7th IDIA Conference 2013

Building Sustainability through ICT4D Research and Practice

The 7th IDIA Conference returned to South Africa and focused on the critical question of sustainability in ICT4D — how to build programmes and infrastructure that endure beyond initial donor funding and political cycles.

Key Themes

• Sustainability models for ICT4D programmes
• Telecentre evolution and the shift to mobile
• Public internet access in the age of smartphones
• Community networks and local content creation
• ICT4D research methodology and impact measurement

Selected Papers

• Vannini, Rega, Sala & Cantoni — Reasons of Non-Use: A Study on Mozambican Telecentres

Legacy & Current Relevance

Sustainability was the defining question of IDIA 2013 — and it remains unresolved in digital inclusion work today. The telecentre-to-mobile transition the conference examined mirrors the current shift from fixed broadband to mobile-first connectivity in low-income communities. Programmes that failed to adapt to mobile ended; programmes that built community ownership and local governance structures survived the transition.

For North American digital equity practitioners, the sustainability lessons from IDIA 2013 translate directly: broadband adoption programmes funded through one-time BEAD or ACP-successor grants need community anchor institutions, local digital navigators, and self-sustaining models to outlast the grant cycle. The community networks and local content creation research from this conference provides one of the strongest evidence bases for that argument.

Conference Series

Preceded by IDIA 2012 in Istanbul and followed by IDIA 2014 in Port Elizabeth. See the full archive for all years.