Gender Disparities in ICT Access and Usage: The Case of Rural Residents in Ghana

Date/Time
Date(s) - 11/03/2020
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Categories No Categories

Co-Sponsored by The Fletcher School’s Hitachi Center for Technology and Tech@Fletcher

Most rural residents in Ghana lack access to internet connectivity and use of ICT devices. That is due to the high cost of ICT devices, poor network coverage, low education and lack of knowledge about emerging technologies. This situation has led to, among other things, massive rural-urban migration. Consequently, this study investigated gender disparities in the use of ICT devices and internet connectivity in selected (Northern region, Eastern region and Volta region) rural areas in Ghana. The survey was conducted with 442 respondents from selected regions in Ghana (as stated above). Intriguing findings that emerged from the study were the type of ICT devices that are commonly used in rural areas, the ownership of phones and usage behaviour among the females and Males, Internet and network accessibility, Education and Technology savvy. Possible solutions proposed by the study were, reduction in device cost, development of specific applications to assist those who cannot read and write to access and use the internet, lastly, training programmes for rural folks must pay equal attention to both sexes.

Speaker: Ms. Fati Tahiru

Lecturer, Ho Technical University, Ghana

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