Information and communication technology / ICT strategy and policy, and capacity development

The TA aims to increase broadband connectivity and high impact ICT applications and services for the economic and social development in the DMCs.

The TA will have five outputs: (i) country-level assessments of options for integrating ICT support in ADB's operations; (ii) pre-feasibility studies on potential ICTD projects for DMCs; (iii) a partnership framework for resource mobilization on ICTD projects in DMCs; (iv) knowledge sharing and capacity development programs; and (v) a knowledge portal on ICTD in Asia and the Pacific.

ADB will be the executing agency and SDCC will implement the TA, in collaboration with operational departments for identification of target countries and strategic guidance. Office of Information Systems and Technology for technical support; Office of Cofinancing Operations for discussion with potential co-financing partners; and the Knowledge Advisory Services Center for knowledge products and platform development, as needed. Concurrence of the participating governments will be obtained, as required. Government agencies and stakeholders in DMCs will submit ICT pre-feasibility project preparation and capacity development program requests to SDCC and ITU. After these are screened and approved, concurrence from the relevant operations department will be obtained. Depending on the technical focus of the pre-feasibility study, a small advisory panel of ADB and ITU staff may be formed. For each sub-project, an implementing agency will be identified.

The spread of ICT has promoted a more connected, networked, and interdependent world. ICT has made a substantial contribution to economic growth, and has empowered populations by lowering development costs; reducing corruption and inefficiency; and by improving quality and enhancing transparency in service delivery. It has also promoted better, more affordable access to government services.

ADB recognizes the great and growing importance of ICT for development. The Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) Strategy 2020 states that ADB will use ICT more effectively in projects to improve development impact, and utilize ICT to improve access to finance DMCs. Between 2000 and 2012, ADB has supported 444 ICT-related projects. Despite this, there is a tremendous gap among and within DMCs in terms of ICT access. Just one-third of the DMC households have internet access. The costs of broadband connections remain high, at nearly a third of average DMC incomes. In many countries, ICT for Development (ICTD) is hampered by lack of ICT infrastructure, insufficient government support for developing or partnering with the private sector to provide ICT infrastructure, and poorly performing universal access policies. In rural and geographically remote areas in the Asia-Pacific region, the digital divide remains wide, with large segments of Asia-Pacific's population effectively excluded from the benefits of digital technology and the advantages that new information economies can bring. DMCs need to proactively increase ICT access for underserved populations if Asia-Pacific's digital divide is to be bridged.

DMC governments have adopted ICT strategies, plans, e-readiness assessments, and e-governance programs. The ability of DMC governments to translate these into action is hampered by inadequate financial resources, insufficient managerial and technical competence in ICT, weak ICT regulatory regimes and public-private partnership arrangements, and most importantly, weak institutional capacity for preparing ICT projects.

ADB financial support for ICTD initiatives could be greater than it is now if there was greater understanding of ICT needs and requirements in the DMCs. For ADB, it is important that ICTD programs be identified when country strategies and COBPs are prepared often there are ICTD opportunities but ADB's country teams are unaware of them. Starting in 2014, a model for country-specific assessments of ICT opportunities for ADB was developed, and this could be extended to more countries to enhance ADB's understanding of country-specific ICT requirements and to integrate these in to ADB's pipeline of country support.

There have been some TAs and on-going TAs focused on developing governments' capacity in preparing good ICT projects and programs. However, those TA were not directly connected to ADB operations or the scope of the intervention was not comprehensive in terms of regions, sectors and thematic areas. The proposed TA will make a close link with country partnership strategies of target DMCs and also leverage resources and expertise of potential partners to cover broad regions and topic areas wherever strong demands are exist.

In April 2014, ADB and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) launched the _ICT for Development for Asia and the Pacific (ICTD-ASP) Initiative_. The Initiative aims to: (i) provide advisory support for ICTD investments prioritization and pre-feasibility studies on high priority ICTD investment projects; (ii) mobilize resources and facilitate ICTD investment through coordinated partnerships among stakeholders; and (iii) enhance institutional ICTD capacity through sharing experiences and knowledge on ICTD in Asia and the Pacific. The ITU is a specialized UN agency actively supporting ICT sector development. For this reason, it is expected that the ICTD-ASP Initiative will be rapidly implemented and embraced across Asia and the Pacific.

The proposed TA will support the implementation of ICTD-ASP Initiative in collaboration with ITU, a global center of excellence, and other partners in Asia and the Pacific. The TA will assist DMCs to improve universal access policies and programs, and boost the supply of ICT infrastructure and ICT-enabled service delivery projects that are ready for financing. It will strengthen ADB's ability to identify and finance ICTD projects. It will also contribute to building a network of public and private partners willing to invest in such projects.

1. Country-level assessments of options for integrating ICT support in ADB's operations

2. Pre-feasibility studies on potential ICTD projects for DMCs

3. A partnership framework for resource mobilization on ICTD projects in DMCs

4. Knowledge sharing and capacity development programs

5. Contents of a knowledge portal on ICTD developed

-Country-level assessments completed for: Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka.

-Pre-feasibility studies conducted for: (1) PHI: National e-Government Infrastructure Sharing; (2) CAM: National identity program; (3) BAN: IT Parks for Employment and Innovation Project; (4) MON: Comprehensive tax administration management information system; and (5) SRI: ICT in Education Masterplan

-Partnerships established with: (1) WB Group, UNDP, UNCHR, and Plan International for Identification; (2) Korea Local Information Research and Development Institute for e-Governance of sub-national governments; and (3) UNESCO and Government of Korea for ICT in Education.

-Total of 16 capacity building and knowledge sharing events organized including:

The Digital Development Forum, ADB''s annual knowledge event on Digital Technology (DT) for Development, were held to share knowledge and experiences on DT and build a partnership network among potential public and private partners. Regional workshops and in-country workshop have been organized inviting both ADB staff and DMC officials in the areas of smart city', ICT for energy', water supply and waste management', ICT in Education', e-commerce', among others.

-Knowledge products supported: A report on Identity for Development in Asia and the Pacific was published and made publicly available in 2016. Another report on Public Internet Center for Rural Development was published in 2017; and a study on e-commerce was completed together with ERCD. Knowledge products on smart cities, smart water, smart sanitation, ICT in education and energy were also uploaded at ADB's online portals to facilitate knowledge sharing.

-Technical support provided for the following projects: (1) BAN: IT Parks for Employment and Innovation Project; (2) VIE: TVET/Education System; (3) MAL: Smart City and Public Transportation in Melaka; (4) NEP: School Sector Development Program; (5) CAREC: Almaty Bishkek Economic Corridor Program; (6) CAM: e-Agriculture Platform in Climate Friendly Agribusiness Value Chains Sector Project; (7) PRC: Gansu Internet-Plus Based Socialized Agricultural Service System Development Project; (8) 4th GMS Corridor Town Development Project; (9) PHI: National ID program, and (10) Maldives: National Single Windows Project