Annual Meeting

Accelerating Digital Opportunity for all Peoples: The Role of Partnerships

Anthony Wilhelm

Throughout much of the world, information and communications technologies (ICTs) are permeating society, from businesses to classrooms. ICTs are improving the lives of the poorest communities, and we are only beginning to witness the productivity gains made possible by effective use of these tools.

This is the opportunity… but will these initiatives be sustainable.

My presentation will focus on the need to create meaningful strategic partnerships between business, governments, and nonprofit organizations to sustain new programs and initiatives in high-poverty regions. Of course, deepening infrastructure deployment is critical in hard-to-serve communities, and effective collaboration is essential to reap sustained value from these networks. I will discuss attributes of successful programs serving poor communities, including (1) promoting strong leadership; (2) building management capacity; (3) focusing on education, training, and technical assistance; (4) deepening effective public-private partnerships; and (5) creating content and applications relevant to addressing local needs.

Nations and organizations that get ahead of the curve today-and invest strategically-will reap dividends when economies rebound. Attention to these attributes of successful ICT program sustainability may well leapfrog high-poverty regions into the mainstream of the information society.