DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT: BRIDGING THE RURAL- KNOWLEDGE CENTER GAP

Abstract

Rural communities in developing countries continue to experience marginalization due to centralization of services in urban areas and institutions. The imbalance in distribution of resources and provision of services isolates rural communities making them remain ignorant of the advancements that can lead to their own socio-economic empowerment. Rural communities lack access to innovations and knowledge necessary for their transformation due to lack of good and effective channels for relaying information or mechanisms that can enable them to tap the knowledge they need to broaden their world view, interpret their situations, and address the barriers that prevent them from getting access to digital technologies. Government and non-government agencies through their research and practices have generated knowledge and information on different issues that have distracted community transformation over the years and which if properly disseminated would enhance the problem-solving ability of the communities. Knowledge would free and empower people from ignorance and set them on a firm path to discovering themselves, interpret reality with confidence, and making decisions that would improve their well-being. This paper argues that rural communities can be empowered by bridging the digital gap through enhanced knowledge management strategies. Through an extensive review of existing literature, this study seeks to explore different strategies for disseminating knowledge to communities using digital technology and examine how government agencies, not-for-profit organizations and local community initiatives can facilitate access to information and enhance digital literacy among rural communities. The findings of the study would potentially advise policy on digital empowerment of rural communities with the view to enabling them tap into the existing opportunities to better their lives.