ICT has been hailed as an engine of innovation and development, but poorly applied, it can reinforce existing inequalities and disproportionally benefit the urban elite.

The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy writes,

"In large measure, development is a function of the ability of nation-states to engineer innovation, apply technology to economic activities, and increase productivity. ICT thus plays a crucial role in the development equation.

While ICT attracts a relatively low proportion of trade and investment in developing countries compared to traditional sectors such as

"Israel’s strategy to use technology to address the deficit of water, energy and other resources is set to create a new model for social development. A new method of drip irrigation that measures the precise amount of water required by each plant will cut consumption in the agricultural sector by more than 50% in the next 10-15 years. The use of nano-technology will reduce the cost of desalination and wastewater treatment, while a new grid for battery stations across the country will phase out cars run on petrol."

“The small initiatives taken by the Tomia fishermen community in the southeast of Sulawesi in Indonesia have succeeded in conserving the biodiversity of the area… Komunto, a community-based organization, was formed by fishermen from East Tomia and Wakatobi districts in Indonesia in response to the widespread coral damage of the Wakatobi National Park (WNP), primarily from fishing pressures. Approximately 100,000 people live within the boundaries of WNP; therefore local fishing pressure is high.

“In Bangladesh, the introduction of solar water pumps, which are manufactured using locally available technologies, will not only help poor and marginal farmers increase their yield but also bring down their agricultural production costs substantially in the next 20 years.

In what must be a fairly innovative move the Jordanian government has partnered with the private sector, among others, to improve national education levels. Having seen the importance of a well educated populace for increased profits, which will lead to more development, and in turn even more profits, the private sector has seen investing in education as part a long-term growth strategy.

Israel has taken a holistic approach to development through innovation and entrepreneurship. Below is a short description of Tefen Industrial Park an innovation incubator.

“Established by Stef Wertheimer in 1982, the Tefen Industrial Park emerged from a holistic concept of economic development, where Wertheimer stresses the importance of economic development as a means for developing a country.

“Appalled by the state of infrastructure in public schools and the rote learning that was unlikely to really develop critical thinking skills in children, Shehzad Roy, a popular singer in Pakistan, established the Zindagi Trust in 2002. Through the trust’s initiatives, he aims to provide quality education to Pakistan’s underprivileged children. One of the trust’s early initiatives – ‘I am paid to learn’ – seeks to bring working children back to school. Working children gain basic and functional literacy skills over 26 months and earn a monetary reward on graduation.

The inability of women living in poverty to purchase feminine hygiene products while menstruating is a major challenge for poor communities. Not only does it provide a source of humiliation for many women, but it drastically cuts down on their productiveness. Inventor Arunachalam Muruganantham of India has invented a machine the produces low cost sanitary napkins to women and provides a business opportunity.

“According to Dr Anthony Turton, director of Touchstone Resources, consideration should be given to studying the economic feasibility of ‘mining’ South Africa’s problematic acid mine drainage (AMD) and wastewater (mentioned in the December 2010 Scan) for metals, minerals, salt and even hydrogen. Turton is a protagonist not only of ‘mining’ AMD, but also the water in sewage works and obtaining phosphate, which is crucial for food security, as a by product. Turton favours consideration being given to the use of ion-exchange technology to remove the metals and minerals.

In an innovative move Southern African countries have charted out a trans-border tourism park in the hopes of creating increased stability, environmental protection, and development.