Using theories of technology acceptance and technology transfer, we identified factors affecting the use of mobile information and communication technology (mobile ICT) in the least developed countries (LDCs), specifically sub-Saharan Africa. From a literature review, we developed a research model to describe factors that impact mobile ICT use and formulated a series of hypotheses about them. We then surveyed mobile ICT users in Kenya and Nigeria and created a structural model to examine our hypothesized relationships. Our findings indicate that access to mobile ICT, and cultural influences on mobile ICT diffusion, strongly influence individuals' perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of mobile ICT.Individuals' perceptions about the reliability of mobile ICT influence use of these technologies significantly. The results suggest that, although extensive ICT diffusion (high mobile ICT levels per capita) may be necessary for seeding commercial and economic initiatives that depend heavily on mobile ICT, such as m-commerce, it may not be sufficient. Firms conducting business in sub-Saharan Africa need to pay attention to the factors that explain individual mobile ICT use because these factors will most likely determine the optimal market segmentation, business development and customer service strategies for leveraging m-commerce operations in that region. For government units, the understanding of such factors would also be beneficial in aiding economic planning and commerce.The global diffusion of mobile information and communication technology (mobile ICT) has been unprecedented, expanding from 50 million in 1999 to over one billion by the end of Systems, 6, 7-34. Information technology adoption across time: a crosssectional comparison of pre-adoption and post-adoption beliefs. MIS Quarterly, 23, 183-213. Kim, C.S. (2003) A comparison of perceived importance of information systems development strategies by developers from the United States and Korea. Information Resources Management, 16, 1-18. Legris, P., Ingham, J. & Collerette, P. (2003) Why do people use information technology? A critical review of the technology acceptance model. Information and Management, 40, 191-204. Light, D.A. (1999) Pioneering distance education in Africa. Harvard Business Review, 27, 26. Madon, S. (1997) The information based global economy and socio-economic development.

There is growing interest in the role and contribution of national information infrastructure (NII) to the quality of governance and the socio-economic development of nation states. In this paper, we use publicly available archival data to explore the relationships among NII, governance, and socio-economic development in developing countries. Results substantiate a significant relationship between NII and governance, and NII and socio-economic development. The findings suggest that NII have the capacity to contribute to country development, both directly (via impacts on socio-economic development) and indirectly (via its impacts on governance, which in turn influences socio-economic development).

This paper proposes and merges an extension of technology acceptance model with ideas from human development research targeting least developed countries. Specifically, the paper proposes an extension of the influence of perceived user resource, which in turn was developed from the original TAM literature. It is also tied to the Information Technology literature about socioeconomic development. Our objective is to shed light on the interactions between socioeconomic development needs and factors generally innate to sub-Sahara Africa and other developing countries that impede sustainable technological adoption and diffusion. We argue that developing countries lag in adopting 'foreign technologies'. We offer diagnostics and prescriptions for how to effect a sustainable technological adoption to support socioeconomic development across Sub-Saharan Africa. This article should bring into focus this and other developing regions that are almost non-existent in mainstream Information Systems research.

Globalization presents opportunities and challenges for developing regions such as sub-Saharan Africa as they seek to improve their levels of socioeconomic development. Processes of globalization increasingly depend upon information and communication technologies (ICTs), and these normally need modifications to fit local contexts. This requires that processes that affect interactions between global, regional, and local levels need to be understood. It appears reasonable to conjecture that understanding the roles or effects of socioeconomic and cultural factors (among others) would lead to more effective ICT policies for sustainable development at regional and local levels. Drawing on Sen's capability theory of human development, a modified version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is presented, and validated by analyzing survey data gathered in two sub-Saharan African countries, although no claim is made as to the model's generalizability. Some diagnostics and prescriptions for how to effect sustainable technology adoption and development across the region to enhance human capabilities are then presented. C 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

BackgroundEradication of polio requires that the acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system is sensitive enough to detect all cases of AFP, and that such cases are promptly reported and investigated by disease surveillance personnel. When individuals, particularly community informants, are unaware of how to properly detect AFP cases or of the appropriate reporting process, they are unable to provide important feedback to the surveillance network within a country.MethodsWe tested a new SMS-based smartphone application (App) that enhances the detection and reporting of AFP cases to improve the quality of AFP surveillance. Nicknamed Auto-Visual AFP Detection and Reporting (AVADAR), the App creates a scenario where the AFP surveillance network is not dependent on a limited number of priority reporting sites. Being installed on the smartphones of multiple health workers (HWs) and community health informants (CHIs) makes the App an integral part of the detection and reporting system.ResultsResults from two phases of tests conducted in Nigeria point to the effectiveness of the App in the surveillance of AFP.ConclusionWe posit that appropriate use of the App can soon bring about a worldwide eradication of poliomyelitis.