Lessons Learned from I-Network

The Information Network (I-Network) in Uganda is a national network of individuals and organisations (drawn from the private sector, government and civil society) that provides a platform for sharing knowledge and forming partnerships around the use of ICT to address development challenges and to extend equitable national development.

Reprinted from Bridges.org

Lessons Learned

We asked Vincent Waiswa, who is Coordinator of the I-Network Uganda, to share his views on the initiative's greatest success, the challenges faced, key constraints and dependencies that affect the initiative, opportunities for future improvement, and other lessons learned. This is what he had to say:

"I-Network Uganda has tremendously increased members knowledge on ICT for development issues and initiatives in Uganda. We have created partnerships with NGOs, Private Sector, Donor Agencies and Government. Most importantly the network has stimulated ICT interest within policy makers and implementers.Like any other initiative, we have some challenges. The network needs to make a more significant presence in rural areas as a way of checking the urban rural divide.

By having more of our activities centered in the urban areas (specifically Kampala the capital) we are not doing any favors to the people upcountry. It is a case of making the rich richer and the poor poorer. That said we have made some attempts upcountry but a lot still needs to be done considering that the majority of the population live upcountry and they have enormous information needs that can be addressed using ICTs.

In doing all we have managed, we have learnt some lessons. It has become very evident that nodes should evolve rather than be created. The nodes are what form the network. At first we thought we could force the nodes to happen and this did not work. But today Special Interest Groups have started (nodes) emerging on their own. We have the media node, techies node and sooner than later we shall have the NGOs.

The other lesson learnt is that members need to be actively involved in the activities of the network lest they get bored and leave the network. In our case, besides them creating nodes we have assigned them responsibilities like making presentation upcountry and also representing the network at international conferences. Ensuring that members do not abuse the network by promoting their selfish interests have been a challenge and lesson learnt.

In summary the network needs to be marketed aggressively in order for it to become a house-hold name that can easily attract support of any kind. That way we shall be able to sustain ourselves."