Prospects for e-Advocacy in the Global South

This report, funded by the Gates Foundation, discusses barriers to the realisation of internet and other information and communication technology (ICT) usage in sub-Saharan and Southern and Central Africa. It promotes e-advocacy: "the strategic use of ICT by individuals or movements to press for policy change." As stated here, "lack of knowledge is the greatest obstacle to the realization of the promise of ICT in the global south. In most countries, the political and technological environments necessary to begin e-advocacy efforts already exist. All that is missing is the technical training necessary to realize creative and effective campaigns.... This report provides a primer in the methods and applications of e-advocacy and surveys the current applications, constraints, and opportunities in the global south. It focuses on the problem of access, the need to nurture the knowledge and tools necessary to realize the promise of e-advocacy, and outlines a few cutting edge initiatives that could further expand the realm of possibility for ICT to drive change in the global south."

The document outlines the key concepts of its 2-part format: access, implementation, and innovation for e-advocacy in the global south, and access, implementation, and innovation for funding the future of social change there. In addition to enumerating the reasons for lack of access to ICTs, Part I of the report recognises mobile phone growth and the possibilities it presents for e-advocates who want to reach a mass audience where internet communication is impractical. "SMS [short message service] text messaging and IVR [interactive voice response] automated voice over mobile phone present interesting alternative to computer-based e-mail. Video, photography, and even ringtones turn mobile phones into tools of political action. Internet access may be achieved... through third generation (3G) mobile phones... [and] may be a more practical way to access information in the global south as mobile phone ownership is more accessible than computer ownership and more practical than shared computing as a primary means of communication."

Implementation suggestions include the following:

• “The best way to think about e-advocacy is as the strategic movement of information within and among organizations, communities, and individuals, an idea pioneered by Tactical Technology Cooperative.
  
• Data integration is the form of e-advocacy whereby organizations collect and organize their information for easy retrieval, dissemination, and sharing.
  
• An info-hub is a brochure website through which organizations can push out information to supporters but usually do not pull in feedback.
  
• CRM (constituent relationship management) is a model wherein the central organization uses ICT to communicate, direct, and receive feedback from a group of activists.
  
• In the network-centric activism model, individuals communicate with each other and organization actions without a central organization guiding their movements.”
  

However, as stated here, in the global south, "where most social change organizations are unaware of e-advocacy techniques or do not see how such techniques would be useful to their cause, ... e-advocacy suffers from a lack of awareness and appreciation. Those who are aware of e-advocacy don't know how to implement or develop strategies and do not have access to the technical support necessary to implement. e-Advocacy in the global south can also be difficult due to unaccountable political structures that are openly hostile to advocacy efforts." The report looks to Diaspora populations to help fund and lend expertise to e-policy change. It advocates for solar power and wireless internet connections to bring Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connections and web connections to "last mile" populations.

Part II recommends funding issues and movements built by values, "such as seeking out networks, bringing together technologists and advocates, and promoting independence." Its access section suggests: "trailblazing" wireless internet connectivity to demonstrate business models for the private sector; using the power of SMS texting via mobile phones through a low-cost technology architecture via subsidised campaigns; campaign for fair telecommunications policy; and advocate for freedom of expression through disseminating anti-censorship software. The implementation section supports: giving the global south e-advocacy organisations "venture capital"; strengthening a global e-advocacy organisation called eRiders; founding a pilot CRM organisation in Nigeria; funding localisation (software translation) projects, e-advocacy websites, and how-to guides as global tools; and creating an in-house e-advocacy support organisation within the funder's organisation. In the Innovation section, recommendations include: create a global network of e-advocacy centres; nurture leaders in e-advocacy through a fellowship programmes; tailor e-advocacy techniques for the global south; share knowledge through conferences for technologists and activists of both the south and the north; and reward innovators in the field through awards.

Key recommendations include:

1. "Increase Access in Africa - Fund a social enterprise model, pioneered in India, that allows entrepreneurs to use solar powered wireless access points to set up internet access and telephony in underprivileged communities.
   
2. Make SMS Cheaper - Text messages are the medium of choice for activism in the global south, but their cost limits their mass appeal. Establish a global architecture of cheap or free SMS codes that civil society organizations can apply to use in e-advocacy campaigns. 
3. Fund the Ecosystem that Grows Good e-Advocates - Through a fellows programs, conferences, trainings, and a global network of e-advocacy centers, give citizens and activists in the global south the opportunity to learn and exchange, allowing them to fulfill the promise of ICT in their own advocacy.
   
4. Pilot Test Online Organizing in Nigeria - Support a first rate e-campaigning organization in Nigeria, to demonstrate the possibilities for e-advocacy, even in such a challenging environment as West Africa.
5. Fund Visionary Technology - Enable exciting new technologies to reach scale, such as a technology that allows mobile phones to communicate directly with each other, without the need for a carrier phone company."