth-led, demonstrating students' critical role in developing contextually relevant solutions.
https://www.ictworks.org/funding-for-student-climate-tech-startup-idea/
29 days ago
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OLPC’s Predictable Failure: EduTech Lessons We Keep Refusing to Learn Spoiler alert: Giving children laptops without empowering teachers doesn't magically improve education I'm shocked - absolutely shocked - to learn that providing laptops to students in Peru for 10 years had zero positive impact…
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OLPC’s Predictable Failure: EduTech Lessons We Keep Refusing to Learn
Spoiler alert: Giving children laptops without empowering teachers doesn't magically improve education I'm shocked - absolutely shocked - to learn that providing laptops to students in Peru for 10 years had zero positive impact on educational outcomes. This groundbreaking new research following 531 schools over a decade reveals that the One Laptop per Child program failed to improve academic achievement, cognitive skills, or educational trajectories.
https://www.ictworks.org/olpc-predictable-failure/
about 1 month ago
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Apply Now: $300,000 for Early-Stage Social Impact Organizations 2.8 billion people still live on less than $2 per day and critical gaps persist in healthcare, education, and digital access across the Global South. Yet early-stage social enterprises struggle to find the patient capital needed to…
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Apply Now: $300,000 for Early-Stage Social Impact Organizations
2.8 billion people still live on less than $2 per day and critical gaps persist in healthcare, education, and digital access across the Global South. Yet early-stage social enterprises struggle to find the patient capital needed to scale proven solutions. The impact different calls for smart investments: Organizations leveraging existing infrastructure and distribution systems achieve nearly three times greater direct impact than those focused purely on disruption, with 15 times lower cost per life impacted.
https://www.ictworks.org/apply-now-300000-for-early-stage-social-impact-organizations/
about 1 month ago
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Kenya Just Sold Citizen Health Data for $5.66 Per Person. Expect More & Worse. The development community may be asking the wrong question about Kenya's controversial new health agreement with the United States. While digital rights advocates express outrage over data sovereignty violations,…
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Kenya Just Sold Citizen Health Data for $5.66 Per Person. Expect More &Â Worse.
The development community may be asking the wrong question about Kenya's controversial new health agreement with the United States. While digital rights advocates express outrage over data sovereignty violations, they're missing an economic reality that forced this deal in the first place. Last week, President William Ruto signed away 25 years of access to Kenyan health data for $1.6 billion over five years…
https://www.ictworks.org/kenya-just-sold-citizen-health-data/
about 1 month ago
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Apply Now: $20,000 to Deploy Mobile Phone Education Technology Nearly 250 million children globally face educational disruptions each year due to natural disasters, conflict, illness, and systemic failures. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the majority of students sit in…
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Apply Now: $20,000 to Deploy Mobile Phone Education Technology
Nearly 250 million children globally face educational disruptions each year due to natural disasters, conflict, illness, and systemic failures. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the majority of students sit in classrooms but aren't actually learning—automatically advancing grades without acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills that form the foundation for all future education. Subscribe for more funding emails Education systems worldwide need greater resilience through low-cost, easily deployable solutions that can adapt across contexts.
https://www.ictworks.org/mobile-phone-education-technology/
about 1 month ago
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Babyl Paradox: When Evidence-Based Digital Success Cannot Beat Corporate Failure  I've heard development practitioners say telemedicine is just a poor substitute for real healthcare. That virtual consultations can't possibly match the quality of face-to-face care. That we're shortchanging…
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Babyl Paradox: When Evidence-Based Digital Success Cannot Beat Corporate Failure
 I've heard development practitioners say telemedicine is just a poor substitute for real healthcare. That virtual consultations can't possibly match the quality of face-to-face care. That we're shortchanging vulnerable populations by pushing digital solutions. The evidence from Rwanda's Babyl platform tells a different story entirely. New research from VoxDev reveals that telemedicine in Rwanda delivered higher-quality, faster, and lower-cost care for common conditions compared to in-person visits.
https://www.ictworks.org/digital-success-cannot-beat-corporate-failure/
about 2 months ago
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How Do You Explain ChatGPT to a Community Health Worker? I've been diving deep into groundbreaking research on community health worker perceptions of AI applications in rural India. The truth is more complex than the rosy predictions flooding our sector about artificial intelligence transforming…
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How Do You Explain ChatGPT to a Community Health Worker?
I've been diving deep into groundbreaking research on community health worker perceptions of AI applications in rural India. The truth is more complex than the rosy predictions flooding our sector about artificial intelligence transforming global health. Subscribe Now for more digital health insights The findings expose a troubling gap between our industry's AI enthusiasm and the reality of deploying these tools with…
https://www.ictworks.org/explain-chatgpt-community-health-worker/
about 2 months ago
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Apply Now: $250,000 for Youth-Led Tech Solutions to End Poverty While 1.1 billion people live in acute multidimensional poverty, over half of them children, young innovators worldwide are proving that technology can bridge the gap between hardship and opportunity. Yet an estimated two thirds of…
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Apply Now: $250,000 for Youth-Led Tech Solutions to End Poverty
While 1.1 billion people live in acute multidimensional poverty, over half of them children, young innovators worldwide are proving that technology can bridge the gap between hardship and opportunity. Yet an estimated two thirds of the world's school-aged children – or 1.3 billion children of ages 3 to 17 years – do not have internet access at home, highlighting the urgent need for youth-led solutions that leverage technology to combat poverty.
https://www.ictworks.org/youth-led-technology-solutions-to-end-poverty/
about 2 months ago
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Giving Thanks: Top 15 Digital Development Blogs Focused on LMICs Today is American Thanksgiving, and I'd like to give thanks to Tony Roberts, for his post from 2016: Let a Thousand ICT4D Blogs Bloom. It looked at the leading digital development blogs of that time. Reading that post recently, I was…
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Giving Thanks: Top 15 Digital Development Blogs Focused on LMICs
Today is American Thanksgiving, and I'd like to give thanks to Tony Roberts, for his post from 2016: Let a Thousand ICT4D Blogs Bloom. It looked at the leading digital development blogs of that time. Reading that post recently, I was stuck by how many of those blogs no longer published and how those that still do (like this one) have changed in the last few years.
https://www.ictworks.org/top-15-digital-development-blogs/
about 2 months ago
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The Surprising Invisible Killer of African Health Information Systems Everyone wants to talk about digital infrastructure. Unreliable electricity, spotty internet, inadequate hardware budgets. These are real problems, and I've watched countless digital health conferences devolve into hand-wringing…
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The Surprising Invisible Killer of African Health Information Systems
Everyone wants to talk about digital infrastructure. Unreliable electricity, spotty internet, inadequate hardware budgets. These are real problems, and I've watched countless digital health conferences devolve into hand-wringing about connectivity gaps and power shortages across sub-Saharan Africa. Sign Up Now for more digital health insights! But a systematic review of 42 studies across Africa examining health information systems implementation reveals a more fundamental barrier that we consistently ignore: we have no idea how to manage the competing priorities of diverse stakeholders.
https://www.ictworks.org/invisible-killer-of-african-health-information-systems/
about 2 months ago
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Apply Now: $150,000 Unrestricted Funding for Scaling Your Impact The gap between promising digital innovations and transformative impact at scale remains one of development's most persistent challenges. Subscribe Now for more funding opportunities Countless enterprises demonstrate early success…
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Apply Now: $150,000 Unrestricted Funding for Scaling Your Impact
The gap between promising digital innovations and transformative impact at scale remains one of development's most persistent challenges. Subscribe Now for more funding opportunities Countless enterprises demonstrate early success in addressing critical social and environmental problems using new and emerging technologies, yet the journey from proof of concept to systemic change often stalls due to: Critical funding constraints Strategic ecosystem uncertainties…
https://www.ictworks.org/unrestricted-funding-for-scaling-your-impact/
about 2 months ago
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When Does NOT Using AI in LMIC Healthcare Become Unethical? We are quickly reaching an inflection point where withholding Generative AI solutions from healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) will be as morally indefensible as denying any other life-saving intervention.…
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When Does NOT Using AI in LMIC Healthcare Become Unethical?
We are quickly reaching an inflection point where withholding Generative AI solutions from healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) will be as morally indefensible as denying any other life-saving intervention. Subscribe Now for more digital health insights! Recent research reveals a sobering reality that challenges our traditional ethical frameworks: AI now outperforms doctors in diagnostic accuracy while LMICs face an insurmountable physician shortage that will cost millions of lives.
https://www.ictworks.org/when-does-not-using-ai-in-lmic-healthcare-become-unethical/
2 months ago
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Why Your Digital Health Pilots Never Scale: Government Procurement Challenges  How many promising digital health pilots have you seen celebrated at conferences for addressing mental health, only to disappear into the graveyard of good intentions? The sector's obsession with perfect pilots is…
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Why Your Digital Health Pilots Never Scale: Government Procurement Challenges
 How many promising digital health pilots have you seen celebrated at conferences for addressing mental health, only to disappear into the graveyard of good intentions? The sector's obsession with perfect pilots is killing scalable solutions. The real challenge isn't proving your intervention works. It is designing something the government can actually operationalize within existing budget constraints and administrative capacity.
https://www.ictworks.org/why-your-digital-health-pilots-never-scale-government-procurement-challenges/
2 months ago
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Apply Now: $50,000 for AI-Powered Financial Technology Solutions Despite record progress in financial inclusion, 1.3 billion adults worldwide remain unbanked, with women comprising 55% of this excluded population. For communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia, limited access to…
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Apply Now: $50,000 for AI-Powered Financial Technology Solutions
Despite record progress in financial inclusion, 1.3 billion adults worldwide remain unbanked, with women comprising 55% of this excluded population. For communities in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia, limited access to financial services perpetuates cycles of poverty and vulnerability, particularly as climate shocks increasingly threaten economic stability. Yet recent data shows 40% of adults in developing economies now save formally - the fastest rise in over a decade - indicating growing readiness for innovative financial products.
https://www.ictworks.org/ai-powered-financial-technology-solutions/
2 months ago
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WHO Digital Assistant Trap: Human Guides for Bad Digital Designs When the WHO Science Council released its 2025 report Advancing the Responsible Use of Digital Technologies in Global Health, I saw digital health practitioners nod approvingly at the familiar recommendations. The report follows a…
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WHO Digital Assistant Trap: Human Guides for Bad Digital Designs
When the WHO Science Council released its 2025 report Advancing the Responsible Use of Digital Technologies in Global Health, I saw digital health practitioners nod approvingly at the familiar recommendations. The report follows a predictable pattern that echoes decades of global health strategy documents. We need to improve governance frameworks, interoperability standards, and workforce development. But buried within Recommendation 6 lies a dangerous confusion.
https://www.ictworks.org/who-digital-assistant-trap-human-guides-for-bad-digital-designs/
2 months ago
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Apply Now: $25,000 to Combat Africa’s Digital Rights Crisis The authoritarian playbook is clear: shut down the internet, silence dissent, surveil citizens, manipulate elections. As a result, authorities cut internet access to 111 million Africans in 2024. This censorship inflicted $1.56 billion in…
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Apply Now: $25,000 to Combat Africa’s Digital Rights Crisis
The authoritarian playbook is clear: shut down the internet, silence dissent, surveil citizens, manipulate elections. As a result, authorities cut internet access to 111 million Africans in 2024. This censorship inflicted $1.56 billion in economic losses and silencing citizens during elections, protests, and conflicts. Subscribe Now to get more funding leads Digital authoritarianism is accelerating across the continent. In Equatorial Guinea, residents of AnnobĂłn island have been…
https://www.ictworks.org/combat-africa-digital-rights-crisis/
2 months ago
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Why We Must Move Past US-China AI Cold War Binary Thinking We are witnessing one of the most dangerous narratives to emerge in the ICT4D space in decades. While Washington and Beijing battle for technological supremacy, development practitioners are being pushed to pick sides in a competition that…
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Why We Must Move Past US-China AI Cold War Binary Thinking
We are witnessing one of the most dangerous narratives to emerge in the ICT4D space in decades. While Washington and Beijing battle for technological supremacy, development practitioners are being pushed to pick sides in a competition that misrepresents the global distribution of AI capabilities and undermines the potential for international research and regulatory cooperation. The US-China “AI Cold War” Narrative…
https://www.ictworks.org/why-we-must-move-past-us-china-ai-cold-war-binary-thinking/
3 months ago
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4 Lessons Learned From Global Digital Health AI Chatbot Failures Sadly, countless health chatbot projects crash and burn across low- and middle-income countries each year. It's not about artificial intelligence limitations, insufficient funding, or even poor internet connectivity. The truth is…
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4 Lessons Learned From Global Digital Health AI Chatbot Failures
Sadly, countless health chatbot projects crash and burn across low- and middle-income countries each year. It's not about artificial intelligence limitations, insufficient funding, or even poor internet connectivity. The truth is that most chatbot implementations fail because we're building sophisticated technology solutions backwards. The Frontier Technologies Hub recently released findings from four health chatbot pilots across Peru, Kenya, and Nigeria that should make every development professional pause.
https://www.ictworks.org/global-digital-health-ai-chatbot-failures/
3 months ago
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Mobile Phone Revolutions Make Telecenters Even More Essential While development practitioners debate whether smartphones have rendered Community Information Centres obsolete, new research from Ghana reveals a more complex truth: CICs aren't competing with mobile technology—they're complementing it…
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Mobile Phone Revolutions Make Telecenters Even More Essential
While development practitioners debate whether smartphones have rendered Community Information Centres obsolete, new research from Ghana reveals a more complex truth: CICs aren't competing with mobile technology—they're complementing it in ways that are crucial for equitable development. The conventional wisdom suggests that with Ghana achieving a 55% mobile adoption rate and 10.7 million people accessing the internet through mobile devices, traditional telecentres should be withering away.
https://www.ictworks.org/mobile-phone-revolution-made-telecenters-even-more-essential/
3 months ago
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Apply Now: $150,000 for Your Digital Transformation Solution 1.8 billion people still lack access to essential social services. Yet the nonprofit sector faces a persistent technology gap that undermines mission delivery. Sign Up Now for more funding insights Organizations working in child welfare,…
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Apply Now: $150,000 for Your Digital Transformation Solution
1.8 billion people still lack access to essential social services. Yet the nonprofit sector faces a persistent technology gap that undermines mission delivery. Sign Up Now for more funding insights Organizations working in child welfare, crisis response, and environmental protection often operate with fragmented systems, paper-based processes, and limited digital capacity. This digital divide doesn't just affect internal operations—it directly impacts the communities these organizations serve.
https://www.ictworks.org/apply-now-150000-for-your-digital-transformation-solution/
3 months ago
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eSanjeevani Shows What Actually Works in Scaling Digital Health Solutions for LMICs I have lost count of how many digital health pilot projects promised to revolutionize healthcare access in LMICs. Most delivered a few thousand consultations before quietly disappearing. Then there's eSanjeevani,…
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eSanjeevani Shows What Actually Works in Scaling Digital Health Solutions for LMICs
I have lost count of how many digital health pilot projects promised to revolutionize healthcare access in LMICs. Most delivered a few thousand consultations before quietly disappearing. Then there's eSanjeevani, India's national telemedicine platform, which just delivered 163 million consultations across 28 states in under four years. The scale alone demands attention. However, what fascinates me about the new research published in Oxford's Digital Health journal…
https://www.ictworks.org/esanjeevani-shows-what-actually-works/
3 months ago
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Risk Reality Check: Six Generative AI Threats That Demand Action Most development organizations are sleepwalking into a generative AI crisis. While we're busy celebrating ChatGPT's latest capabilities, ASEAN's new Expanded Guide on AI Governance and Ethics has identified six critical risks that…
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Risk Reality Check: Six Generative AI Threats That Demand Action
Most development organizations are sleepwalking into a generative AI crisis. While we're busy celebrating ChatGPT's latest capabilities, ASEAN's new Expanded Guide on AI Governance and Ethics has identified six critical risks that could derail our digital transformation efforts across low- and middle-income countries. The reality is more complex than the typical "AI will solve everything" narrative. The Six Generative AI Risks…
https://www.ictworks.org/six-generative-ai-threats/
3 months ago
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Apply Now: £150,000 for Your Digital Development Social Venture The development sector faces a paradox. Despite decades of innovation in ICT4D solutions, most social ventures remain trapped in a cycle of small grants and limited reach. The challenges we face today demand innovative solutions that…
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Apply Now: £150,000 for Your Digital Development Social Venture
The development sector faces a paradox. Despite decades of innovation in ICT4D solutions, most social ventures remain trapped in a cycle of small grants and limited reach. The challenges we face today demand innovative solutions that can scale impact to billions of people. Sign Up Now for more calls for proposals In an era where digital transformation has accelerated post-pandemic adoption of everything from…
https://www.ictworks.org/digital-development-social-venture/
3 months ago
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Apply Now: $4 Million for AI Solutions for Economic Opportunity The dream of upward mobility is increasingly out of reach for millions. Low-income workers around the world face systemic barriers to better jobs, education, and public benefits. Barriers that trap families in cycles of poverty…
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Apply Now: $4 Million for AI Solutions for Economic Opportunity
The dream of upward mobility is increasingly out of reach for millions. Low-income workers around the world face systemic barriers to better jobs, education, and public benefits. Barriers that trap families in cycles of poverty despite their best efforts. Please Subscribe Now for more grant announcements! Traditional approaches to workforce development and social services struggle to scale personalized support, leaving those who need help most navigating complex systems alone.
https://www.ictworks.org/ai-solutions-for-economic-opportunity/
3 months ago
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Apply Now: $30,000 for African Labor Mobility Technology Startups In Sub-Saharan Africa, 10-12 million young people enter the labor market annually, yet only 3 million formal jobs are created. Meanwhile, Europe and the Gulf face acute shortages in hospitality, construction, and healthcare. The…
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Apply Now: $30,000 for African Labor Mobility Technology Startups
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 10-12 million young people enter the labor market annually, yet only 3 million formal jobs are created. Meanwhile, Europe and the Gulf face acute shortages in hospitality, construction, and healthcare. The mismatch is clear: African talent is ready, global demand is rising, but the systems connecting them remain broken, risky and underinvested. Sign Up Now for more funding opportunities…
https://www.ictworks.org/african-labor-mobility-startups/
3 months ago
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Please RSVP Now: What Can Generative AI Small Language Models Do For You? Large, resource-intensive, general-purpose Generative AI models are causing undeniable harm to the environment, the climate, and communities around the globe. Small language models, built in purposeful and controlled ways,…
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Please RSVP Now: What Can Generative AI Small Language Models Do For You?
Large, resource-intensive, general-purpose Generative AI models are causing undeniable harm to the environment, the climate, and communities around the globe. Small language models, built in purposeful and controlled ways, and managed with thoughtful design, can be an alternative. Built with fewer computational resources, they can lead to faster processing, increased possibilities on smaller devices, more privacy and security, and they can be tailored by you and your tasks!
https://www.ictworks.org/generative-ai-small-language-models/
4 months ago
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Apply Now: €62,500 Cash Prizes for Your Digital Startup Company The global startup ecosystem faces a persistent challenge: early-stage ventures struggle to secure both capital and visibility in an increasingly crowded marketplace. However, venture capital often concentrates in established tech…
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Apply Now: €62,500 Cash Prizes for Your Digital Startup Company
The global startup ecosystem faces a persistent challenge: early-stage ventures struggle to secure both capital and visibility in an increasingly crowded marketplace. However, venture capital often concentrates in established tech hubs. We need to actively seek solutions from diverse geographies. Subscribe Now to Get More Funding Emails The mobile ecosystem continues driving digital transformation in low- and middle-income countries, where connectivity remains fundamental to accessing education, healthcare, and financial services.
https://www.ictworks.org/cash-prizes-digital-startup-company/
4 months ago
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Are We Connecting Communities to 3G Student Learning Failure? I've spent years advocating for digital inclusion, arguing that Internet access is fundamental to closing development gaps. But new research from the University of Zurich has me questioning everything we think we know about connectivity…
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Are We Connecting Communities to 3G Student Learning Failure?
I've spent years advocating for digital inclusion, arguing that Internet access is fundamental to closing development gaps. But new research from the University of Zurich has me questioning everything we think we know about connectivity and its benefits for young people in low and middle-income countries. The findings are stark and uncomfortable: 3G internet coverage leads to substantial increases in smartphone ownership and internet usage among adolescents, but also results in significant declines in test scores in math, reading, and science, with magnitudes roughly equivalent to the loss of one-quarter of a year of learning.
https://www.ictworks.org/3g-student-leanring-failure/
4 months ago
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Apply Now: Use ChatGPT to Win $50M AI Funding from OpenAI Many nonprofit organizations still lack the resources or support to shape artificial intelligence for public good. OpenAI’s People-First AI Fund aims to change that. This opportunity offers a large scale investment in organizations that are…
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Apply Now: Use ChatGPT to Win $50M AI Funding from OpenAI
Many nonprofit organizations still lack the resources or support to shape artificial intelligence for public good. OpenAI’s People-First AI Fund aims to change that. This opportunity offers a large scale investment in organizations that are building AI literacy, fostering innovation from the ground up, and creating inclusive economic opportunities. Sign Up Now for more funding leads. OpenAI has committed $50 million to support mission-focused and nonprofit organizations working where innovation intersects with public welfare.
https://www.ictworks.org/chatgpt-win-50m-ai-funding-openai/
4 months ago
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Ethiopian Paradox: More Digital Infrastructure Means Less Development We've spent years watching development organizations celebrate every new digital initiative as a silver bullet for poverty and poor governance. The conventional wisdom is seductive: build the digital rails, and development will…
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Ethiopian Paradox: More Digital Infrastructure Means Less Development
We've spent years watching development organizations celebrate every new digital initiative as a silver bullet for poverty and poor governance. The conventional wisdom is seductive: build the digital rails, and development will follow. But Ethiopia's experience with digital infrastructure tells a different, more sobering story that should make us all pause before our next digital transformation pitch. The Data Doesn't Lie—It Confounds…
https://www.ictworks.org/ethiopian-paradox-more-digital-infrastructure-means-less-development/
4 months ago
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Apply Now: Use GenAI to Win £4.6 million Ethiopian AI Grant Artificial intelligence is moving from hype to reality, offering powerful tools to transform health, education, livelihoods, and climate resilience. Yet in Ethiopia, many communities remain underserved by both technology and policy. Sign…
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Apply Now: Use GenAI to Win ÂŁ4.6 million Ethiopian AIÂ Grant
Artificial intelligence is moving from hype to reality, offering powerful tools to transform health, education, livelihoods, and climate resilience. Yet in Ethiopia, many communities remain underserved by both technology and policy. Sign Up Now to get more funding updates Responsible AI solutions can help close service gaps, improve efficiency, and build resilience—if they are designed inclusively and ethically. That is exactly the goal of the EthiopiAI Programme from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
https://www.ictworks.org/chatgpt-win-7-million-ethiopian-ai-grant/
4 months ago
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Technology Supporting Weak Ties Amplify Women’s Entrepreneurship While development practitioners obsess over access to capital and business training, groundbreaking research from The Gambia reveals something far more powerful: how platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp connect women entrepreneurs…
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Technology Supporting Weak Ties Amplify Women’s Entrepreneurship
While development practitioners obsess over access to capital and business training, groundbreaking research from The Gambia reveals something far more powerful: how platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp connect women entrepreneurs and actually amplify the strength of their relationships in ways that transform businesses. The concept is called "tie-strength amplification," and it's reshaping how we should approach digital development programming. Let me explain why this matters for your work.
https://www.ictworks.org/technology-supporting-weak-ties-amplify-womens-entrepreneurship/
4 months ago
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Great News! MIT Says 95% Of All Corporate Generative AI Pilots Fail The MIT report declaring that 95% of generative AI pilots are "failing" has sent shockwaves through boardrooms and generated countless LinkedIn hot takes about artificial intelligence's imminent demise. Headlines scream about…
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Great News! MIT Says 95% Of All Corporate Generative AI Pilots Fail
The MIT report declaring that 95% of generative AI pilots are "failing" has sent shockwaves through boardrooms and generated countless LinkedIn hot takes about artificial intelligence's imminent demise. Headlines scream about wasted billions and broken promises, feeding into a familiar cycle of technological disillusionment. But here's what the doomsayers are missing: this spectacular "failure" rate isn't evidence of AI's weakness.
https://www.ictworks.org/great-news-corporate-generative-ai-pilots-fail/
4 months ago
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Apply Now: $100,000 for African Women Technology Founders Africa's women entrepreneurs face a staggering $42 billion financing gap, and traditional venture capital continues failing them spectacularly. They need strategic economic development that recognizes women entrepreneurs as Africa's most…
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Apply Now: $100,000 for African Women Technology Founders
Africa's women entrepreneurs face a staggering $42 billion financing gap, and traditional venture capital continues failing them spectacularly. They need strategic economic development that recognizes women entrepreneurs as Africa's most underutilized growth engine. Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge 2025 Tech FoundHER Africa Challenge offers $100,000 grants combined with mentorship and investor networks to address the systemic barriers that keep women-led tech innovation marginalized.
https://www.ictworks.org/african-women-technology-founders/
4 months ago
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Apply Now: $50,000 to Connect Every School to the Internet Against the backdrop of rapidly evolving digital technologies, it is unimaginable that one third of humanity – or 2.6 billion people – still remain offline. Sign up now for more funding emails. This lack of connectivity means that many…
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Apply Now: $50,000 to Connect Every School to the Internet
Against the backdrop of rapidly evolving digital technologies, it is unimaginable that one third of humanity – or 2.6 billion people – still remain offline. Sign up now for more funding emails. This lack of connectivity means that many children have fewer opportunities to learn and fulfill their potential. Closing this digital divide requires global cooperation, leadership and innovation in finance and technology.
https://www.ictworks.org/connect-every-school-to-the-internet/
5 months ago
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Apply Now: €3 Million for Disaster Response Technology Development Collaborative international research and development, and technology development, projects can help society prepare for, respond to, and recover from different kinds of disasters, such as: Human-caused: including widespread…
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Apply Now: €3 Million for Disaster Response Technology Development
Collaborative international research and development, and technology development, projects can help society prepare for, respond to, and recover from different kinds of disasters, such as: Human-caused: including widespread destruction resulting from conflict and war, urban fires, and industrial accidents of various kinds. Natural: including avalanche, flooding, extreme cold and hot weather, drought, earthquake, storms, volcanic activity, and wildfire. Research and development products and solutions can save life, prevent or limit environmental catastrophes, and help society prepare for a future where climate change is expected to increase the frequency and scale of many kinds of disasters.
https://www.ictworks.org/disaster-response-technology-development/
5 months ago
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A Great Open Source Race: China vs India vs the African Continent Bottom Line Up Front: China now leads the world with 2.2 million active open source software developers, while India's 2+ million contributors already overtook Europe and the US in total numbers. African countries show the fastest…
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A Great Open Source Race: China vs India vs the African Continent
Bottom Line Up Front: China now leads the world with 2.2 million active open source software developers, while India's 2+ million contributors already overtook Europe and the US in total numbers. African countries show the fastest growth rates globally, but the China-India race creates both opportunities and challenges for the continent's emerging tech talent. The global open source landscape has fundamentally shifted eastward, and the implications for international development are profound.
https://www.ictworks.org/a-great-open-source-race-china-vs-india-vs-the-african-continent/
5 months ago
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Apply Now: 4 Million CAD for African Artificial Intelligence Research Artificial intelligence is rapidly emerging as a transformative force in shaping new possibilities for economic development, social inclusion, and innovation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa. Yet, AI…
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Apply Now: 4 Million CAD for African Artificial Intelligence Research
Artificial intelligence is rapidly emerging as a transformative force in shaping new possibilities for economic development, social inclusion, and innovation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across Africa. Yet, AI carries the risk of reinforcing existing inequalities and introducing new forms of exclusion. Sign Up Now for More Funding Emails How can we understand what the socioeconomic implications of AI are now…
https://www.ictworks.org/african-artificial-intelligence-research/
5 months ago
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Apply Now: $300,000 for Climate Resilience Artificial Intelligence Solutions Local communities must adapt to a changing climate and build long-term resilience. This includes for example strengthening food security, enhancing health systems, and building coastal resilience in regions that are…
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Apply Now: $300,000 for Climate Resilience Artificial Intelligence Solutions
Local communities must adapt to a changing climate and build long-term resilience. This includes for example strengthening food security, enhancing health systems, and building coastal resilience in regions that are particularly vulnerable to climate impacts. We need to support pioneering projects that leverage artificial intelligence for climate adaptation in underserved, climate-vulnerable regions, like using AI to support smallholder farmers, build early warning systems, or translate complex risk data into community action plans.
https://www.ictworks.org/climate-resilience-ai-solutions/
5 months ago
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If you don't get at least one Death Stare from your teen per day, are you really even parenting?
6 months ago
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