International Institute for Communication and Development

Type:	Non-Profit Foundation
Industry:	ICT
Founded:	1996
Founder(s):	Ministry for Development Cooperation Netherlands
Headquarters:	The Hague
Country:	Netherlands
Website:	www.iicd.org
Key People
Ms. Caroline Figuères, Managing Director

The International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) is a non-profit foundation dedicated to providing opportunities to local communities in Africa and Latin America in the field of education, governance, livelihood, health and environment through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The Institute has active development projects in Bolivia, Burkina, Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Peru, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Ms. Caroline Figuères is the Managing Director of IICD. Its headquarters is located in the Hague, Netherlands.

Mission

IICD’s primary objective is to create opportunities and help shape the future and the society of 10 million people with low incomes by providing them access and training on how to use ICT.

History

The Dutch Minister for Development Co-operation created IICD in 1996. The institute partnered with local stakeholders in eight countries including Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Jamaica, Mali, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia in developing programs in the field of education, economy, environment, good governance and health care using ICT during its initial development. IICD received approximately EUR 11.5 million funding from the Netherlands to implement its ICT developmental projects for a period of five years from, 1996-2001. An additional EUR 21.5 million was granted to the institute in 2002 to continue its projects for another five years. IICD also receives funding from the governments of the UK and Switzerland as part of the partnership program “Bridging Digital Opportunities” among NGOs funded by the Directorate General for International Co-operation (DGIS).

Approach and Principles

IICD’s approach to implementing its developmental projects in every country where it operates is by creating partnerships directly with the NGOs, public and private sectors. Together they evaluate and identify what sector requires ICT to create a positive impact on education, health, and economic development of the people in the locality. The institute provides the following assistance:

• Seed Funding & Project Advice
• Progress Monitoring and Evaluation of the Project
• Training & Coaching
• Scale up Successes
• Support to Local Efforts to Shape National Policies

IICD implements their ICT projects while adopting the following principles:

• Demand Responsive + Local Ownership
• Capacity Development + Learning by Doing
• Partnerships + Multi-stakeholder Involvement
• Gender Equity