This essay, an example of work that builds on Dr. Ascroft’s lessons, reports collaborative research on information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) in Ghana. We highlight two parallel dialogues—on ICT and on gender—that have been advanced globally. New ICTs are prone to the same biases as the older ICTs. Further, the dialogue on ICTs may use the rhetoric of inclusivity; but in practice, women and girls remain at the margins of decision-making and implementation. This research addresses the promise of new ICTs and the need to account for gender roles. We summarize the major events that helped spark global and regional attention to ICT4D, as well as Ghana’s initiatives in relation to these events. We include critiques and initiatives resistant to facets of ICT4D, emphasizing gender critiques.

Mainstream scholarship on entrepreneurship focuses on firms in the global north as the dominant paradigm, neglecting potential lessons to be found in the informal sector, in the global south, particularly in Africa, and among women. Local entrepreneurship practices present a valuable case study for understanding the nature of entrepreneurship in emerging economies and their contribution to social and economic development. Drawing on ethnographic data, this chapter examines gender and information and communication technology use in the Ghanaian marketplace. Market women's entrepreneurship is influenced by social capital derived from social networks drawn from strong community ties. The study found that ICTs such as mobile phone, while gendered, are central to organizing and managing these micro-enterprises. This chapter contributes to studies on entrepreneurship by drawing attention to the under-researched intersections of female entrepreneurship in the Ghanaian marketplace and ICTs in emerging economies.

While several studies have explored mobile phone use in the global South, perspectives from Third World and African-centered feminist research that explores the intersection of gender, development, and mobile communication remain peripheral. This article uses a postcolonial feminist lens to examine how Ghanaian women transnational traders operating at the margins of global trade manage and negotiate glocal networks with their mobile phones. The research expands conceptions of the role of mobile phones in development (M4D) projects by drawing on ethnographic fieldwork to explore women's routine use of mobile phones in organizing and coordinating transnational trade. It examines how Ghanaian women traders attempt to move from the margins of global trade flows toward the center through their self-defined notions of progress.

This essay, in response to Micky Lee’s article in this issue, agrees with her macro-level argument that the UNDP’s human development approach to new ICTs and global indices are grounded in old modernist models privileging neoliberal economic imperatives, treat ICTs as gender neutral and ignore global power relations. However, the authors argue that Lee’s critique is underdeveloped in three ways. First the term ICT is not clearly defined, yet there may be great differences between ICTs. Second, the concepts of gender and power need to be better conceptualized. Finally, the authors argue that intersections of gender, development and ICTs need to be addressed more holistically by linking macro- and micro-level analysis, as there are many examples of grassroots innovation and empowerment via ICTs (such as mobile phones). This response highlights developments in the design and production of softwares for ICT that illustrate resistance with implications for gender and other social divisions.

While access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phones and the internet has increased over the last couple of years, new digital inequalities also continue to emerge regarding gender, socioeconomic backgrounds, and different levels of digital literacies and education. The gendered nature of access to and use of digital technologies shapes opportunities for many African women, influences the process of social inclusion, and thus exacerbates social inequalities. This essay interrogates the interrelationships of gender, new digital technologies, and socioeconomic development among marginalized groups in different contexts in countries on the continent of Africa, focusing on the rising digital inequities among marginalized communities. I make the case for the collection of disaggregated data and comparative studies of gendered digital inequities as important for understanding and bridging gaps. By focusing on marginalization rather than poverty, I examine the relationships between people, locales, and institutions rather than assets alone. By examining how distributed groups connect through digital tools, I hope to raise some important questions about the nature of digital inequities in today’s networked society and address gender empowerment through inclusive and research-based ICT policy making and practice.