Abstract:

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are now widely accepted and used
throughout NARO and the Public Agricultural Research Institutes (PARIs) as a critical tool
in their efforts to generate and adopt appropriate knowledge and information, enhance
agricultural research development, and achieve the organization’s strategic vision.
Recognizing this potential, infrastructure initiatives and development strategies incorporating
ICT are being increasingly promoted and launched across the organization. It is in this
regard that the leadership of NARO sanctioned the development of an ICT Policy to govern
this whole ICT initiative.
While the potential advantages of ICT for research are enormous, the ICT infrastructure
without the ICT policy in place may not adequately reflect the truly comprehensive and
integrated strategies for harnessing and exploiting this potential for research. Much effort
has been made by NARO to increase investment in the ICT but much less in terms of
leveraging on these investments to support the organization in meeting her organizational
strategic goals.