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10.5 Conclusions
The study has detailed a strong correlation between the levels of education
within a community, types of ICTs used, information seeking behavior and
the socio-economic factors of an environment.
It was established that the enactment of a National Policy on ICT
development does not guarantee the efficient and effective use of ICTs,
especially by marginalized rural communities. Special efforts must be made
to involve rural communities. This would require policies that encourage
competition between various stakeholders in the telecommunications
industry, policies that govern the costs of ICTs, and policies that govern
connectivity in areas that are not commercially viable. As women form the
majority of most rural households, special efforts have also got to be taken
to involve women in development initiatives such as skill enhancement
programs, participatory mechanisms and follow-up programs.
The study also established that the information needs of women are unique
and peculiar to women's social and economic environments. Unless factors
such as time and women's social responsibilities are taken into account,
most rural women stand to be marginalized in rural development initiatives.
Special efforts have to be taken in order to create gendered databases that
reflect the needs of rural women in areas such as health, business, social
welfare and education. In this way, the content matter of information will
not only be relevant to the needs of the women, but will also reflect the
needs suitable to their local enVironments.
Furthermore, training as a process in development is a crucial factor and
must be incorporated in development programs at all times. A number of
factors have to be taken into consideration, two of which include needs
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