I love this recent article about the use of ICT for development for several reasons. First, the case they describe is from Ghana where I worked in the mid-70s (and described in my memoir); second, it’s discussing both mobile phones and community telecentres. Mobile phones were an important part of our rural training on the UNESCO/GOM STEP program in Malawi, and community telecentres are still prominent in many countries including in Dominica where I volunteered this past summer. Thirdly, I did a few assignments with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and its the UN body that oversees coordination and implementation of telecom protocols. So all things related to ICT and development are of interest.
Here is part of the article.
Mobile Phone Revolutions Make Telecenters Even More Essential
By Wayan Vota on October 28, 2025
While development practitioners debate whether smartphones have rendered Community Information Centres obsolete, new research from Ghana reveals a more complex truth: CICs aren’t competing with mobile technology—they’re complementing it in ways that are crucial for equitable development.
The conventional wisdom suggests that with Ghana achieving a 55% mobile adoption rate and 10.7 million people accessing the internet through mobile devices, traditional telecentres should be withering away. Bridging digital gaps in a mobile device age – a study of 10 CICs across Ghana’s Upper East Region, surveying 451 users, demonstrates why this assumption is dangerously wrong.
The Complementarity Thesis
The study looked at CICs – also called telecentres – and reveals that although mobile phones are suitable for simple tasks, complicated tasks are better performed in CICs, suggesting a complementary nature of the two. This isn’t about choosing sides in a technology battle. We need to recognize that different tools serve different needs within the same digital ecosystem.
The statistical evidence is compelling. Access to CICs showed a significant positive correlation with community impact, while activities conducted at these centres demonstrated an even stronger relationship with outcomes. These outcomes represent measurable community transformation.
For the whole article, please use this link.
https://www.ictworks.org/mobile-phone-revolution-made-telecenters-even-more-essential
