On November 13, IREX’s Technology for Civil Society Speaker Series [7] hosted David Barnard, Executive Director of the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT [8]). Barnard’s organization began operations in 1987 during South Africa’s transition from Apartheid rule. Though Barnard believes ICTs have tremendous potential in a changing political environment, he cited the challenges NGOs face in harnessing their capabilities. The region’s NGOs rarely possess expertise in using ICT and operate in environments that make ICT access and use more difficult. Developing ICT capacities requires resources and planning—things regional NGOs often lack. Exacerbating these problems, said Barnard, is the decline in NGO capacity-building programs and the private sector’s failure to see the NGO sector as a potential market. In response, Barnard urged an integrated approach that includes technology, information, and training—both for and by NGOs. An audience member asked the guest speaker about NGOs’ gaps in implementing ICT4D projects, to which Barnard responded that projects developed by outside consultants often do not consider the realities on the ground. NGOs must garner the support of community stakeholders in order to have a successful and sustainable project.
Barnard also traced the history of SANGONeT. Beginning as WorkNet in 1987, the organization focused on using ICT for development and began providing other NGOs with email and internet access. Through the 1990s, it was active in networking with other organizations and promoting equal access to technology between genders. By 2001, SANGONeT concluded that its core responsibility lay in mobilizing Southern African civil society. It embraced its role as discussion facilitator, helping NGOs and civil society to think about where and what they wanted to be in the long-term. Barnard described SANGONeT’s focus as “content, technology, [and] advocacy.”
Barnard concluded by reflecting on the nascent potential of mobile technology in Southern African development efforts. Citing the region’s 50-60% annual growth rate in mobile technology, Barnard sees mobiles as valuable tools for rural programs and for accelerating rapid response to community needs. Mobile technology also broadens civic participation; he cited an instance where citizens of Zimbabwe took photos of posted election results with their phones and distributed them before the government could control the information flow. Barnard asked the audience to be more than “consumers of technology.” He believes that a more informed civil society sector that understands these new tools will play a greater role in shaping and contributing to them. By promoting coordination and innovation among Southern Africa’s NGOs, David Barnard exemplifies this greater role.
