Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Strategies for Developing Countries

Publication | February 2001
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The ADB Institute conducted a capacity-building workshop on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Strategies for Developing Countries from 21 to 27 February 2001 in Singapore.

The workshop was jointly organized with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Technical Cooperation Directorate (TCD) of Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). The participants were government officials and policymakers from seventeen developing member countries of the ADB. The workshop, organized under the overall design and management of Dr. Ramesh B. Adhikari, Senior Capacity Building Specialist, ADB Institute, featured prominent resource speakers from academia, government agencies, multilateral institutions and the private sector. The workshop aimed to strengthen the participants' understanding of the various issues involved in harnessing and utilizing emerging ICT to promote economic and social development in the Asia and Pacific region.

The workshop provided the participants with exposure to the various conceptual and practical policy issues pertaining to fostering ICT development as well as using ICT to help economic growth in the region. In addition to participating in presentations to help increase the knowledge-base on this highly topical development issue, participants worked in small groups to tackle a number of policy problems related to ICT development in the Asia-Pacific region.

The workshop covered four important areas, namely, ICT and development, strategies for e-based businesses development, policies, strategies and experiences in ICT development, and group work on formulating ICT development strategy.

During the inaugural ceremony, Mr. Lim Eng Hoe, Deputy Director, Technical Cooperation Directorate (TCD), Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, welcomed all participants and speakers to the workshop. Lim pointed out that since 1992, Singapore has sponsored training courses and study visits for over 13,000 officials from more than 138 developing countries. The workshop was intended to provide a bird's eye view of the entire spectrum of ICT strategies for developing countries, especially in view of the rapid global changes in market environment and Asian competitiveness. Lim wished all the participants a productive and memorable stay in Singapore.

Mr. David Edwards, Assistant Chief Economist, Economic Development Resources Center, ADB, joined Lim in welcoming the participants and speakers. Edwards noted that one major purpose of the workshop was to provide a forum for policymakers from ADB member countries to exchange views and share their experiences in embracing new development challenges and opportunities that the recent rapid evolution in ICT has brought about. In discussing an ICT strategy for developing countries, it is important to put the discussions in the context of regional development. An ICT strategy must be an integral part of a broad development strategy, so that ICT can be effectively utilized to address the fundamental development challenges of poverty reduction and sustainable economic development.

Edwards pointed out that ICT accelerates the diffusion of knowledge and technological know-how, and provides a platform for human interactions and a global marketplace. As such, ICT offers new potential for developing economies to leapfrog in technological progress, further reducing poverty and closing the income gap with developed economies at a much faster pace. However, the challenges in making ICT a powerful development tool remain complex and formidable. These include developing an adequate telecommunication infrastructure and providing an enabling environment for the application of ICT in commerce and finance.

Dr. Masaru Yoshitomi, Dean of the ADB Institute, began his opening remarks by welcoming all the participants and speakers. Yoshitomi noted that this is the first time that the ADB Institute is conducting a workshop on ICT. Over the last decade or so, ICT innovation and advancement have enormously increased human capacity for capturing, analyzing, storing, and sharing information and knowledge.

8. He outlined some of the potential benefits of ICT for developing countries. ICT can: (i) generate economy-wide efficiency gains and new export opportunities, (ii) help small farmers and craftsmen by providing market information, (iii) help the poor by providing them with educational opportunities, (iv) enhance the quality of health in rural areas, and (v) make it easier for governments to provide services to rural areas and to improve the quality of government services by improving accountability and transparency.

There are many development issues pertaining to ICT promotion. There is a growing gap in terms of ICT access and use between rich and poor countries as well as within countries, a gap that is popularly known as the Digital or ICT Divide. In order to enhance ICT access to poor citizens, developing countries must adopt a development strategy that is conducive to ICT development. Such a strategy would include: (i) liberalization of the telecommunication sector, (ii) strengthening the national communication infrastructures, (iii) expansion of the supply of required hardware and software, (iv) facilitation of investment in technology infrastructure development, (v) introduction of simple measures to accelerate ICT development such as removing high taxes on imported ICT hardware and software, (vi) development of human resources, particularly technical skills, and (vii) adoption of investor-friendly policies to promote foreign direct investment (FDI).

According to Yoshitomi, another key issue is the role governments must play in ICT development, for unleashing private sector response, promoting ICT development, diffusing technology, and focusing resources on strategic development of the national information infrastructure. He noted that the experience of the newly industrialized economies (NIEs) shows that governments can play active roles through (i) making the ICT strategy a critical element of the overall economic development strategy, and (ii) providing an enabling environment by creating synergy between private and public initiatives in ICT development and applications, particularly in research and technological innovations. Other policy challenges pertain to creating a regulatory environment such as building well-functioning legal and regulatory institutions conducive to ICT activities and e-commerce development.

Yoshitomi expressed his hope that the workshop would generate detailed discussion and constructive ideas to help address the issue of the ICT divide in the Asia-Pacific region. The knowledge and skills learned by the participants would assist them in formulating an appropriate ICT strategy for their respective countries. Before closing his remarks, Yoshitomi briefly introduced to the participants the role of the ADB Institute and its activities. For more program details, visit ADBI website at www.adbi.org

Additional Details

Type
Series
Subjects
  • Information and Communications Technology
Countries
  • Singapore

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