• Version
• Download 3
• File Size 0.00 KB
• File Count 1
• Create Date August 22, 2024
• Last Updated October 10, 2024

Citizens’ Advocacy for Public Accountability & Democratic Engagement through ICT Convergence in Eastern Africa”

This paper aims at contributing to the concept of [electronic] e-participation by exploring empirical relevance of the ICT Convergence approach to promoting citizens’ democratic advocacy in the developing world context. It presents an analysis conducted on ToroDev’s ICT convergence approach for democratic engagement in western Uganda. It describes how simple, affordable, and cost effective ICT tools are used to mobilize, activate the intuitiveness, assertiveness and facilitate local citizens’ participation in good governance processes. ICT tools have strengthened offline citizens’ gatherings to deliberate on good governance issues through advocacy forum platforms. As a result, essential service delivery is improved at the grassroots level. The paper also relates ToroDev’s approach to other initiatives in the Eastern Africa and discusses challenges and potentiality of the approach in empowering local citizens to democratically air out their views, monitor and participate in planning,  budgeting for improved service delivery together with leaders on a larger scale.