Integrating ICTs into the Globalization of the Poor Developing Countries

Abstract

The impact of ICTs in developing countries generally can be considered inegalitarian because their benefits accrue more to the rich than the poor developing countries, thus defining a new form of digital divide. Certain ICT-induced developments such as globalization tend to leave the poor developing countries behind the global development agenda. In this article, we recognize the need for global-scale countervailing policies to establish the true pattern and structure of poverty and ICTs consumption and utilization in the developing countries in order to determine how the ICTs-heavy activities of the rich developing countries can be aligned with the ICTs needs of the poor developing countries. This will help ensure that ICTs are contributing in the development and globalization of the poor countries. The article recommends strategies that can be adopted to boost the participation of poor developing countries in the globalization process.