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The "how-to" in the implementation programs of ICTs in rural development,
particularly amongst rural African women, are an important consideration in
this chapter. This is even more so as past trends in ICT development and
implementation projects in Africa have revealed a lack of enthusiasm on the
part of decision-makers, not to mention the lack of political will necessary to
implement and sustain ICT rural development projects. Notably, while the
application of ICTs in rural development in many African countries is still in
its infancy, questions about the relevance of ICT projects in the wake of
pressing issues such as poverty and disease are highly prevalent. It is
therefore not surprising to find that ICT projects do not get the priority they
deserve amongst policy and decision makers. However, as Harris (2004:3)
rightfully points out, "there is still a widespread misunderstanding about how
substantial benefits can be derived from ICTs.... as much of the difficulty
arises because the development community has yet to get in touch with the
IT community in a meaningful dialogue that would help both parties."
SUbsequently, the underlying questions of this chapter are: (i) how can
project implementers relate ICTs to rural development, particularly in the
case of African rural women? (ii) How can project implementers work with
ICTs in order to bring about optimal outcomes 7
4.2 The basis of Info - mobilisation
Harris (2004) explains that the methodology behind Info-mobilisation is
based on the socio-technical systems theory and the general systems theory
and its application to the design of information systems in organisational
settings. Consequently, as the aforementioned theories are fundamental to
understanding info-mobilisation, this chapter begins by analysing their
concepts. Harris underpins the fact that within the socio-technical systems
theory, separate efforts to optimise the technical system and the social