SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), in their advancement, have added a new dimension to development approaches and became a critical element in the integration of the developing world into the global knowledge society. This review explores Iginio Gagliardone´s book, The Politics of Technology in Africa, which provides a comprehensive account of ICT adoption and adaption in Ethiopia and an experimental framework for researching ICTs on the African continent, grounded in Hecht’s concepts of technopolitics and technopolitical regime. Drawing on the history of technology, international relations, African studies, and a decade of field research, the author´s alignment of the technological and political to study the relationship between development and ICT, not only challenges the assumption that African countries are passively accepting ICTs but also avoids the pitfalls of techno-determinism. Ethiopia, as the top “Official Development Assistance (ODA)” recipient in Africa and the staunchest advocate of an alternative development state for Africa, makes for an excellent case study and foregrounds a good presentation of the recipient/donor relationship, role of the state, African agency and communication strategies.