Table of Contents

ICT and Social Transformation in Rural Bangladesh

Shahid Uddin Akbar
SwissContact / KATALYST, Bangladesh
Shahiduddin.Akbar@swisscontact-bd.org 

Introduction

The development of a society largely depends on the access to information. The Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) greatly facilitate the flow of information and knowledge offering the socially-marginalised and unaware community unprecedented opportunities to attain their own entitlements. ICT is a critical tool to tackle development issues in developing countries. Despite ICT’s massive potential, the current global information explosion has had surprisingly little impact on development activities and access to practical information for rural communities, local people and frontline development workers in developing countries. Bangladesh is one such country rolling within the vicious circle of deprivation and obstacles.

Country Overview and Background

Bangladesh is in the process of a transition from a predominantly agrarian economy to an industrial and service economy. Bangladesh’s population remains predominantly rural where poverty is widespread. In recent years the rural people of the country empowered significantly to warrant a renewed articulation of the strategies that they could employ to reduce poverty and improve well-being. The contribution of Agriculture in the economy of Bangladesh is still highest even with its old technology and ICT can directly contribute in commercialization and increasing value added services within the sector which ultimately tends to empower the rural communities.

The loop of low income, low tele-density, poor infrastructure, low education, poor awareness, poor governance, lack of political commitment, high bureaucratic attitude and non-availability of relevant and related contents make the ICT related development activities in Bangladesh complicated, particularly in the rural areas. The existing ICT services available in Bangladesh are not concentrating on the core elements like social awareness, physical access center, local and relevant content, enterprise development, alternate connectivity and capacity building.

ICT - An emerging development tool

The new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the most powerful tool among the driving forces of globalization. ICT is bringing people together, bringing the unprecedented new tools for development (like mobile phone, online citizen services – paying utility bills online, publishing public exam results on the web, distance education programs, telemedicine, online discussion forums, online business advisory and marketing information service, human right and consumer awareness through online forum, archiving of local heritage on the web, etc) through internet and CDs and have become a powerful tool to contribute in the development process. To empower the local communities with a sustainable approach, ICT is the most effective instrument. At the same time a real danger is mounting in the developing countries like Bangladesh and the poor communities of the society are being excluded from the emerging knowledge based global economy and the digital-divide is increasing among the rural peoples.  

Learning through computers: Local children at BRAC Gonokendro project, Mymensingh

Poverty Eradication, ICT, Empowering the Rural Communities

Access to information is of fundamental importance to any development process. The flow of information from and to the rural communities is an essential pre-condition for the development of rural Bangladesh towards eradication of widespread poverty. The recent development of ICT is greatly facilitating the flow of information and knowledge, beyond the border of social and economic status. It is in this context, ICTs are now widely recognized as a critical tool to tackle development issues in developing countries.

Moreover, poverty is in part a consequence of the present growth and the delivery of education and health services becomes difficult due to population growth. It also revealed that poverty reduction cannot happen in an information-deprived environment (for example, earlier farmers living in the rural areas of Bangladesh, had no access to market information and they were always deprived by the local middlemen who manipulate the prices of agri-products, but recently the Grameen Phone service bridged the information gap at a limited scale to get better price by collecting market information from different adjacent areas. Poverty reduction is possible only in an environment where publics and particularly the poor have information on the issues that affect their lives. Information empowerment is recognized as an important factor to stimulate debate and strengthen participation in the democratic processes.

Bangladesh has experienced a very successful model of connecting rural people through mobile phone service. Grameen Phone, made the achievement of ensuring communication facility for the rural Bangladesh through its mobile phone network. The initial connectivity had already been established for communication and now need is to expand services towards dissemination of relevant development and business services.

MPTC at Sonagazi

Multipurpose Telecenter (MPTC): The Bangladesh Approach

MPTC has become a popular approach in many developing countries and offers integrated ICT services for the rural communities with accessibility in the net (For example, India – Information Kiosks and Knowledge Center, Thailand – Thai Rural Net, Brazil – Telecenter, Indonesia – Warnet, Albania – Public Information center, etc.). In the Bangladesh model of MPTC, the focus is on youth (Both professional and unemployed) and women community of the society. MPTC offers sharing ICT based services and knowledge. Alternate Connectivity is the strategic strength of MPTC which can be defined as the combination of phases: Collecting the relevant and local / global information and material available in any format (Hardcopy, Soft copy, CD version) with social and development aspect, Selecting the related and relevant content / materials for dissemination, Converting the materials into CD version (PDF/ Word/ Graphics), Releasing the CDs on periodical basis and disseminate to the target rural communities, Ensure minimum infrastructure (PC with CD Rom) at field level. Alternate Connectivity will open new channels that bring new knowledge and information resources to rural communities.

The local promoters of MPTC model in Bangladesh have strategic partnership with private sector enterprises and are resolving some critical problems like connectivity, local content, SME advisory services, expert opinion, business network building, etc. These private sector groups have neither a strong presence nor a direct access to the rural areas and an NGO behind the MPTC model is ensuring the field application of the services. Some private business houses extended their support as their corporate social responsibility to promote the concept which is significantly contributing towards bridging digital divide in Bangladesh. This is a unique model of partnership between NGO and private sector to bring the benefits of ICT to the deprived rural communities in different (at present 2 centers, one at Feni and another at Gaibandha) locations in Bangladesh. A local NGO, named SEBA (Society for Economic and Basic Advancement) has a long presence in the rural areas and is now mobilizing local communities to make aware the target groups and offer ICT services at their premises.

The project is using both traditional media (like print media – newsletter) and new technologies (like the Internet, CD) for disseminating information and advisory services. The major challenges for the MPTC initiative are addressing the less aware community (both grass root and policy makers), affordable connectivity solution, developing a Business Model and identifying universal service line.

Till now, the MPTC initiative is in pilot phase and an Action Research based ethnographic study to assess the real need and customizing services as per need of the local communities is being carried out. In short run, the project is not looking for financial return but in long run the promoters believe that it will be replicable model for other developing countries too. The project will be expanded in terms of services and extension of centers in other 5 (five) areas of Bangladesh with further private sector involvement by 2005.

Sustainability – A critical issue

The benefits of the rural ICT projects should be measured not only from the economic and financial aspects, but also in terms of the real benefits empowering the local communities, which should be considered primarily to assess the sustainability of the projects. Value of the benefits in long run towards poverty eradication and social empowerment, which are the ultimate goal of any social venture, should not be ignored. While just focusing financial sustainability may distract the very objective of rural ICT endeavors, it is important to concentrate on making the rural ICT efforts self-sustainable, through offering different income generating activities in addition to development and social services.

Conclusion

To overcome the vicious circle of poverty, bridge the digital divide and empower the rural communities, ICT can be utilized to build internal and collective capacity. In combination with various components and integration of services with focus to enterprise development, citizen services, social issues, MPTC will bring the benefits of modern technology for the rural communities of Bangladesh, also applicable for other developing countries. To speed up the poverty alleviation in rural areas, policy and program efforts need to support, coordinate and link work in social services, agriculture, infrastructure, natural resources, finance and rural non-farm development. The MPTC approach can bring new window to challenge poverty in the long-run which requires integrating policies and programs in the field of rural ICT.

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