The role of social capital in sustainable ICT4D

Abstract

This paper tells the story of an Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) project and a research approach. The research used a novel definition of sustainable development that emerged from South American development philosophies. The concept of Social Capital (SC) is central to this definition and SC was used to study the sustainability strategies of participants in a project to deploy internet access to schools in a rural region in South Africa. A novel support model was developed by selecting local post-school youth for entrepreneurial attitudes and then training these so-called “Village Operators” (VOs) as on-site technical support. Their job was to maintain wireless-mesh networks serving clusters of schools and the in-school internet access. The VOs received intensive small business training and mentoring from experts contracted by the project. The research question was: What were the sources of support and the business strategies used to grow their businesses? The business performance of VO businesses could be evaluated, but it was difficult to determine why some succeeded and some did not. The relationships of the VOs were researched as the means to access resources for business development. The results are discussed in detail to showcase the different relationship structures and the sustainability strategies of the Village Operators. Recommendations for sustainable ICT4D project design based on this research are made.