Briefing Paper

Impact of ICT Investment, Ownership and Use in the Cassava Value Chain in South Western Nigeria

“Most of Africa’s peoples live in rural areas where agriculture is the main economic activity. In Nigeria, for instance, agriculture is the occupation of more than 60 per cent of the total work force, providing both formal and informal employment for people. African agriculture is however dominated by small and medium enterprises (SME) and characterized by traditional
technologies and low productivity. African agriculture needs to be transformed with optimal mixes of both production and information communication and technologies (ICT) in order to improve rural and
national wellbeing in African countries. ICT comprise the know-how, in the form of pieces or systems of equipment and human skills, to deliver data, information and knowledge to support human activities. Although ICT have proven to be levers for improving efficiency and productivity in many sectors worldwide, there are still unanswered research and policy questions on how, when and what
levels of ICT investment and use would be most beneficial to small scale African agriculture and how such investment and use may be promoted.”