Information and Knowledge Management using ArcGIS ModelBuilder

National ICT Strategy and its Implementation in Building
Information Society in Albania
Ermelinda Kordha 1 and As. Kozeta Sevrani 2
1 University of Vlora “Ismail Qemali”, Vlore, Albania
2 University of Tirana, Tirane, Albania
Abstract. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can be seen as tools, which value
depends on implementation. Yet ICTs are changing almost every sector of society and economy.
Today, the society has entered in the stage of information society, in which the creation and
dissemination of information processing has become the most significant economic activity and
cultural development. Along with the information society is born the Information Economy, in which
knowledge is the main source of value. The Republic of Albania sees ICT development as an essential tool
in building an information society, which in turn is fundamental to the rapid development of Albania and the
region. Human capital is seen as the main source for the creation of information society in Albania, so, the
application of ICT. This paper aims to analyze the ICT national strategy and its implementation through different
initiatives from public and private sector. The final goal is to show the impact on building the information society
in Albania. The methodology used is qualitative. The comparison between the strategy and data gathered from
different sources about ICT projects as well as 20 interviews with government officials, project leaders and
managers countrywide have showed the impact and fields most developed contributing in building information
society. The strategy must aim to develop the information society both in stimulating competitiveness and
applying ICT for the benefit of the whole population. Its implementation has contributed only partly in reaching
some of the objectives. Although the focus has been in finalizing projects in e-government and e-education, the
results are still far from those required, for a variety of reasons. The policies guiding the private sector have been
more efficient and different ICT subsectors are growing.
Keywords: Information society, ICT strategy, human development, implementation, business
1. Introduction
Nowadays ICTs can be applied to a tremendously diverse range of human experience. They are
transforming virtually every sector of society and the economy. Today’s technological transformations
are intertwined with globalization, and together they are creating the new realities of the global
economy. In a society where the information and knowledge are of vital importance for the purpose of
development, the role of ICT is growing. So, ICTs play the role of an enabler of development in
several respects, cross-sector productivity and economic growth, specific social development goals
and political participation and good governance, taking the society in the phase of Information society.
While there are good grounds for believing that the use of ICTs are positively correlated to productivity
growth, acquiring ICTs is not enough for countries to derive economic benefits (OECD 2003). This is
taken into account when thinking of the proper strategies that lead towards the information society.
Different initiatives have taken place from the EU to help countries and regions building national and
regional ICT strategies. At this point we will try to analyze the Albanian national ICT strategy and its
implementation through different projects. Below it will be presented the need for ICT strategy in
striving for the creation of an information society, in general, as well as the results of the exploratory
research about the most developed fields that drive the building of Information society .
2. Information society and ICT strategy
The importance of information is rising in societies around the world. An ‘information society’ is a
society in which we take for granted the role of information as it pervades and dominates the activities
of government, business and everyday life. The information society will be characterized by the fact
that the rapid and convenient delivery of needed information is the ordinary state of affairs (Garfield
2001). Together with the information society is born the information economy, which characterizes an
economy with an increased emphasis on informational activities and information industry. Problems
appear already at the definition of information society or information economy (Karvalics 2005). The
term “information economy” refers to “a new global electronic structure, wherein the production of
information goods and services dominates wealth and job creation, and is underpinned by the use of
information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the global information
infrastructure.”(Cogburn 1999). However, information economy is considered a "stage" of an
economy, coming after manufacturing. Information society, is a closely related but wider concept.
Closer terms to information economy would include knowledge economy and post-industrial economy.
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