Olaf Erz
| Organization | IICD |
|---|---|
| Organization type | Civil Society Organization/NGO |
| Country | Netherlands (Kingdom of the) |
Olaf Erz graduated from the University of Applied Science Landshut, Germany, in mechanical engineering (major subjects marketing and finance management) in 1993. He continued his career as Head of the Engineering Department and as Director Technical Division at the Selam Technical and Vocational Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Afterwards, he worked as a private sector development and rural energy consultant in Ethiopia and Indonesia. He joined the Uganda Industrial Research Institute as Chief Technical Adviser focusing on institutional development and project/programme management. In 2006, he completed his Masters in Business Administration at the School of Management, University of Surrey, UK and continued his career with the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD) where he is Country Manager for Ghana and Zambia and, as such, the programme and project adviser for Ministries, governmental- and non-governmental agencies in the development and deployment of ICT in education-, economic development-, governance- and health sectors.
This member participated in the following Forums
Forum Forum: "ICT for Rural Economic Development" November, 2010
2. How to analyze the socio-economic impact in rural areas?
Submitted by Olaf Erz on Fri, 11/26/2010 - 10:05
In addition to project focus group discussions, IICD and its partners hold annual national focus groups in which partners review the general outcomes of all projects evaluated, discuss themes and issues that have emerged from the evaluation, and draw lessons learned as a means of cross fertilising the activities of the individual projects in the coming years. Outcomes and commitments are incorporated into an annual learning report. The commitments serve as the basis for action plans of the partners for the subsequent years of the project. The national focus group discussion provides an opportunity for IICD and partners to review general trends and challenges confronting the use of ICT as an instrument for development. Participants collectively find ways in which success stories can be mainstreamed across different projects/sectors and further discuss and suggest ways in which common challenges can be tackled, especially through the adoption of joint strategies to common issues.
Submitted by Olaf Erz on Fri, 11/26/2010 - 10:03
One of the M&E components that IICD has put in place is designed to promote learning within and between projects at various levels. It allows IICD, its partners to receive feedback on the outcomes of the project implementation during focus group discussions. These ones provide also opportunities for the stakeholders to reflect on the progress and achievements of the project, as well as, take appropriate actions, where necessary, to ensure that the project interventions achieve the desired results. All active projects are subjected to at least one evaluation every year. In an effort to increase ownership at the project and participant levels, IICD and its M&E partners are gradually transferring responsibility for the project level focus group discussions to the project implementing partners to organise so that they can take ownership of the process and build their internal capacity over time for the use generation and use of evaluation information.
1. What is the value of analyzing the socio-economic impact of ICT in rural areas?
Submitted by Olaf Erz on Thu, 11/25/2010 - 13:01
As I mentioned earlier impact should be appraised by the users/beneficiaries and from their own perspective. From the donor point of view a good project/programme should be a project/programme that has a positive impact in the eyes of the users/beneficiaries. The impact assessment should be made in a collective, participatory and continuing learning process among all stakeholders. We at IICD measure impact at satisfaction-, awareness-, empowerment and economic level on an annual base over a period of at least five years. Questionnaires are being disseminated to project/programme staff, the project/programme users and beneficiaries. A focus group discussion is followed in order to discuss the findings with the stakeholders and to agree on necessary adjustments and improvements. Consequently the teams are aware on how their project/programme is being perceived and for IICD to what extend the project/programme objectives have been reached.
Submitted by Olaf Erz on Wed, 11/24/2010 - 17:57
Rural development is focusing on farmers as primary producers. The relationship between markets and farmers is more complex. Primary producers are engaged in markets not just as producers but also as consumers. Many of them are only engaged in markets for exchange of goods/services. An understanding of the relationship between markets and the poor must consider the farmers as consumers as well as producers; consumption and production of different goods/services; needs/preference of different social, economic and cultural groups. Information plays a crucial role in markets, more people know about the price, quality, value and effectiveness of goods/services; the more likely they are to secure them at prices and on terms that suit them. Markets in which buyers/sellers are well informed will usually be more economically efficient. The flow of information can be improved using radio, telecentres and mobile phones; mobile phones have a significant impact as farmers are often appraised.
Submitted by Olaf Erz on Wed, 11/24/2010 - 12:41
Although there is a growing experience in using ICT4RD, the evidence is still weak. Many ICT initiatives have been pilot projects which have been implemented with different methodologies. We at IICD believe that ICT has real value in development and can make a substantial difference to the poor as experienced by supporting more than 150 ICT4D projects. It is important for all stakeholders to identify how ICT can most effectively be used to achieve lasting and sustainable improvements in people’s lives. Herewith the focus should be on enhancing products and services. This requires an open-minded approach, better understanding of the ways in which people use ICT resources, and more effective assessment of the impact of experiences which have been completed and are underway. Impact assessment should be made a collective, participatory and continuing learning process among the stakeholders and impact should be appraised by the beneficiaries and from their own perspective.