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The Annual Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D”

The annual international Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D”, is an event to share ideas, and discuss recent issues and trends in ICT4D, from a wide range of experiences, angles, and scientific disciplines. Key questions are e.g. What are successful or promising contemporary approaches to ICT4D? What is the role of ICT in the broader context of development? What has scientific research to offer? What is the contribution and role of different disciplines, such as computer science and social sciences?

First Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D” Exploring this Interdisciplinary Field 16 May 2014 – (full livestream).
Second Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D” Data for Development – 22 May 2015 – (full livestream)
Third Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D” Community Service & Education – 6 April 2016 – (full livestream)
Fourth Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D” Sustainability and ICT4D – 18 May 2017 – (full livestream)
Fifth Symposium “Perspectives on ICT4D ” The Web and the Digital Divide” – 27 May 2018 was one of the events of the 10th ACM Web Science Conference, hosted by VU Amsterdam.

Visiting professor Hans Akkermans, ICT4D expert André Baart, CEO at Babafla, AI specialists Gossa Lô and Chris van Aart from Dutch tech firm Bolesian and video & media expert Leeuw van Moerkerken from Leeuw Film visit UDS for a AI/ICT4D ongoing collaboration in education and research, with UDS researchers Francis Dittoh, Gideon Ali and many others. Anna Bon represents VU Amsterdam in the ICT4D workshop, that will take place in a rural community nera Nyankpala, The team will meet the Department Head of the Computer Science Department, Dr. Barik, the Dean of Engineering Prof Seini, the Director of International Relations, Prof. Courage Setsoafia. And we will meet Prof Saa Dittoh in a writing workshop about the book about Indigenous Knowledge and the Plug-in Principle. To be continued...

30 June - 1 July - Connecting Worlds Conference at NU gebouw VU. Keynotes from Saa Dittoh and Narayanan Kulathuramayir. 7 June 2022 - start of ICT4D in the Field course. 1-8 May TMT-OKP funded W4RA Second Workshop in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, with women entrepreneurs for Regreening, marketing of non-timber forest products. W4RA and Reseau MARP. 22-28 February 2022 TMT-OKP funded W4RA workshop with AOPP in Mali, about seeds 7-12 February 2022 - TMT-OKP funded W4RA Workshop in Koudougou, Burkina Faso, with women entrepreneurs for Regreening, who produce non-timber forest products. W4RA and Reseau MARP. 9-16 November 2021 "Cyber Security in and for the Global South". An interdisciplinary seminar organized by Universitas Indonesia and VU Amsterdam. 26-27 August 2021 Academic Conference "Digital Society and Global Citizenship" location: VU (tbd) and online. 28 June 2021 Final Student Conference ICT4D in the Field - 6 projects presented on AI in and for the Global South. 2-4 June 2021 Webinar "AI in and for the gLobal South" online event with 9 AI expert lectures. 28 May 2021 Start ICT4D in the Field course. 31 March - 20 May 2021 ICT4D master course at VU. 26 March 2021 Panel Discussion DIgHum - Education and the Digital Society. 26 February 2021: Francis Dittoh presented the paper Tibaŋsim: Information Access for Low-Resource Environments at ICICT 2021 Conference. 15 December 2020 at 13h CET: Anna Bon defended her PhD thesis Intervention or Collaboration? Redesigning Information and Communication Technologies for Development in the Aula of Maastricht University. 11 December 2020: Sophie Vos and Hella Schaefers presented again at the IFIP conference the Food Security Project Sustainability and Ethics by Design. 26 November 2020: Sophie Vos and Hella Schaefers present their paper at the Amsterdam Sustainability Institute.

Although the Internet offers a wealth of information, and the World Wide Web has become today's paradigm of information and knowledge sharing on the planet, it is still inaccessible to the illiterate and to most rural communities. Moreover, most websites offering information about Africa are written in English, French, and other European languages. Few, however, contain relevant content information in local African languages. Furthermore, the Web is only accessible with an Internet connection, which most rural households do not have, relying instead on radio and mobile phones for communication. These are all important obstacles to overcome. But we believe this is possible to achieve - due to today's advanced ICT technologies and the local and international technical-scientific expertise present in the W4RA collaboration program.