Untitled DocumentOverview
NDI has been conducting successful ICT programs in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Latin America for several years. Project Vote, an NDI voter education program supporting the 1994 South African local government elections, had an early and very successful ICT component. After the elections NDI was the only organization in the country that was able to gather information on elected councillors from all 768 of South Africa's newly created municipalities (then called 'transitional local authorities') and compile them into a database. The database was printed in a volume (the size of a phone book) and widely distributed. It was then handed over to the Department of Local Government and Housing and the South African Local Government Association for ongoing maintenance. Since that time NDI has been conducting various programs with ICT components in Southern Africa and around the world.
Over time as technological changes accelerated and the Internet came onto the scene, more NDI partners were trying to catch the wave and more of program managers were being asked to provide ICT-related assistance. In addition, donors were becoming more interested in this kind of programming. Word about NDI's successful ICT and democracy programming was spreading. NDI has been invited to participate and present our work in several international forums such as the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Workshop on the Internet and Democracy Building in Wilton Park, UK in May 2001 and the International IDEA Democracy Forum 2001, in Stockholm. In the latter NDI Namibia's Foster Mijiga showcased NDI's Namibia Parliament website program in the plenary session alongside the World Bank Development Gateway Director Carlos Braha, a Director from the Danish Parliament, Steven Clift from the Minnesota E-Democracy Board, and others. The presentation was well received, and as a result NDI was invited to consult on theWorld Bank's Development Gateway project and this relationship continues.
As the field of Internet and Democracy is becoming more visible, NDI has been a leader, having worked on the ground in emerging democracies for over 7 years and gained considerable experience in the area. Throughout the process, NDI has also come to recognize and realize the potential that ICTs play in democracy support and continue to include technology components into our democratic development programs where beneficial, feasible and sustainable.
Contact Information
For further information on information and communications technology, please contact:
Chris Spence
Director, Technology Strategy and Programs Send Email
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