Information and Communication Technology (ICT) should be a tool for a development and not viewed as a pancea for all development challenges in emerging markets, panelists agreed at the Net Impact 2009 conference in Ithaca, New York.
 
Moderated by Glen Dowell, Professor at Cornell University, the panel featured David Ferguson, Director of Global Development Commons at USAID, Grant Thomas, Vice President of Strategic Development at the Digital Opportunity Trust, and Molly Tschang, Managing Director of International Programs at Cisco.  Together, the panel brought in a wide array of development voices from academia, government, non-profit and the private sectors.
 
Dave Ferguson made key points regarding the role of ICT in emerging markets.  For example, the Internet has been shown to double tourism in the developing world, via the posting of photos and lodging options.
 
Panelists agreed that any ICT solution that is applied as a universal solution for emerging markets, without taking into account the country-specific context and challenges, will ultimately fail.  Furthermore, Ferguson advised that any ICT solution involve the people of that country - never set up something that cannot continue without you.  Creating successful partnerships requires the buy-in from all parties involved, otherwise there is not enough vested interest to see the project to completion.
 
Overall, panelists concluded that when shared thoughtfully, ICT is an excellent enabler across many areas of need, including education, health, and employment. "The more we can get people connected [to ICT], the more they will figure out how to use it for their own good," Ferguson noted.