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February 25, 2011

Spider Annual Report 2010

February 25, 2011

Spider Annual Report 2010 2

Executive summary ............................................................................................................ 3

1. Integrate ICT in sustainable socio-‐economic development in partner countries .............. 5 1.1 Projects Initiated by Swedish partner universities ............................................................................................ 6

1.1.1 Completed projects .................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.2 Pending completion ................................................................................................................................. 10

1.2 Developing country projects ............................................................................................................................ 11 1.2.1 Completed projects .................................................................................................................................. 11 1.2.2 Pending completion ................................................................................................................................. 15 1.2.3 Ongoing projects ...................................................................................................................................... 18

1.3 Sida bilateral projects ...................................................................................................................................... 21 1.4. Monitoring and evaluation ............................................................................................................................. 23

1.4.1 International Network for Post Graduate Students (IPID) ....................................................................... 23 1.4.2 Swedish University Projects ..................................................................................................................... 23 1.4.3 Cold case projects .................................................................................................................................... 24

1.5. Development of thematic areas ..................................................................................................................... 25 1.5.1 Democracy ............................................................................................................................................... 25 1.5.2 Health ...................................................................................................................................................... 26

2. Support mainstreaming of ICT in development cooperation ......................................... 28 2.1 Discussions with B4D to develop collaboration ............................................................................................... 30 2.2 Helpdesk .......................................................................................................................................................... 30

3. Develop and strengthen the Spider resource base ........................................................ 31 3.1 New partnerships ............................................................................................................................................ 32 3.2 IPID activities ................................................................................................................................................... 32 3.3 Junior ICT Expert .............................................................................................................................................. 33 3.4 Education activities .......................................................................................................................................... 33

3.4.1 Scholarships to the Master program “Electronic Government” at Örebro University ............................. 33 3.4.2 Travel Grants ............................................................................................................................................ 33

4. Facilitate generation and dissemination of ICT4D knowledge ....................................... 35 4.1 Conferences and workshops ........................................................................................................................... 36 4.2 Scholarly reports and research papers ............................................................................................................ 37

5. Internal organization, management and administration ............................................... 38

6. Financial report ............................................................................................................ 40

7. Appendices ................................................................................................................... 41 Appendix 1 – Evaluation of IPID Appendix 2 – Evaluation of University Collaboration Appendix 3 – Governance reports Appendix 4 – Christer Marking report Appendix 5 – AMIS final report Appendix 6 – INFORM final report Appendix 7 – Mobile ATM final report Appendix 8 – IICD final report Appendix 9 – CORDIO final report

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Executive summary The Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions (Spider) was established in 2004. The first phase of operation (July 2004-‐Dec 2006) was jointly funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) with SEK 33 million. During the second phase of operation (Jan 2007-‐Dec 2009), Spider received SEK 61 million from Sida and KTH. In 2010, Spider was shifted to the Department of Computer and System Sciences (DSV) at Stockholm University (SU). Pending a Sida decision on the funding application for 2010-‐2014, Spider was granted bridging support of SEK 15 million for 2010. During 2010, Sida assessed and approved the Spider application for the third phase of operation, but with significant modifications. The phase was shortened from five (2010-‐2014) to three (2011-‐2013) years, with a total budget of 50 million, as opposed to the 150 million applied for, while maintaining the funding structure between Sida (90%) and the host organization SU/DSV (10%). The supplementary funding for 2010 was extended to June 2011. 2010 can be summarized as an intermediate phase, during which some effort was made to reflect on past experiences while trying to chart a new way forward. Some measures were initiated to address the issues raised in the external evaluation of Spider commissioned by Sida in 2008/2009. Complementary evaluations were commissioned to assess more specific programs supported by Spider: a) projects initiated by Swedish universities, and b) the network for postgraduate students (IPID). In addition, the change of hosts from KTH to SU was accompanied by a commissioned study of Spider’s organization and leadership. Sida’s assessment memo for the phase three application (2011-‐2013) offered additional input into the process of self-‐reflection, while structuring future operations. This process of re-‐adjustment was, however, complicated by several factors, ranging from lack of permanent leadership to confusion about future direction, along with more stringent, but welcomed, demands from Sida. Efforts to improve operational shortcomings were stunted by recurring changes of leaders (permanent Director replaced by two consecutive Acting Directors). Although these complexities led to a certain stand still in the general level of activity, as exemplified by the fact that no new projects were initiated and insufficient attention was paid to ongoing projects, they also reveal the need to rethink Spider’s raison d’etre, not least to accommodate changes in the nature and scope of Sida funding. This report aims to summarize and analyze this intermediate phase of operation, with an emphasis on results. The report is based on the objectives and priorities of the

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Activity Plan for 2010. An effort is made to present results from recently completed projects, along with the evaluations conducted during the year. The report is structured in accordance with Spider’s program areas as categorized in the plan for 2011-‐2013, thus aligning past activities with future directions. In summary, Spider’s program areas are as follows: 1. Integrate ICT in sustainable socio-‐economic development in partner countries 2. Support mainstreaming of ICT in development cooperation 3. Develop and strengthen the Spider resource base 4. Facilitate generation and dissemination of ICT4D knowledge

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1. Integrate ICT in sustainable socio-‐economic development in partner countries

Overall objective The main objective of this program area is to solve concrete problems identified by partner countries. ICT integration is mainly achieved through collaboration between partner country actors and members of the Spider network. This collaboration is categorized into Swedish university projects and developing country projects, depending on the initiator of the project.

Analysis of results As detailed in the table below, the results for 2010 are varied. Efforts to start new projects and initiatives were not pursued, with the exception of the Carenet project initiated by KTH. Nor was the evaluation of the university-‐based projects translated into a new program or approach, but left for future consideration. In terms of thematic areas, the thorough assessment of past e-‐learning experiences was neglected, yet a redirection was attempted (e-‐learning as a cross-‐cutting tool, rather than thematic area), even though it was insufficiently investigated. Meanwhile, considerable effort went into the conceptualization of the thematic area of e-‐governance. Overall, some effort went into rethinking Spider’s focus and evaluating past experiences, but none of these efforts were completed, nor did they translate into concrete action. Recurring shortcomings in projects remain to be addressed, while the results have yet to be analyzed and disseminated. Activity Plan 2010 Output Result Main focus: develop new projects within e-‐learning and e-‐governance

n/a No new projects were developed

Main activities: a) Project collaboration with partner countries and members of the Spider network

Continued collaboration on closing and ongoing projects

See project-‐ based results below

b) Feasibility studies will be launched during 2010 that will produce comprehensive project proposals that will be presented for the board in September and December 2010

n/a No project proposals based on feasibility studies

c) Spider will prepare and launch a limited number of innovative and strategic small scale (less than 500.000 SEK) projects. Special attention will be paid to the cross-‐cutting areas.

Rwanda Carenet project -‐See section 1.2.1

d) The university initiated projects from the previous period will be evaluated and analyzed. The result will be presented to the board in June 2010 for discussion and a decision on the way forward

Ulf Bråsjö. 2010. Evaluation of the Spider program “ICT Project Collaboration with Swedish Partner Universities 2007-‐2009”

Evaluation and recommendations available but not yet acted upon

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e-‐learning: -‐During 2010 Spider will decide the future focus of e-‐learning by analyzing comparative advantages in the Spider network, and expand the network if need be. -‐Experiences from previous activities/projects will be assessed, compiled and disseminated. -‐Support African participation in the e-‐learning conference in Zambia.

n/a n/a -‐African and Swedish participation supported (see section 4. Facilitate generation and dissemination of ICT4D knowledge)

-‐e-‐learning remains underinvestigated -‐Previous activities/projects have yet to be thoroughly assessed

e-‐governance: During 2010 the secretariat will focus on developing a foundation of projects with the following strategic areas: -‐Democracy and human rights -‐Architecture for e-‐government

-‐Short-‐term e-‐governance expert from Sida -‐Concept note on e-‐governance -‐Workshop on e-‐governance in Kampala in October 2010

-‐See Appendix 3

1.1 Projects Initiated by Swedish partner universities

1.1.1 Completed projects This section is a short overview of the results achieved in projects carried out from 2007 to 2009, the final reports for which were submitted in 2010. A summary of data about each project is followed by activities performed, results achieved, and indicators. In addition, the output and problems encountered are summarized. Sustainability issues are added where appropriate. All the information is extracted from the final reports enclosed in the appendix.

Agricultural Market Information for Farmers Country: Ethiopia Budget: 1 000 000 Partners: Örebro University, BRAC University, Bangladesh Ministry of Agriculture Purpose: Provide better functioning local agricultural markets for rural areas using existing SMS infrastructure Activities Results Indicators Preliminary feasibility study on how to transfer information among stakeholders in local rural areas

Preferences in receiving market information identified

A list showing the distribution of responses obtained through a survey for the preferred method in receiving market information (SMS, voice information, local phone lady)

System design for information delivery

A solution for information delivery corresponding to the stakeholders' preferences

Technical system for providing market information through SMS, voice messages, local information staff

Setup of information input to the system designed

Market information update delivered in rural areas through mobile devices and local staff

Connection to the existing Market Information System created by Ministry of Agriculture in Bangladesh

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System pilot test with selected users

Small number (100) users on the field know how to use the system

Stakeholders at a single place familiarized with the actual use of the system for getting market information

Field test in four Bangladeshi villages

Awareness about the system spread on a wider geographical area

Pilot test extended to four more locations

Network creation Collaboration among government bodies and local stakeholders improved

Ministry of Agriculture, local market organizations and other local actors brought together

Output: Information generated by the Market Information System created by the Ministry of Agriculture becomes reachable by mobile local stakeholders. Dissemination: Results communicated to the Bangladesh government, the software built offered as open source, six publications in international journals and conferences, eleven presentations at various workshops. Sustainability: Large scale business models discussed personally with potential actors. It is beyond the scope of the project to engage in a business setup. Problems: Department of Agriculture Marketing within the Ministry of Agriculture without sufficient quality and urgency in performing the feasibility study among stakeholders.

Language Processing Resources Country: Ethiopia Budget: 300 000 Partners: Stockholm University, Swedish Institute of Computer Science AB (SICS), Ethiopian Language Research center Purpose: Develop basic computational resources for processing Amharic, the widely spoken and official language of the government in Ethiopia. Activities Results Indicators Corpora collection and manual tagging

Sources for corpora with manual tagging identified

Four Amharic corpora, the largest one with 3.5 million words

Developing and testing part-‐of-‐speech tagging (assigning lexical categories to words in text)

Taggers for Amharic developed based on publicly available systems for English

Three taggers for Amharic, one of them with accuracy of over 90%

Creating morphological analyzer Statistical analysis of the distribution of prefixes and suffixes over Amharic words

A morphological analyzer for Amharic with 85% accuracy

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Output: The language processing resources for Amharic language open opportunities for use of computers and the Internet by population speaking the language. Dissemination: One article published in a scientific journal, and another prepared for publishing. The corpora is publicly available: http://corpora.amharic.org/resources/tagged-‐corpora/wic-‐tagged-‐news-‐corpus/ Problems: Further development of the results is needed for achieving impact.

Expand INFORM Country: Tanzania Budget: 500 000 Partners: Uppsala University, several institutions from countries in Sub-‐Saharan Africa Purpose: Create capacity of trainers in accessing online health information resources and encourage collaboration among medical health researchers and librarians, as well as ICT experts in information retrieval. Funding from different sources was provided for the same project in other countries (e.g. Vietnam, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya). Activities Results Indicators Preparing training materials and online postings, aimed to teach how to retrieve health related information

Changed and expanded INFORM materials, independent web site developed

INFORM source-‐books and other training materials on a cost-‐free and copyright-‐free basis, accessible directly or via web

Workshops in Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda

Potential local trainers in Tanzania and elsewhere in the region trained (saturated training)

Increased capacity of 145 trainers in retrieving health information resources

Collaboration with local partners in designing detailed national programme through a number of brainstorming meetings

Increased awareness about the importance of the national programme for developing skills in retrieving information

Decision about creating National programme called “Information in the hearth of Health Development” achieved

Visits to the planned programme sites in Tanzania to analyze infrastructure and troubleshoot

Progress in establishing the National programme in Tanzania delayed, unlike for example in Vietnam

n/a

Output: Increased awareness about the importance of retrieval of information with respect to health issues with ICT among medical staff in a number of African countries Sustainability: Replication of the National program in Tanzania was not accomplished. Although the decision was achieved, the continuation did not happen because of a myriad of factors, such as lack of financial support from the Ministry of Health and active role of the Tanzania's medical training institutions Problems: The end of the project and retirement of the key person from the Ministry of Health were the main reasons for the slowdown in the establishment of the national health training programme.

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Mobile ATMs for developing countries Country: Sri Lanka Budget: 800 000 Partners: DSV/KTH, University of Colombo (School of Computing) Purpose: Develop and implement mobile cash-‐in cash-‐out system for local merchants in rural areas based on their mobile accounts. Activities Results Indicators Purchase and install an application development laboratory

n/a There was no application in mobile phones and in smart cards. Instead, SMS were used.

n/a

Train the staff on mobile phone application and smart card application development

n/a The planned laboratory was not established, hence, no training.

n/a

Design and develop the detailed M-‐ATM system architecture by addressing all security issues

Software components (communication and payment server) to be used with mobile phones and SMS for mobile ATM

Mobile ATM system with built in security components to support a myriad of financial transactions

Develop and test the system in the laboratory environment

Measurements of time necessary for completing transactions and its dependence on the strength of the GSM signal

Tables and diagrams showing the results (Strength of GSM signal does not affect performance to a great extent.)

Register initial mobile users and banks for deployment of the application as a pilot project.

No result reported. n/a

Deploy the application No result. Instead, the M-‐ATM agent was deployed in a rural bank to evaluate the system from the users' prospective. Analysis of the social factors in accepting M-‐ATM system is obtained.

n/a

Test and evaluate the M-‐ATM system in real environment

n/a n/a

Identify the future enhancements No result reported. n/a Output: Software components (communication and payment server) that can be used with mobile phones and SMS to perform mobile ATM transactions. Dissemination: Two articles at international conferences and one licentiate thesis Problems: Social factors not taken in consideration at the start of the project. Stakeholders who could provide sustainability of the M-‐ATM system were not involved.

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1.1.2 Pending completion The first two projects in this group are from the 2009 call on ICT, development and gender and the final report for them is expected by March 31st 2011, according to the agreement. For the third one the final report was to be sent by January 31st 2011 but it has not been submitted. Short reviews based on the progress reports are presented for each project.

Putting Knowledge to Better Use – Industry Responsiveness to Gender Differences in ICT Demand Country: Vietnam Budget: 625 000 Duration: 2009-‐2010 Partners: Lund University, Vietnam’s ICT Association, National Council for Science and Technology Policy, Research Center for Gender and Development; Main activities: a) Investigate gender differences in the ICT demands in Vietnam; b) Identify major obstacles to gender-‐specific technological development in ICT; c) Explore the viability of business models aimed at women as users of ICT From progress report: Activity a) is completed. Primary data about gender differences in the ICT demands are collected through a survey in more than 300 companies in Vietnam with main product line in software, hardware and ICT services. The charts obtained show that women’s participation in ICT field is still low and companies are not inclined towards creating gender-‐specific products. The results have been communicated at a workshop in Vietnam and through an article to be submitted for publishing. The activities b) and c) have not been reported.

Women’s Digital Baskets Country: Rwanda Budget: 525 000 Duration: 2009-‐2010 Partners: Blekinge Institute of Technology, Duhuzimbaraga handicraft co-‐operative Main activities: a) Create digital documentation for traditional basket making; b) Use the documentation to teach and learn, as well as for preserving Rwandan cultural heritage; c) Strengthen women’s participation in using ICT and getting new skills and knowledge; d) Create new business opportunities From progress report: Two visits to the handicraft co-‐operative in Rwanda. The first visit was dedicated to establishing contacts and trust with the president and the members of the co-‐operative. During the second visit several workshops were held. The first one introduced the idea about the connection between cameras, already familiar to the participants, and computers and the Internet, which were rather new for them. The

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next four workshops were used to train the women to use computers, transfer the filmed material and use it for the learning process. Hence, activities a) and partially b) were completed and reported.

Online Water Monitoring Country: Malawi, Tanzania Budget: 750 000 Duration: 2007-‐2009 Partners: Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Malawi Polytechnics, Dar Es Salaam Institute of Technology Main activities: a) Develop a low-‐cost water quality monitoring system based on Wireless Sensor Network; b) Deploy and demonstrate it at selected sites in Malawi and Tanzania; c) Spread awareness about the results; d) Make a feasibility study on how to empower and stimulate local entrepreneurs to establish businesses based on the system. From progress report: Activity a) was completed and b) and c) are partially finished. The prototype of the system with software functionalities and the interface for measuring and monitoring turbidity, pH and redox potential of the water was developed by a team of KTH Master students (http://www.tslab.ssvl.kth.se/csd/projects/0726/) Mechanisms for keeping the operation of the system at a low power were later added to the system. Four publications about the design, the evaluation and opportunities it offers for the developing countries were developed. The Water Quality Monitoring System based on Wireless Sensor Networks was deployed in Blantyre, Malawi in the autumn of 2009 in collaboration with staff from Blantyre Water Board (BWT). The personnel from BWT was trained in calibrating the system. The video from the installation is available at http://www.youtube.com/user/marcozennaro#p/a/u/0/0abLZ-‐S0Ono

1.2 Developing country projects

1.2.1 Completed projects This section is a short overview of the results achieved in projects carried out from 2007 to 2010, the final reports for which were submitted in 2010. A summary of data about each project is followed by activities performed, results achieved, and indicators. In addition, the output and problems encountered are summarized. Sustainability issues are added where appropriate. All the information is extracted from the final reports enclosed in the appendix.

Empowering self-‐help groups through ICT for better education & alternative livelihood opportunities Country: Kenya Partners: CORDIO, Nyköpings Folkhögskola

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Budget: 1 890 000 Duration: Feb 2007 – Oct 2010 Purpose: To empower community members through support to Self Help Groups (SHGs), with a focus on women’s groups in the coastal areas of Kenya and India; to improve the welfare and well-‐being of coastal people. The approach selected was to build 3 supports for greater welfare -‐ access and capacity building in ICT, enhanced and more appropriate education and appropriate sustainable income generating opportunities. Activities Results Indicators ICT facilities established in Indian and Kenyan community centers

Communities and organizations have greater access to information and training venues

Infrastructure and hardware available and maintained

Method for participatory learning (folkbildning) developed and implemented

Capacity building and local organization around livelihood have greater impact

CORDIO and local groups are using the method

Training in strategies and techniques for alternative livelihoods

Some individuals and groups have increased income and greater opportunities

Individuals are successfully applying knowledge that generates income

Output: Increased empowerment for women in the self-‐help groups, gained through learning to read and write, sign their names, count their earnings, and manage the affairs of their groups. An outcome of this achievement is their ability to choose and develop more sustainable income generating activities, and reduce poverty in their families. Sustainability: CORDIO has been working closely with a number of government and private sector partners, as well as other stakeholders in the community. Further project activity may be sustained through collaboration with other partners. Participating beneficiaries have to varying degrees achieved increased livelihood and literacy.

ICT for strengthening the capacities of female indigenous leaders Country: Bolivia Budget: 300 000 Partners: International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), Confederación de Pueblos Indígenas de Bolivia (CIDOB) Duration: 2009 Purpose: To develop ICT competencies of a core group of 100 indigenous women from all regions of Bolivia to be continuously informed and participate in indigenous and political rights, to be able to gain leadership positions in the organization at both regional and national level and their direct participation in national policy processes. Activities Results Indicators Training of indigenous female leaders in leadership, empowerment and ICT for participation, organization and communication

Indigenous female leaders play an active part in local, regional and national policy work and decision making

100 women participated in training session in 11 different regions.

Website developed CIDOB able to communicate their message to a broader audience, complementing other media

Website online and updated

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channels Telecenters established in 4 regions CIDOBs is able to better

communicate internally and perform further training.

4 telecenters are active

Output: An increasing number of female leaders have been able to gain key political positions. This includes positions at local, regional and national levels; representatives in local government (mayor), member of the national parliament and members of the national constitutional assembly. Sustainability: IICD has continued to support CIDOB throughout 2010 and onwards. The project targeted a network of individuals; it is probable that the knowledge and practice conveyed by the project activities will be sustained in some of the individuals regardless of funding or other income to CIDOB. As leaders, the project beneficiaries may influence others to adopt ICT by example.

On-‐line consulting service on domestic violence Country: Bolivia Budget: 300.000 Partners: International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD), Casa de la Mujer Duration: 2009 Purpose: to promote the unification of women victims of domestic violence by providing them with access to a virtual platform. Moreover, an online consulting service will also be made available to women at risk from all socio-‐economic and educational classes who need to get legal support. Activities Results Indicators Training of women in legal affairs on human rights, self-‐esteem and legal issues related to domestic violence

Victims of domestic violence are more aware of their legal rights and have access to a support network

100 women participated in training session in 6 telecenters

Website developed as a platform for exchange of information on the issue of domestic violence and on line services for legal advice

Victims of domestic violence have ready access to support and legal advice

Website online and updated

Telecenters (using thin clients to lower costs) established in different urban community centers

Training venue available for further activities. Facility available for victims of domestic violence to get online help

6 Telecenters are active

Output: A number of women (ca 100) that participated in project activities have been trained in legal affairs on human rights, self-‐esteem and legal issues related to domestic violence. Training content, logistics and virtual platform have been developed and are in continuous use. Sustainability: The Casa de la Mujer domestic violence support program will probably never be economically self sustainable without contribution from donors, philanthropy or local government. IICD and the Dutch Embassy have granted continued funding until 2012.

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Rwanda Carenet Country: Rwanda Budget: 460 000 Partners: Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Ministry of Education, KTH, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm Medical Drug Centre Duration: 2010 Purpose: To establish high definition video conferencing and streaming services and shared workspace for cooperation in the e-‐health area between King Faisal Hospital, Trac Plus, KIST, Karolinska Hospital, Karolinska Institute and KTH. The information has been obtained from project proposal and Masters thesis, final report has not yet been submitted. Activities Results Indicators Technology transfer of open source technologies including open source software and selected off-‐the-‐shelf hardware components, to support the first phase of the establishment of the RWEDNET terrestrial network and the CARENET overlay.

1) An extensible 1GE ring over dark fibre connecting key institutions supporting an IP-‐network using RWEDNET assigned numbers. 2) A high definition video conferencing and streaming service in RWEDNET. 3) A network operation center at KIST including network and service management servers and tools.

1) Four Bifrost Linux routers installed at King Faisal Hospital, CHUK, KIST and Telecom House connected via a dark fibre pair in the Kigali Metropolitan Fibre network. 2) Three MiniSIP/Linux High definition video clients installed at CHUK, KFH and KIST. 3) Network and network management servers, a SIP-‐server and associated service management tools installed in the RWEDNET NOC at KIST.

Capacity building of human resources in the area of broadband networks and advanced services.

RWEDNET and KIST staff educated and trained to operate and maintain the RWEDNET network and the CARENET videoconferencing service and associated equipment.

A training program for RWEDNET and KIST staff members to make them capable of operating and maintaining RWEDNET and CARENET.

Establishment of CARENET-‐Rwanda, a platform for research and development cooperation on e-‐health between institutions and organizations in Rwanda, Sweden and elsewhere.

Demonstrations of CARENET-‐Rwanda in terms of video conferencing sessions between medical experts in Kigali, Stockholm and elsewhere.

An overlay providing HDVC services to King Faisal Hospital, CHUK and KIST, connected to CARENET-‐Sweden, including KTH, Karolinska Hospital and Institute, via Rwednet, Ubuntunet, Géant, Nordunet and Sunet.

Output: Four routers and three video-‐conferencing clients were installed by a master-‐student from KTH at four locations in Kigali (TelecomHouse, Kigali Institute of Science and Technology, King Faisal Hospital and Central University Hospital of Kigali). The technical staff at KIST was trained by the master-‐student. The network is operational and maintained by Rwednet as the owner. Sustainability: To secure sustainability and expansion of the cooperation on e-‐Health projects, the project also included capacity building in Rwanda by involving students and staff from KIST.

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Problem: The main problem is that the up-‐link could not be established within the timeframe of the project due to organizational issues at Rwanda Development Board, KIST and Rwednet. The planned testing of the network by video-‐conferencing between King Faisal Hospital and Karolinska University Hospital could not take place. In addition, the master student was forced to go back to Sweden earlier than planned due to the turbulent period before the presidential election. These factors caused a delay in the project. Spider is in the process of sending a Junior ICT Expert that will support Rwednet and by continuing training and provide support for other technical issues to Rwednet, RDB, KIST and other organizations connected to the network. Unexpected Outcomes: KTH pursued the testing after the elections and organized demonstrations with high visibility of the complete functionality as part of workshops in the EU-‐funded project ERINA4Africa in which KTH is a partner. RWEDNET is still waiting for its upstream connection via Ubuntunet but has got a temporary 50 Mbps upstream connection via the Government network operated by RDB. The CARENET overlay HD video-‐conferencing services have been demonstrated at two occasions. The demonstrations included two three way conferences between university hospitals in Kigali, Lilongwe and Stockholm on two occasions, October 7 and December 9 2010. Deviations from the original plan: A deviation from the plan is the inclusion of two Bifrost/Linux routers to transform the KIST campus network from a flat switched network to a routed network in order to improve the performance and maintainability. This was motivated by problems experienced during the project and was possible due to a negotiated price reduction when procuring the routers. There has been some problems in the deployment of these routers, possibly due to instabilities in the power supply. These problems are still being investigated.

1.2.2 Pending completion

Effective use and management of ICT in the public sector in Tanzania Country: Tanzania Partners: University of Dar es Salaam Computing Center (UCC), Life Academy AB Budget: 3 100 000 Planned Duration: Jan 2009 – Dec 2010 Status: Closing. Final report due on February 28th 2011 Purpose: The University of Dar es Salaam Computing Center (UCC) requested support for a two year project (2009 -‐ 2010) that aimed to design and conduct general training for ICT enabled transformation to government ministries, department and agencies (MDAs) to increase the awareness and competencies of effective use and management of ICT. It comprises three main components: a) Curriculum and content development, b) establishment of ICT labs and c) awareness/training delivery. Targeted groups include ICT and Business directors/managers as well as senior systems/network administrators in the public sector.

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Procurement, detailed needs assessment and curriculum development took place in 2009. Training delivery, dissemination and evaluation took place in 2010 and has not yet been reported on.

ICT in rural development Bangladesh Country: Bangladesh Partners: Grameen Communications, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Bangladesh International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad, India The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden Budget: 1 600 000 Planned Duration: Sep 2007 – Dec 2010 Status: Closing. Final Report due on March 31st 2011 Purpose: The objective of this work is to facilitate efficient use of ICT tools to promote good health, to prevent and treat major diseases, and to deliver relevant health care information services in the rural areas. The long term goal is to develop a telemedicine system suitable for rural primary healthcenters in developing countries, focusing on Bangladesh, taking into account health problems and infrastructure in rural areas in the country. From progress report: Through collaboration with Grameen Phone, the rural ICT centre was connected to the broadband connectivity using E1 and fiber optics that allows adequate speed and capacity for videoconferencing for on-‐line telemedicine services. The software was installed for video conferencing for e-‐Learning, training of the trainers and e-‐health, telemedicine consultation in collaboration with KTH, Karonlinska Institute in Sweden, and Bergen Hospital, Norway, Fort Myers Hospital in Florida. All of the 32 computers at ICT lab have been connected to the network and central server system for accessing the Internet, server and other application from each station. The ICT lab used for e-‐Learning and the e-‐Health lab for telemedicine purpose has been fully equipped with all necessary accessories and devices, are now being effectively and efficiently utilized. The ICT4RD centre has got governmental permission for conducting educational and health care development activities from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). Training programs for the rural doctors, health workers and other health care providers have been conducted at the rural ICT training centre at Nohata. Intensive training programs have been conducted for the rural health workers, students and teachers to use computer and internet to access to the relevant information to empower themselves.

ICT for Improving Agriculture in Rwanda Country: Rwanda Partners: Rwandan Development Board, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Budget: 2 000 000 Planned Duration: May 2008 – Aug 2010, extended to December 31st 2010

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Status: Performing poorly. Recommend closing. Purpose: contribute to improving and making effective the use of ICT in agriculture by increasing collaboration between various actors in the agricultural extension subsector who are emerging with different ICT initiatives. The expected results from the project include:

• A strategic advisory group for best possible knowledge on actions take and support needed as well as penetration and long-‐term effect of the supported project

• A ”think tank” on ICT and Agriculture (comprising key informants in ICT and Agriculture)

• An open network/database of stakeholders in the agricultural sector who are currently applying ICTs and/or potential users in their agricultural development efforts

• A professional actors’ network in the crossroads of the agriculture and ICT sectors with a Web-‐based networking forum developed.

Problem: Lack of ownership and slow implementation led to a renegotiation of the project end of 2009 and it was decided to focus on fewer deliverables and that RDB should assign a dedicated project manager to the project who should be placed at Ministry of Agriculture. The aim of the project after renegotiations is to support the continued development of already existing systems (for instance crop-‐assessment in relation to the Agricultural Market Information System) and to raise awareness on how to use ICTs. The project seems to have stalled in 2010. See cold case section below for details.

ICT-‐based in-‐service teacher education for secondary school teachers in Tanzania Country: Tanzania Partners: Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, Open University of Tanzania, Mid Sweden University Budget: 2 700 000 Planned Duration: Apr 2008 -‐ Dec 2009 Status: Closed. Audit/evaluation pending Pupose: To enhance the performance of secondary teachers by providing training in pedagogy and subject specialized education. The teachers will be trained through ICT-‐based short courses which will be custom tailored to the needs of teachers in particular subject areas. The expected results from the project include:

• Models for communication and distribution of learning material • Test groups of teachers will be equipped with basic ICT skills and gain experience

in using e-‐resources • ICT facilities will be established in test schools

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• Experiences and results of the pilot project will be monitored and evaluated • A model for nationwide program will be developed.

Problem: The project has been suspended due to suspected embezzlement and sub-‐par performance. See cold case section below for details.

1.2.3 Ongoing projects The projects in this section are ongoing. Information is extracted from the most recent progress reports available. All projects except ICT4MPOWER are scheduled to close 2011.

ICT4MPOWER Country: Uganda Partners: Ministry of Health Uganda, Makarere University, Karolinska University Hospital Budget: 8 000 000 Planned Duration: Jul 2009 – Dec 2012 Status: Ongoing. Disbursement pending. Progress report due on 15/2 Purpose: The project ICT4MPOWER aims to increase the effectiveness of the Ugandan health system and empower Community Health Workers in the Isingiro district and Mbarara region for better health outcomes of the rural population. This will be achieved by developing:

• an electronic health record management system • unique patients ID • strategic delivery of eLearning and tele-‐consulting.

From progress report: In September 2010, some of the components had ready prototypes, and were ready to be integrated and tested: unique client ID registration, data warehouse and statistics service, gateway infrastructure, detailed architecture and services, e-‐learning portal, medical call center and technical support service. Some of the components being developed by student developers in Uganda are lagging behind: electronic health record and clinical decision support system, human resource service, pharmaceutical management information system, as well as logistics management information system. Deadline for having the first stable release of all major technical components within ICT4MPOWER ready is September 30th 2010, which is behind the original time table. The various components will be integrated in October and a first rollout of services to Isingiro District is planned for November 2010. The field trial will start off with about 200 end-‐users, the community health workers. In December, the development of the ICT4MPOWER project in Uganda is progressing and field trials are expected to begin in January 2011.

Integrated Farms Record Management System

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Country: Uganda Partners: Blekinge Institute of Technology, Makarere University (DICTS) Budget: 950 000 Planned Duration: Feb 2010 – Jul 31st 2011 (Apr 2006 – Mar 2008) Status: Ongoing. Purpose: To develop, pilot and rollout applications supported by SMS and GPRS and simultaneously create the necessary backend linkage and address the development information retrieval and dissemination needs within the Ugandan economy. The project was started in 2006 and led by The Directorate for ICT Support (DICTS) at the Makerere University. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the project failed to progress to completion. The project has suffered delays and it is unknown if it has produced any results. Nevertheless, an extension and realignment was made in 2010 with a new focus to provide a system for market information to dairy farmers in Uganda. The new agreement for Integrated farms record management system (I-‐farms) was signed in February 2010, it clearly states that the project will focus on integrating farm record management system. The aim would be to support farmers getting more control over the supply chain and the farm gate prices through the development of an information system. The project would hence build on collaboration already established during the previous project period with the Ametegaitu dairy farming cooperative. The project would not receive additional funds, but utilize the unused funds from the previous project phase. The total funding is SEK 950 000 and are available up until July 31st 2011. The expected outcomes after implementing the project are:

• capacity of students to develop software will be creaed • knowledge will be transferred from BTH and DLS to Makerere University • revenues of farmers will improve by at least 20% • version 1 of the SMS software will be in use by farmers at the end of the project • scientific papers will be published and • end user documents/manuals to aid use of the software will be published

From progress report: In June, local government representatives were sensitized and the existing computers and infrastructures at the Secondary School intended to host the training sessions for farmers were assessed. Prototypes for the web and mobile applications were developed. A second field visit was conducted in mid August where the developers travelled to the district for an introduction of the project site, and identify potential farmers who will test the prototype applications. By October 2010, both the applications developed by the students had been tested in the field and were found to be satisfactory. The client, Amategaitu Dairy Cooperative, is happy with the software developed and is ready to use it.

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In October 2010, BTH sent two senior colleagues to evaluate the applications and they were happy with the applications. Since then, no serious activities have been carried out by Makerere University since they need the remaining funds to deploy the applications, train the farmers and procure equipments such as servers and solar panels. The latest progress report, project status and achievements so far is currently under review.

Program for Broad Hands-‐On Training in Rwanda and Uganda Countries: Rwanda, Uganda Partners: Jönköping University (JU), Rwanda Development Board (RDB), Ministry of ICT in Uganda Budget: 3 785 000 Planned Duration: Sep 2009 – Nov 2011 Status: Ongoing. Project under review. Purpose: In 2008, the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology sent in an application proposing that Spider supports a capacity building program in the form of modules, where a number of trainees from the ministries, academic and government institutions would be trained to have broader ICT competence and hands on skills to counteract the severe shortage of experts. The Ministry of ICT in Uganda and Uganda Communications Commissions also expressed a strong need for such a program. When applicable, the training will be provided as hands-‐on training and mentorship support to help professionals resolve current problems on their own. The project also aims at developing hands-‐on training methodologies and training modules that can be replicated. From progress report: In Uganda, the first module of training in security has been delivered successfully. The favorable outcomes stem in part from the commitment of the most important stakeholders involved, as well as the suitability and timing of the training plan according to current needs. In Rwanda, the project has suffered several delays. RDB-‐IT is in a continuous re-‐structuring process which has affected the pace and development of the program. The first training module was planned to be carried out in October 2010. Unfortunately, the project manager from JU was not able to travel to Rwanda due to illness and a new visit has been planned for March 2011. The constant delays and changes in the project by RDB-‐IT have created substantial extra costs since JU have been forced to tackle the problems by putting in much more time than originally planned for. Due to the substantial delays in Rwanda, Spider have jointly with JU decided to reallocate SEK 800 000 from the budget for covering training costs in Rwanda to cover training costs in Uganda. Spider received the financial statements from JU in January 2011, and they are currently under review.

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Citizen Identity Registration and Unique Citizen Identification Number Country: Mozambique Partners: Swedish Tax Authority, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of ICT Budget: 2 560 000 Planned Duration: Aug 2007 – June 30th 2011 Status: Ongoing. Project under review. Purpose: The pilot project, the main output of which is a population registration database (building on the existing birth registration), aims at centralizing the process of issuing identification documents and contribute to more efficient resource management. The pilot project is currently launched and tested in three provinces in Mozambique as a proof of concept before a national roll-‐out is executed. The project has suffered from time-‐consuming and bureaucratic processes waiting for political decisions on issues in regards to ownership of information and communication flow. Several parallel and similar processes have been ongoing, resulting in additional delays in the project while waiting for a political decision on the final structure of the identification document structure. This has now been solved and the Spider supported database is the main node in the system, from which all necessary data will be extracted. Initially, the database will comprise information on newborns but will, when fully integrated into the governmental system; also comprise information for the whole life cycle, such as marriage and death certificates, passports, driver’s licenses etc. In addition, historical data will be recovered and added into the system.

1.3 Sida bilateral projects These are projects where Spider is the Swedish counterpart in Sida (former Sarec) programmes. As such their financing is separate from Spiders core funding.

UMSA TIC Country: Bolivia Partners: Universidad Mayor de San Andrés Budget: 18 000 000 Planned Duration: Jan 2005 – Dec 2011 Status: Ongoing Purpose: To provide UMSA with modern ICT infrastructure to strengthen its research capacity. There are 4 main activities

• Network Infrastructure. The aim is to build the large and complex network infrastructure UMSA requires.

• Information Systems. The aim is to build the main information system UMSA organization requires. This includes web-‐portal, UMSA Academic Information System and UMSA financial Information System.

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• Library System strengthening. The aim is to update UMSA's library-‐system procedure and service. The key activity is to move the whole manual library catalog to an electronic format.

• Human Resource Training. The goal is to create the know-‐how necessary to implement, maintain and utilize the new technical solution.

From progress report: Continuous capacity building in e-‐learning for staff at Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) in Bolivia has been institutionalized at the CEPIES department (Centro Psicopedagogico y de Investigación en Educación Superior). It is now part of a package of credits that is meant to lead up to an increased level of PhD accreditation among tenured staff. There are presently 530 individuals enrolled in the program. The current agreement period with Sida has been extended until 2011 with some additional funding (corresponding to the budget for 2010). The rationale for the extension is to give a better margin for planning of an eventual new programme 2012 and beyond. Planning of Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) activities for 2011 was made in November 2010 and submitted to Sida. Their approval of the actvitity plan is pending. Umeå University conducted a weeklong workshop on e-‐learning in October. 20 professors from UMSA were in attendance. 2011 will be the final year of the UMSATIC II project and an evaluation of the project will be conducted in 2011. Sida has indicated that there will be a new program from 2012 and UMSA authorities have expressed a desire to continue working with ICT within this framework. Designing a new program for 2012 and onwards will be an ongoing process during 2011. Sidas view on the ICT component of the program is unknown. The program is scheduled to close in December 2011. Sida Decision on phase 3 continuation pending.

UNAH TIC Country: Honduras Partners: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras Budget: 14 800 000 Planned Duration: Jan 2006 – Jul 2011 Status: Ongoing Purpose: To provide UNAH with modern ICT infrastructure to strengthen its research capacity. The project is divided in two parts: a) UNAH ICT Policy and Master Plan b) ICT implementation From progress report: An audit of the technological platform project at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH) was performed in April 2010, for both Phase I (2007 -‐ 2009) and Phase II (2008 -‐ 2009). Sida has approved both reports and the first

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phase is now closed. On June 22nd, an official inauguration of the technological platform and fiber optic ring was held at the Faculty of Dentistry. Presentations were held regarding the future use of ICTs at UNAH focusing on the possibilities made available and the need for the university management to take on responsibility for the investments made. The project has suffered from delays when it comes to finalizing the computer labs that is due to UNAH bureaucracy when it comes to procurements. Signing of the agreement with Internet provider Hondutel has also been severely delayed because of internal politics at the university. Sida emphasized the importance of solving these issues and urged UNAH to have done this by the time the local Sida office closes in mid-‐August 2011.

1.4. Monitoring and evaluation

1.4.1 International Network for Post Graduate Students (IPID) The network aims to facilitate international networking and collaboration, as well as knowledge sharing among PhD and master students in ICT4D field. The activities include communication and sharing ideas through the web site -‐ http://www.humanit.org/PID/ -‐ attending conferences, arranging seminars and intercultural meetings, visiting different universities etc. The co-‐ordination staff is hosted by University in Karlstad and Örebro. External evaluation of IPID was carried by the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010. Summary of the evaluation report: (full report in Appendix 1) The aim with the network was achieved for master and PhD students from developing countries affiliated with Swedish universities, especially those at Örebro, Stockholm University and KTH, but only to a limited extent for members studying in developing countries. The following recommendations for improvement are provided:

• Further development of national and international collaboration • Leverage collaboration across borders by using technology • Increase collaboration with experienced researchers • Only rotate IPID co-‐ordination if there are apparent benefits • Increase collaboration between Spider and IPID

1.4.2 Swedish University Projects The results and effects of the program “ICT Collaboration with Swedish Partner Universities 2004-‐2009” (with focus on 2007-‐2009) were externally evaluated in 2010. Summary of the evaluation report: (full report in Appendix 2) The supported projects are assessed as relevant for the widespread problems in developing countries. The results accomplished indicate that the projects are on track in achieving impact and helped in building relations within Swedish and international research community. A few of the projects had problems with local commitment and transferring the results to

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a long-‐term owner. Overall recommendation is to continue securing additional funding to continue the program. However, in case of lacking funds, it would be better to terminate the program and incorporate suitable research efforts in the projects initiated by the partner countries. The following recommendations are provided:

• Ensure they are demand-‐driven (commitment exist in the partner country) • Provide clearly identified counterpart taking local ownership for every project • Identify tentative implementation plan at the start and sustainability plan • Continue the work focusing on the prioritized areas Governance, Health and

Entrepreneurship with e-‐learning as a cross-‐cutting activity • Continue to support a combination of basic and applied research • Intensify collaboration with international organizations such as IICD and IDRC • Stimulate further cooperation and knowledge sharing among institutions • Involve Swedish private and public actors including NGOs to strengthen the

network, gaining broader competence, resources and funding • Encourage and finance Swedish and foreign master students to work in

implementation projects, providing more cost-‐effective, flexible and “down-‐to-‐earth” resources

• Continue and improve the coordination and information exchange with SIDA and UFORSK

1.4.3 Cold case projects The following projects are under investigation, due to delays and insufficient reporting:

ICT for Improving Agriculture in Rwanda The project failed to deliver on the expected outcomes due to slow implementation and lack of ownership. This led to a renegotiation of the project end of 2009 and it was decided to focus on fewer deliverables and that RDB should assign a dedicated project manager to the project who should be placed at Ministry of Agriculture. However, in August of 2010, the project seems to have stalled completely. The assessment is that the efforts taken by Spider and the Swedish partner at SLU have not been successful in getting the project back on track. In December of 2010, both RDB and SLU were notified by Spider that the project would be closed. RDB submitted a financial report in January 2011 and will return the remaining funds to Spider. SLU has been notified and will submit the financial report on February 18th. Once both reports have been submitted, a financial audit will be carried out.

ICT-‐based in-‐service teacher education for secondary school teachers in Tanzania The project failed to deliver on the expected results. It suffered severe delays and a suspected case of embezzlement. No sustained participation of Open University of Tanzania took place, nor did the Ministry of Education participate or coordinate. All activities were performed by Mid Sweden University and largely in isolation from the

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other partners. The project was suspended in Dec 2009 due to failure to produce financial reporting and a feasible work-‐plan for realignment of the project. The project was scheduled to be audited in 2010, but the audit has yet to be initiated.

1.5. Development of thematic areas

1.5.1 Democracy In August Spider started working on a focused approach in the thematic area of democracy. See further, Governance Program in appendix 3 – presented to the Board 2010-‐09-‐17. An internal brainstorming workshop and situation analysis for identification of existing and potential resources and actors was conducted in September. The session clarified that Spider currently is in need of identifying and expanding the network resources in the area of democracy. Meetings and consultations regarding program development were held with relevant representatives at Sida, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications and Swedish Post and Telecom Agency, PTS. Interest was expressed for further collaboration and need for coordination in this area. Spider participated in the 5th Internet Governance Forum, (IGF) in Vilnius, Lithuania in September, part of the Swedish group of actors present (see reference group on Internet Governance under Involving Spider staff in Sida/UD activities. The purpose of participation in IGF was networking, knowledge sharing and identification of potential partners for collaboration within the area of ICT and democracy. Spider was invited to a pre-‐session organized by Association for Progressive Communications (APC) on Internet governance and human rights with Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression. Spider met with representatives of APC, an important ally and partner in the area of ICT and democracy, discussions were initiated regarding collaboration and concrete steps were taken for the co-‐organization of a governance stakeholder workshop in Kampala, see below. Swedish participation in the IGF included representatives from Ministry for Foreign Affairs, The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS), The Swedish National Commission for UNESCO, Media Council, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, Sida and the organization Friends. Industry was represented by .SE, Netnod, CISCO and Telia Sonera. As a crucial part of developing the program, Spider organized a regional governance workshop at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, November 9. In order to broaden

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the network and range of contacts in Eastern Africa, the workshop was planned and conducted in collaboration with APC. The purpose of the workshop was to share knowledge of ongoing and potential initiatives, identify possible directions, organizations and focus areas for Spider involvement in the East African region in the area of governance and to explore possibilities for collaboration. The workshop convened over 30 invited representatives from regional and local organizations and donors in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. Participants included representatives from Kenya Human Rights Commission and Ushahidi from Kenya, Women of Uganda Network, DEMGroup and Citizen Election Watch from Uganda, Institute of Research, Dialogue and Peace and the Ombudsman from Rwanda and Embassy of Sweden in Tanzania. In addition, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation (Hivos), Amnesty and Forum Syd were represented by regional offices. The workshop provided an excellent platform for networking, knowledge sharing and identification of possible directions and partners for collaboration. For the development of the democracy program at Spider, areas and actors for possible collaboration and mutual development included: Hivos, for instance in connection to the ICT Election Watch and African Technology and Transparency Initiatives (ATTI). APC expressed a wish to continue collaboration in the areas of governance and advocacy capacity building. Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East & Southern Africa, (CIPESA) expressed interest in partnering in research ICT policies in Uganda/East Africa. Transparency International Uganda proposed collaboration in the area of accountability (application received). Embassy of Sweden, Uganda, also expressed possibilities for collaboration in the context of the Program Development Fund. In addition, Spider has been approached by UN HABITAT Nairobi, for tentative collaboration regarding increased democratic participation by use of ICT, at community level in Africa. See Report in appendix 3.

1.5.2 Health On the 13-‐14 September 2010 Spider and Karolinska University Hospital organized an E-‐health Workshop in Stockholm (see section 4.1). ICT4MPOWER and the USAID funded SURE Program (www.sure.ug) met in Uganda 14-‐19th of May and decided to start collaborating on Pharmaceutical Management Information System (PMIS) and Logistics Management Information System (LMIS). A joint developers’ group was established. ICT4MPOWER and SURE will have complimentary roles where ICT4MPOWER will ensure the inclusion of the lower levels (health care center IV, down to community health care workers) in ensuring the inclusion of the entire health care chain of Uganda. However, in December of 2010

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Spider decided not to fund 4SURE, which resulted in the ICT4MPOWER team leaving the collaboration.

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2. Support mainstreaming of ICT in development cooperation

Overall objective In this program area, Spider aims at supporting Sida and Swedish authorities in mainstreaming ICT in development cooperation, through continuous dialogue with Sida and provision of helpdesk services. To reach this objective, Spider needs to keep abreast with developments in ICT4D, particularly within the thematic focus areas.

Analysis of results Efforts to dialogue with Sida and other Swedish authorities were mainly concentrated to ICT4D counterparts at Sida HQ and Swedish Embassies in partner countries. As part of the thematic development on e-‐governance and entrepreneurship as another potential crosscutting area, dialogue was broadened to Sida’s Business for Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (UD) as well as civil society. By participating in relevant Swedish ICT and/or development-‐events, Spider has contributed to placing and maintaining ICT4D on the agenda.

Activity Plan 2010 Output Result Dialogue with Sida and Swedish authorities -‐See immediately below -‐See immediately below

Participate in high-‐level international conferences and workshops

-‐ e-‐Learning Africa 2010, Zambia, May 2010 (see IV) -‐Twaweza seminar at Sida, Stockholm, December 2010 -‐See section 4.1

-‐Improved knowledge among Spider staff on issues covered by conferences/workshops -‐ Dissemination of Spider funded projects -‐visibility for Spider and ICT4D

Closely follow research work produced within Swedish research community and in articles/publications

n/a n/a

Develop collaboration with civil society and private sector

-‐See section1.5.1

Dialogue with Sida and Swedish authorities Reference Group for Internet Governance: Pre-‐meetings in connection with 5th Internet Governance Forum, (IGF) in Vilnius, Lithuania. Participants included Swedish Post and Telecom Agency (PTS), Swedish National Commission for UNESCO, Media Council, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, .SE, CISCO and Telia Sonera.

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Meetings regarding development of the thematic area of democracy were held with Sida, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications and with The Swedish Post and Telecom Agency, PTS (more under section 1.5) Participation in Sida seminar 29 Nov: “Twaweza -‐ strengthening accountability in East Africa and Aid in Tanzania. How can it be made more effective?” Participants: Twaweza -‐ Tanzania/East Africa and Sida. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 16-‐17 June, Spider participated in a round table on human rights and the Internet in Stockholm, jointly organized by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression. A one year consultation process, supported by MoFA, will conclude with a seminar and presentation of a UN Report, with particular reference to human rights in the Internet context, in Stockholm in March and in Geneva in June 2011. Swedish Embassy in Kampala, Uganda. In connection with the Spider/APC stakeholder workshop, Spider met with Sida’s Head of Development Cooperation, First Secretary on Democracy and Human Rights and the National Program Officer for Private Sector Development. Sida expressed that Spider collaborations and activities in the area of governance are congruent with Sida priorities. Future possible collaboration within the context of the joint donor Democratic Governance Facility (DGF) was discussed. DGF will initiate in July 2011 and Sida suggested that Spider collaboration with local organizations may be an entry point for further discussions on how Spider can complement the DGF. A representatives from the Swedish Embassy in Tanzania, the Program Officer for ICT and Lake Victoria, participated in the Kampala stakeholder workshop. Embassy of Sweden, Kigali, Rwanda. Meetings were held with Sida’s Country Director and National Program Officer for IT, Natural Resources, Environment and Research Cooperation. Public sector collaboration will be complemented by support to civil society. Sida considers long term capacity building support to the Ombudsman’s office, which was discussed as a possible area for collaboration in the area of democracy, focusing on transparency and accountability. Embassy of Sweden, Maputo, Mozambique. Spider made two visits to Mozambique during 2010. There was a mutual exchange of information regarding activities in the country. Spider reported on the project ”Citizen Identity Registration System and Unique Citizen Identity Number”. Sida expressed an interest in Spider working in transparency and anti-‐corruption and encouraged a continued dialogue with the Center for Public Integrity.

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2.1 Discussions with B4D to develop collaboration Spider was approached by Sida with a suggestion to team up with the non-‐profit organization Global Business Labs (GBL), stemming from the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) Business Lab, in order to explore possibilities for establishing business incubators based on the SSE incubator model in East Africa. From August to October 2010, Spider and GBL at SSE developed an application to Sida’s program for collaboration with the private sector, Business 4 Development (B4D), for the first phase of an ICT incubator project. In addition, Spider supported a two week study trip for GBL to Uganda in November, with the purpose of investigating opportunities and conditions for establishing a GBL incubator, asses market and societal conditions and identify and asses potential partners. GBL assessment found good ground for initiating collaboration with local partners on the GBL incubator concept. Spider’s role in the project has been catalytic in establishing collaboration between Sida and GBL.

2.2 Helpdesk In 2010, Sida and Spider agreed that the helpdesk function would be discontinued due to government pressure on strict adherence to directives on public procurement of services. During the period eight helpdesk assignments were requested. Six of them were successfully performed and two are still pending completion.

• Swedish Embassy Ethiopia -‐ Swedish participation in AU-‐EU summit exhibition. • Swedish Embassy in Albania to assist the National Employment Service (NES) of

Albania to assess a technical proposal. • Swedish Embassy Uganda -‐ Fact finding mission and activity plan for web and

computer labs • Sida Policy empowerment section -‐ Supporting text on ICT4D for MfFA • Sida Operations Rwanda and Burundi -‐ Assess report on Management

Information system at NUR • Sida -‐ Assess application of Young Masters Program • Swedish Embassy Tanzania -‐ Market Assessment of M-‐banking financial services.

The assignment is still pending completion. • Sida INEC -‐ Baseline study for Angolan submarine cable impact assessment. The

assignment is still pending completion.

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3. Develop and strengthen the Spider resource base

Overall objective This program area consists of activities that support the transfer and creation of knowledge in the network, which is the main resource base for Spider. Support functions that assist the Spider center to coordinate and facilitate the network are also included in this area. The main purpose of this program area is to create ICT4D competence in the network and to strengthen and expand the network.

Analysis of results Evaluations of the university-‐based projects and the IPID network offer a solid basis for strategic reconsideration of these activities. The incomplete assessment of the existing Spider network and lack of clear communication to target groups means that the network is insufficiently known to Spider and vice versa. The e-‐governance workshop in Kampala has generated new partners and project proposals, demonstrating that thematic workshops can translate into concrete activities. Adequate feedback loops from Spider and Spider-‐supported participants in relevant events have yet to be developed, to optimize the value of participation. Even so, participants seem to have benefited from the knowledge and networking opportunities of such events. Activity Plan 2010 Output Result Main focus: a) Develop and implement a contact database; analyze and structure the available data of thematic knowledge within the network and establish relationships with new actors

A network survey was performed and and the results categorized and implemented in a database.

Contact database is available for internal use.

b) Formulate and communicate the value proposition and added value of Spider to selected target groups (also select what groups to collaborate with)

n/a The value proposition of Spider is neither formulated nor communicated.

c) Evaluate partner university driven projects (2004-‐2009) and present a suggestion of continuation to the Spider board; and possibly prepare a call for proposals from partner universities [dependent on recommendations of the evaluation and available budget]

Preliminary findings of the evaluation were scheduled for discussion in the last Board meeting on 9 December, during which it was decided to postpone discussions thereof to a later date.

Evaluation report was completed but not acted upon.

d) Coordinate and organize/host knowledge sharing seminars for the network

-‐See section 4.1 -‐See section 4.1

e) Follow up the results of travel grant programs

n/a n/a

f) Support network members to actively participate in the e-‐learning Africa


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conference g) Organize a panel discussion and informal workshop at ICTD2010 at London University

Panel discussion was organized at the event

Awareness raising and capacity building -‐Support workshop on mobile telephony as tool in anti-‐corruption in Kampala, November 2010 -‐Support Swedish researchers participation in e-‐Learning Africa 2010, Zambia, May 2010 -‐Host e-‐governance workshop “Transparency and Development” at 2nd International Conference on M4D, Kampala, Uganda, November 2010 -‐Participate in and involve network members in ICT4D 2010, by ICT4D Collective at London University, December 2010


Involve resource base as counterparts and stakeholder in projects and activities -‐Evaluate university-‐initiated projects and based on the results, decide on the continuation of the program -‐Evaluate post graduate network (IPID) -‐Mainstream Junior ICT Expert Program with Spider strategy

-‐IPID Evaluation report (see Appendix 1) -‐ Swedish University Project Evaluation report (see Appendix 2) -‐1 Junior ICT Expert recruited for Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Rwanda

Recommendations are available Recommendations are available Recruitment was tied to KTH/Rwanda Carenet project

3.1 New partnerships As a crucial part of developing the governance approach, Spider organized a regional governance workshop at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, November 9. In order to broaden the network and range of contacts in Eastern Africa, the workshop was planned and conducted in collaboration with Association for Progressive Communication, APC. Spider’s assessment is that APC is an important ally and partner in the area of ICT, democracy and governance. The workshop convened over 30 invited representatives from regional and local organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda. Many of the organisations were new to the Spider network; for instance Kenya Human Rights Commission and Ushahidi from Kenya, DEMGroup and Citizen Election Watch from Uganda and Institute of Research, Dialogue and Peace and the Ombudsman from Rwanda and in addition, IDRC, Hivos, Amnesty and Forum Syd represented by regional offices.

3.2 IPID activities The International network for Post-‐graduate students in ICT for Development currently gathers about 450 students from around 290 universities in 50 countries. The continuous activity of the network is operation of their web site where collaboration among students takes place, and publishing monthly newsletter that serves as a main

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information vehicle for the students about the recent and future activities of IPID. Besides those, the activities during 2010 are:

• Organizing Scientific Writing and Publishing seminar for students, hosted by Karlstad University

• Supporting participation of 14 students at the annual conference at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

• Assisting 10 students to attend Post-‐graduate strand at ICTD 2010 (IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development) at Royal Holloway, London, United Kingdom

• Co-‐organizing the 2nd International Conference on “Mobile Communication Technology for Development”, Kampala Uganda and facilitate participation of 30 students

External evaluation of the activities and results achieved is performed in February 2010 (see section 1.4)

3.3 Junior ICT Expert Spider and AIESEC has interviewed candidates for the Junior ICT Expert Position in Network and System Administration at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Rwanda. A qualified Junior ICT Expert has been chosen by KIST and will travel to Rwanda end of February 2011. The position is connected to the Spider supported project Rwanda Carenet where a master student from KTH (also a previous Junior ICT Expert) installed routers and video-‐conferencing equipment as well as trained staff at KIST. The new Junior ICT Expert will support Rwednet with practical technical training as well as equipment installments.

3.4 Education activities

3.4.1 Scholarships to the Master program “Electronic Government” at Örebro University Spider has granted continued financial support for 4 (four) masters students from developing countries enrolled in this program, together with their respective home institutions (the ratio is 3:1). The progress report shows excellent study results achieved by the students so far and their strong commitment in using the assignments and knowledge collected to contribute towards the development of their respective home environments. They are expected to finish the program in 2011 and are guaranteed jobs for at least two years at their home institutions. The final report is expected by August 31st 2011.

3.4.2 Travel Grants The intention with travel grants funding is to partially cover travel and lodging in connection with field trips in developing countries for students writing thesis in the field

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of ICT for development at Swedish partner universities. The following table summarizes the results: Activities Outputs Results

E-‐government Master Program, Örebro University

9 (nine) students performed their field work in Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique, Pakistan, Jordan, Bangladesh

8 (eight) thesis are completed (Participation habits of Ugandan political groups on Facebook; Connecting farmers to markets in Ethiopia; Distance education policy process in Mozambique; Local e-‐Government in Uganda: E-‐waste management in East African Community; Knowledge based development in Pakistan; Barriers for ICT for educational purposes in Jordan). The ninth is to be completed soon.

Communication for development Master Program, Malmö University

6 (six) students performed their field work in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya

3(three) master thesis are completed (Empowering Tanzanian youth -‐ engaging communities; Conservation 2.0: Leveraging social media for fundraising in Kenya; Tanzanian youth use of online ICT and Femina HIP). The other three will be completed in the first half of 2011.

Center for Human IT, Karlstad University

5 (five) students performed their work in Tanzania, Mozambique, Tadzjikistan, central regions of China

One bachelor thesis (two students worked together) is completed (A study of the attitudes towards using mobile phone at work in Tanzania). The other three will be completed in 2011 (ICT and information processes during a catastrophic event in Tadzjikistan; Social effects of ICT in the central regions of China; Users’ patterns in mobile telephony communication in Mozambique).

Telecommunication Systems Laboratory, Royal Institute of Technology

3 (three) students performed field-‐trip activities in Rwanda within the Carenet project.

3 (three) master thesis are completed (MaGNet-‐Maputo Gigabit Network; A sustainable business model for RwEdNet, the Rwanda National Research and Education network; Carenet Rwanda).

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4. Facilitate generation and dissemination of ICT4D knowledge Overall objective Through its information and communication program, Spider aims to promote research in ICT4D in order to raise interest in this field and disseminate research findings. Spider also aims to ensure that project results are presented in a clear manner through various media. Analysis of results Many of the anticipated activities, which unfortunately were not pursued, play an important role in Spider’s activities (see e.g. MacNamara’s evaluation of Spider). As a consequence of the lack of outputs, Spider has not fulfilled its role as knowledge broker and the value this offers to all members of the network has not been delivered sufficiently. Activity Plan 2010 Output Result

Main focus: creating more uniform and streamlined communication and developing methods and platforms for systematic collection and dissemination of ICT4D knowledge.

n/a Communication not streamlined or uniform. No methods for systematic collection and dissemination of ICT4D knowledge available.

a) Produce Spider Strategy in accessible format

n/a No Spider strategy available

b) produce brand identity guidelines (including templates)

n/a Outdated and incoherent brand identity

c) Implement an application to better manage directed communication to specific audiences (newsletter mechanics, subscribers etc)

n/a Sporadic, unfocused, and insufficient communication

d) Produce one issue of the ICT4D series using a new anthology format: ICT4D/Corruption in thematic areas

ICT & Corruption – published in 2010. Presented at events in Uganda and UK.

Publication of timely ICT4D issues

e) Update Spider website (new copy, content, design, and functionality, user survey)

n/a Outdated website

f) Produce a booklet “Emerging best practice” on lessons learned in ICT4MPOWER project

n/a n/a

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g) Develop method for compiling information generated by the network, help desk assignments and development projects and communicate relevant knowledge to targeted audience

n/a Knowledge and results not compiled or communicated

h) Set up accessible quality image library n/a Images from World Bank royalty free database are in use

4.1 Conferences and workshops

Conferences sponsored For the e-‐Learning Africa 2010 conference, May 26th to 28th in Lusaka, Zambia, Spider supported participation of 4 Swedish researchers and 50 African delegates to a cost of SEK 300 000. Representing the secretariat at the conference was Astrid Dufborg and Magda Berhe Johnson. A Spider session was held on Thursday May 27th; it focused on how e-‐learning can be used as a tool in both conventional and unconventional education settings. Two Spider supported projects were presented, The Virtual Interactive Classroom in Bangladesh and the INFORM project. The presenters highlighted different pedagogical methods that were used in the projects, the importance of content and quality of information as well as lessons learnt and ways of moving forward. In November, Spider participated in, and supported the 2nd International Conference on Mobile Communication Technology for Development (M4D2010, http://m4d.humanit.org/) in Kampala, Uganda. M4D2010 provided a forum for researchers, practitioners and all those with interest in the use of mobile communication technology for development. Spider supported 10 participants from African civil society and organized a workshop on the theme ”Increasing Transparency and Fighting Corruption through ICT”. The workshop explored the potentials of mobile technology in increasing transparency, as well as curbing corruption. During the workshop, the latest issue of the Spider publication in the ICT4D series was officially launched. In December 2010 Spider organized a panel discussion at the ICTD 2010 conference in London (http://www.ictd2010.org/). The title of the event was Decision Making & Accountability: Citizen-‐Centered ICT Platforms. The event had approximately 40 people in attendance. The event closed with a presentation of the Spider ICT4D publication on corruption. On September 13 and 14, Spider hosted a workshop on E-‐health together with Karolinska University Hospital. The workshop gathered e-‐health experts from a range of Swedish universities, as well as national and international organizations. The speakers touched upon the importance of incorporating a holistic method that combine insights

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from both bottom up and top down approaches. There was a general consensus that a pragmatic attitude generally is required to see the whole picture and thoroughly understand the environment when undertaking an e-‐health project.

4.2 Scholarly reports and research papers The scholarly reports produced during 2010 are the following:

• One licentiate thesis within the project “Mobile ATMs in Developing Countries” (section 1.1),

• Eight master thesis within the E-‐government Master program at Örebro University (section 3.4)

• Three master thesis at the Malmö University, Communication for Development Master program (section 3.4)

• One bachelor thesis at the Center for Human IT, Karlstad University (section 3.4) In addition, the results from the research within the projects initiated by the Swedish partner universities are published in more than ten scientific journals or proceedings of the international conferences, and presented at more than ten seminars and workshops.

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5. Internal organization, management and administration

Overall objectives Although no specific objectives were set for internal organization in the Activity Plan for 2010 (where it was categorized as a sub-‐section of Program Area: Facilitate generation and dissemination of ICT4D knowledge) the plan envisaged that internal organization and management would continue to develop, as per table below.

Analysis of results While some effort went into developing and implementing planned activities in the first half of the year, during the second half of the year the process stalled. Instead, initiatives by board and staff members to rethink and redirect Spider’s thematic areas and organizational structure usurped much effort, diverting the focus from daily operations. Indications from Sida that funding would be available for phase 3, albeit only SEK 45 million as opposed to the SEK 150 million applied for, did not lead to a fruitful reconsideration of how to best operate within the changing parameters. Instead of adjusting Spider’s modus operandi in dialogue with Sida, some board and staff members attempted to relocate Spider and redirect the thematic areas initially agreed upon with Sida. Due to uncertainties of organizational structure and thematic direction, the recruitment of a permanent Director was severely delayed by the board. In the end, SU intervened by restructuring Spider’s internal organization, most specifically the composition of the staff as well as board, thus rebuilding the basis for future operations. As a result of this internal turmoil, a considerable backlog of pressing operational matters will carry over to 2011. Activity Plan 2010 Output Result

Main focus: have a complete set of regulations, procedures and templates (the management handbook) fully integrated with SU regulations and Sida requirements regarding LFA and RBM.

A consultant was hired to develop some routines and templates, but the work was not completed Workshop to refine Spider’s strategy, conduct LFA and develop work plan Some staff participated in Sida RBM course

Routines and guidelines for planning, monitoring, evaluation, documentation, and financial control remain a severe problem. Activity plan for 2010 produced in March 2010 Some improvement in RBM skills among staff

a) Completion of management handbook n/a Financial Audit Plan, March 2010

n/a Incomplete Financial Audit Plan that has yet to be implemented

b) Skills analysis based on long term objectives of Spider and development of plan for skills acquisition (training, recruitment, consultants, network etc)

New skills requirements for Director and Project Officers identified

Restructuring of personnel

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c) Developing job descriptions and individual work and training plans

Job description for Director, with upgraded skills requirements Job description for Project Officer with upgraded skills requirements Job description for Project Assistant

New Director recruited for 2011 -‐New Project Officer recruited for 2011 -‐Under skilled temporary staff terminated Initiation of recruitment process

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6. Financial report

Balance 2011-01-01

Sida Decision

Total available funds 2010

Income as per

2010-12-31

Balance as per 2011-01-01

Balance 2009, incl. interest

16,413,743 15,160,958 (66.780 kr)

Contribution by Sida 15,000,000 15,000,000 15,000,000 Contribution by SU 1,500,000 1,500,000 1,500,000

Total income 16,500,000 32,913,743 31,660,958 -1,252,785

Sida budget After reallocation of balance from

2009

Expenditures as per 2010-12-31

Balance as per 2011-01-01

Contribution ICT Collaboration 6,500,000 18,812,510 6,863,037 11,949,473

Swedish universities 1,500,000 2,000,000 268,597 1,731,403 Developing countries 5,000,000 15,812,510 6,414,687 9,397,823 Project monitoring & evaluation

1,000,000 179,754 820,246

Conferences and workshops 1,000,000 2,000,000 832,060 1,167,940 Education and research 1,000,000 1,800,000 879,862 920,138

Education activities

500,000 420,000 80,000 PhD network

500,000 386,000 114,000

Junior ICT Expert

500,000 71,375 428,625 Publications

300,000 2,487 297,513

Assignment Sida commissioned services 2,000,000 2,000,000 1,155,753 844,247

Administration Management 4,000,000 5,407,003 4,854,062 552,941

Personnel

4,037,003 4,034,137 2,866 PR, web development

300,000 2,392 297,608

Travel

300,000 361,678 -61,678 Board & advisory committee

200,000 84,796 115,204

Miscellaneous

170,000 9,391 160,609 Facility costs

400,000 361,668 38,332

Administrative overhead 2,000,000 2,894,230 2,494,034 400,196 Total 16,500,000 32,913,743 17,078,808 15,834,935

Grand total 16,500,000 32,913,743 14,582,150 14,582,150

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7. Appendices Appendix 1 – Evaluation of IPID Appendix 2 – Evaluation of University Collaboration Appendix 3 – Governance reports Appendix 4 – Christer Marking report Appendix 5 – AMIS final report Appendix 6 – INFORM final report Appendix 7 – Mobile ATM final report Appendix 8 – IICD final report Appendix 9 – CORDIO final report

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