Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World (Episode 3) – Ken Banks on Memories of Innovation for the Most Marginalised

This is the third episode of our podcast based on the vignettes contributed by friends and colleagues to Tim Unwin’s new book Digital Technologies in an Unequal World: An Empancipatory Manfesto. In it, Ken focuses perceptively on the reasons why so many digital initiative notionally intended to help the poor often fail to do so. As he says “I worked for 15 years trying to give a voice to, and support, the work of grassroots organisations through digital tech, but
my frustration in a wider development system that didn’t seem to want to do what they knew was best for those they were meant to serve eventually forced me to step away”. The full vignette can be read here.

Ken (kiwanja.net) is a social innovator, author and technologist known for developing tools that empower grassroots change. He founded kiwanja.net and created FrontlineSMS, helping communities worldwide. His work bridges technology, development and impact, earning global recognition for supporting social entrepreneurs, local leaders and underrepresented voices through practical, human-centred solutions (UK).

Full details of the book are available through the following links:

An overview
What others are saying about the book
Chapter summaries
Draft of opening chapter
Full drafts of all the 31 vignettes contributed by other leading researchers and practitioners
Flyer about the book

Order your copy direct from Routledge here

Other recent episodes

Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World (Episode 12) – David Hollow on “Evidence-driven decision-making in the use of digital technologies in education” – ICT4D Collective » ICT4D

David is co-Founder of Jigsaw Education and Research Director of EdTech Hub. He enjoys building practical evidence to improve education outcomes. He provides strategic advice for governments and donors and serves on various boards. Many years ago, David was privileged to have Tim Unwin as a wonderful PhD supervisor! Full details of the book are … Continue reading Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World (Episode 12) – David Hollow on “Evidence-driven decision-making in the use of digital technologies in education”

ITCILO Labour Migration Academy Webinar: Digitalisation and Fair Recruitment – Sharing Experiences

Prof. G. ‘Hari’ Harindranath was delighted to to moderate the ITCILO Labour Migration Academy webinar on Digitalisation and Fair Recruitment – Sharing Experiences held on 23 October 2025. This was attended by over 50 practitioners from around the world representing governments, employers, trade unions, and civil society groups. They were joined by three experts who shared national experiences of digitalising fair recruitment processes in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal:

Neha Choudhary discussed Nepal’s Foreign Employment Information Management System (FEIMS), designed to reduce information asymmetries in the labour migration supply chain by connecting migrant workers, recruiters, employers, and other relevant actors.
Rahnuma Salam Khan introduced Bangladesh’s Recruitment Agents’ Information Management System (RAIMS), which enhances oversight of recruitment agencies and intermediaries, promoting transparency and accountability.
Dr. K.V. Swamy (former GM, Overseas Manpower Company of Andhra Pradesh, India) shared his experiences with India’s eMigrate system, which connects and monitors all stakeholders involved in labour migration.

Key insights from the discussion

Key insights from the discussions were:

Digitalisation can be transformational for fair recruitment. It enables more integrated engagement across stakeholders in the labour migration cycle, improving data collection and analysis, increasing transparency and accountability, reducing migration costs, and offering quicker access to grievance resolution mechanisms.
However, these benefits cannot be taken for granted. Labour migration recruitment is complex and risk laden. Digital tools alone cannot eliminate exploitation or structural inequities. Successful digitalisation of fair recruitment requires significant groundwork, including:
- A migrant-first approach, aligned with the principle of “nothing about us without us”
- A whole-of-government approach to ensure policy coherence and a data governance approach to match
- Organisational cultural change across stakeholders to enable new ways of working
- Commitment to digital skills development and ensuring accessibility for all migrant workers
- Complementary on-the-ground interventions to ensure inclusion of the most vulnerable, who are often least likely to benefit from digital systems
- Ethical and privacy safeguards that underpin digital systems, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations and safeguarding migrant workers’ rights.

Hari would like to thank the ITCILO for convening this panel, all the participants and staff for their engagement, and particularly Elton Di Tommazi Maciel and Michela Albertazzi for inviting him to moderate the session.

Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World (Episode 2) – Marine Al Dahdah on The Digital Privatisation of India’s Administration

This is the second episode of our podcast based on the vignettes contributed by friends and colleagues to Tim Unwin’s new book Digital Technologies in an Unequal World: An Empancipatory Manfesto. In it, Marine focuses critically on aspects of the digital privatisation of India’s administrative systems. The vignette can also be read here.

Marine is a sociologist and a CNRS Fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Movements (EHESS-Paris) and French Institute of Pondicherry in India. Her research focuses on digital policies in Asia and Africa and more particularly on digital health in India, Ghana and Kenya (France and India).

Full details of the book are available through the following links:

An overview
What others are saying about the book
Chapter summaries
Draft of opening chapter
Full drafts of all the 31 vignettes contributed by other leading researchers and practitioners
Flyer about the book

Order your copy direct from Routledge here

Other recent episodes

Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World (Episode 12) – David Hollow on “Evidence-driven decision-making in the use of digital technologies in education” – ICT4D Collective » ICT4D

Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World (Episode 1) – Tendani Mulanga Chimboza on the exploitation of young women: digital tech at the heart of the immoral economy

This is the first episode of our podcast based on the vignettes contributed by friends and colleagues to Tim Unwin’s new book Digital Technologies in an Unequal World: An Empancipatory Manfesto. In it, Tendani highlights how digital tech is being used to exploit young women in southern Africa. The vignette can also be read here.

Tendani is a passionate and driven professional committed to making a difference through inclusive leadership, academic excellence, and impactful research. She advocates for representation and social justice, using technology to empower communities. Her work bridges academia (UCT), corporate insight, and public engagement to drive ethical digital transformation across Africa (South Africa).

Full details of the book are available through the following links:

An overview
What others are saying about the book
Chapter summaries
Draft of opening chapter
Full drafts of all the 31 vignettes contributed by other leading researchers and practitioners
Flyer about the book

Order your copy direct from Routledge here

Other recent episodes

Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World (Episode 12) – David Hollow on “Evidence-driven decision-making in the use of digital technologies in education” – ICT4D Collective » ICT4D

Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World: An Emancipatory Manifesto

We are delighted to announce the launch of our web-pages for Tim Unwin’s new book, entitled Digital Inclusion in an Unequal World: An Emancipatory Manifesto, being published by Routledge in 2026. These contain:

An overview
What others are saying about the book
Chapter summaries
Draft of opening chapter
Full drafts of all the 31 vignettes contributed by other leading researchers and practitioners
Flyer about the book

Order your copy direct from Routledge here

Podcasts and audio

Many of the authors have contributed audio recordings of their vignettes. These are available here, but are also being shared on a regular basis through our blog and our podcast over the next six months. Do follow us on Apple Podcasts to listen to these inspiring examples of how digital tech can be used constructively by some of the world’s poorest and most marginalised people, but also the reasons why most such initiatives fail sufficiently to serve their interests.

Pre-order

This important book can be pre-ordered from Routledge using the link above, and for those who respond quickly there is a 20% reduction if you order before 23rd October 2025.

Cybersecurity and Cryptography for Toddlers – by Elizabeth Quaglia and illustrated by Alex Thompson

Elizabeth Quaglia, a member of the ICT4D Collective from Royal Holloway, University of London’s Information Security Group, has recently published two exciting and informative short books on cybersecurity and cryptography for young children, appealingly illustrated with dinosaurs by Alex Thompson.

Freely available at https://www.cybok.org/media/downloads/Learning_Together_Cyber_Security_for_Toddlers.pdf under the Open Government Licence.

Freely available at https://www.cybok.org/media/downloads/Learning_Together_Cryptography_for_Toddlers.pdf under the Open Government Licence.

These are excellent learning guides aimed at children and adults who care for them, and introduce fundamental concepts in cyber security and cryptography. Glossaries at the end of each book provide really useful, clear explanations of what key terms in cybersecurity and cryptography mean, and how they have been used in the books – as illustrated below:

These books are available in English, Portuguese (from Portugal and Brazilian: Criptografia para Infantes) and Ukrainian (Кібербезпека для малят).

Prof G. Hari Harindranath takes part in the 15th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) in Riohacha, Colombia

The 15th Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) held between 2 and 4 September 2025 brought together in Riohacha, Colombia, more than 800 delegates representing governments, city mayors, businesses, civil society, youth and academia to exchange ideas on some of the most pressing challenges in global mobility.

The Colombia Chairship deserves huge recognition for putting together an ambitious and thoughtful programme shaping dialogue around six thematic pillars spanning mobility and women, children and young people on the move, media and culture for changing narratives, the promise and perils of new technologies, climate mobility, and the critical importance of regional cooperation and partnerships between origin and destination countries.

Prof. G Hari Harindranath comments that “it was a privilege to contribute remarks on behalf of academia at the session on the Future of the Summit on the final day and to speak in Round Table 6 on the digitalisation of migration management alongside colleagues from the governments of Ecuador and Georgia, the Institute of Employers, and technology and immigration services organisations”.

In the digital space, the opportunities are clear: technology can contribute to making migration safer and more efficient. But without safeguards, it can deepen inequalities. Many labour migrants already face precarious conditions, and now digital insecurity adds another layer of vulnerability, particularly so as they often lack the capacity to use digital tech safely, wisely and securely.

If we design digital systems with simplicity, accessibility, transparency, accountability and proportionality at the centre, we can then bring the benefits of digitalisation to those who are most likely to be disempowered by it. Getting it right for the most vulnerable means getting it right for everyone.

Thank you to the GFMD and for creating space for academic voices throughout this process, from the preparatory roundtables through to the summit. Evidence-based perspectives are essential in a field that is increasingly politicised and polarised, and GFMD’s unique framework is one of the few places where all stakeholders can meet together as equals.

Prof G. ‘Hari’ Harindranath

10 September 2025

Education for the most marginalised Episode 7: Kelvin Guma reading “Involving marginalised young people in the design of their own education”

Members of the UNESCO Chair in ICT4D led an exciting collaborative initiative between June and September 2020 to produce a Report on practical guidance for governments on using digital technologies to enhance their education systems once the immediate crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had passed (see Summary). The Report is (relatively) short, succinct and practical, and includes a series of brief Guidance Notes addressing the most important actvities that governments need to address to ensure the inclusion of some of the world’s poorest and most marginalised people. This work was funded by DFID (now FCDO) and the World Bank through their EdTech Hub and details of the process through which it was crafted are summarised here. A selection of audio files associated with this work is now being launched as podcasts by the ICT4D Collective. See more information about this project here.