DFID is the British government department responsible for promoting development and the reduction of poverty. The central objective of the department is a commitment to the internationally agreed target to halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by 2015, and to the other agreed international development targets. The bulk of DFID's bilateral assistance is concentrated on the poorest countries in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, DFID contributes to supporting sustainable development and social inclusion in middle-income countries.

ICT focus:

'The Internet and mobile telephones offer poor countries new things to sell - from basic data entry to software - and new ways of selling old products, by cutting out the middlemen. They can also help attract investment to poor countries and enable people to communicate with each other more freely and efficiently, both nationally and internationally. But there is a real risk that poor countries and poor people will be marginalised, that the existing educational divide will be compounded by a growing digital divide. A key constraint on Internet access in most developing countries is the lack of a legal and regulatory framework for a competitive telecommunications sector.

Programme activities:

Building Digital Opportunities
DFID will launch a new programme called Building Digital Opportunities (BDO) in April 2001, in conjunction with the Dutch aid agency DGIS. The programme focuses on:

• capacity-building in policymaking and regulation (component managed by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation);
  
• sectoral ICT strategy development (in conjunction with the International Institute for Communications and Development);
  
• information resources (with One World Online and the PANOS Institute);
  
• and community radio (with PANOS and AMARC).
  

Imfundo
Imfundo is an initiative initiated by the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, focused on the use of ICTs in primary education. (The UK Government has also recently announced a major general initiative on primary education in the Commonwealth) It aims to:

• identify the most effective way to improve the management and support of teachers in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, using new technologies where appropriate;
  
• identify champions in developing countries, and design pilot projects which can be implemented to demonstrate the value of ICT in education, and test emerging conclusions;
  
• draw in expertise and resources from the private sector.

  Website link: http://www.imfundo.org

  http://www.dfid.gov.uk/