1 ISSUES AND CHALLENGES, STRATEGIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ICT IN A SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATE: THE CASE

This paper is based on a study whose goals were to i) trace and analyse the developments of ICT in Samoa over the last 20 years, ii) identify issues and challenges in implementing these ICT developments iii) identify past and present strategies employed to resolve them and iv) from these findings make recommendations for the future in terms of policy implications, best practices and research. The conceptualisation of ICT developments, issues, challenges and strategies are based on Heeks ' Inclusive Innovation theory (Heeks, 2013), Schumpeter’s development theory (2002) and Sen’s capability approach (1999). Analysis of ICT developments makes use of the World Bank Infodev framework for assessing ICT projects (World Bank, 2005). Analysis, reporting and discussion of the findings are made within the Framework of Action in ICT development in the Pacific (FAIDP, 2010). From this investigation of issues and strategies, recommendations have emerged for best practice and areas for potential research