Handing out free laptops to schoolchildren is not enough to improve education in Pakistan, says Pervez Hoodbhoy.

Technological innovation can't be imposed on poor people — they must be engaged to select ideas that suit their lives, writes Lawrence Gudza.

Jeremy Rifkin says the developing world could leapfrog into a new energy era by merging communication and renewable energy technologies.

African governments with technology policies that focus only on ICT should rethink their priorities, says Ndubuisi Ekekwe.

Improving access to information technology can help communities assess their own vulnerability and boost local planning, says John Waugh.

Open innovation is key to the success of iHub and can change the working culture of any community of innovators, says Linda Kamau.

The online encyclopaedia can fill a resource gap for students, policymakers and the public, say Samuel A. Assefa and Alex Bateman.

New funding and concrete results are paving the way for scaling up mhealth technologies — but carefully, writes Priya Shetty.

India's IT sector offers solutions for local problems — but entrepreneurs need help getting innovations to market, says Vineeta Dixit.

Several collaborations between researchers and indigenous communties are underway, but more needs to be done, says Henry P. Huntington.

Amanda Glassman director of Global Health Policy argues that a joined up approach is needed if mHealth is to transform health systems.

Health scientists in developing countries can use social media to tackle research priorities, argue Alexander E. T. Finlayson and colleagues.

The current drought in northern Kenya has deep roots in the current practices of pastoralists that need to be addressed, says conservationist David Western.

Social media have shown the power of online collaboration — now online labs need to harness it, argues Olawale B. Akinwale.

Sub-Saharan Africa should adopt smart grid technologies to improve energy access, argue Morgan Bazilian and colleagues.

Prizes for innovation must be used carefully to ensure that poor people in developing countries are the real winners, says Matthew Harsh.

Africa's mobile Internet boom could revolutionise the way scientists, policymakers and the public interact, says Linda Nordling.

Modern science cannot meet the demands of the developing world without harnessing indigenous knowledge, argues Charles Dhewa.

Using mobile devices to collect and share health data can make healthcare cheaper, faster and more equitable, argues Jody Ranck.

To make an impact, science and technology must embrace Africa's informal system of making and trading, argues Steve Daniels.