ICT Policy Formulation and e-Strategy Development: A ... - un-apcict

Box 1: Definition of the Information Economy 13
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.”
The diffusion of ICTs affects the status and competitive position of countries and jurisdictions,
and has an impact across sectors and at all levels of society. Hence, a considered or strategic
approach is needed in planning the diffusion of ICTs.
National ICT Vision and Priorities
As countries and jurisdictions position themselves to take better advantage of ICTs, they need
to reflect on their response to the rapid transformations brought about by the information
economy. One possible starting point is an exercise to help focus on the long-term implications
of the diffusion of ICTs. An outcome of this effort could be a vision statement outlining a shortto
long-term scenario for ICT development, including measurable outcomes or benchmarks
over a given time frame.
A vision is a statement of great expectations for the future. It documents outcomes that the
country or jurisdiction wishes to arrive at within a given time frame. Vision statements are
always upbeat and ambitious. Knowing what a country or jurisdiction wants and what it can
achieve, agreeing on this and communicating it as widely as possible are some of the outcomes
of visioning.
A vision statement could be written for an organization, a community or even a household. It
could even incorporate personal goals. Vision statements can and probably should include
quantitative results such as the number of computers per user, the bandwidth available on a
per capita basis, the number of devices that will be available, the percentage of Gross Domestic
Product (GDP) that can be assigned to the introduction and deployment of ICTs, etc. With
quantitative results or measurable outcomes, comparative analysis and benchmarking are
possible.
Many countries have developed visions of the future where ICTs are seen as engines of
transformation to achieve a desired state. Invariably, this future state is e-enabled. Some of
the best known include Malaysia’s Vision 2020, which foresees Malaysia becoming an
industrialized country by 2020, and e-Japan, which is a vision of a society “ where everyone
can actively utilize information technology (IT) and fully enjoy its benefits”. In Botswana, one
tenet of Vision 2016, which proposes “prosperity for all”, calls for Botswana to become an
educated and informed society. The national vision for Canada is based on rolling out
infrastructure to “make the information and knowledge infrastructure accessible to all
13
Cogburn, D. ‘Globalization and the information economy: Challenges and opportunities for Africa’. African
Development Forum, 1999; available at www.un.org/depts/eca/adf/pub.htm. Quoted in James, T. An Information
Policy Handbook for Southern Africa: A Knowledge Base for Decision-makers, IDRC, Ottawa, 2001; available at
www.dbsa.org/publications/ictpolsa and www.ap.org/books/ictpolsa.
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