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

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Stage Two Development of ICT Policy and e-Strategies WHAT ARE ICT POLICIES AND E-STRATEGIES? National ICT policies help guide a country or jurisdiction in its use of these tools and secure the benefits of the information economy for all. ICT policies require to be planned in order to marry the needs of people with the opportunities and possibilities that are available through the use of ICTs. Policy-making must be based on the best information and intelligence available. It should be undertaken in consultation with stakeholders to help secure beneficial and realistic outcomes. ICT policies deal with issues related to information dissemination and use as well as issues related to the spread and use of the technology itself. This Guidebook considers both. Policies alone address specific issues. When considering a larger whole, such as the development needs of a community, jurisdiction or country, it is necessary to think in terms of a strategy, in this case an e-strategy. A strategic approach denotes a process involving analysis of priorities and constraints before arriving at a recommendation for the resolution of a given issue. One of the main objectives of ICT policies and strategies is to ensure the greatest possible diffusion of ICTs, commensurate with national needs, ambitions, specificities and concerns. Thus, information and ICT policies must take into account local, national and international issues, as well as sectoral concerns. An ICT policy for national development requires policies for learning and education, government, private sector and industrial development, local and community development, empowering women and other groups, and promoting research and development especially in applied sciences. Only then will it ensure that content on the Internet is relevant and reflects national specificities while protecting IPR, and so on. The strategy to deliver ICT policies has to consider institutional and operational issues. An action plan details the organization required to implement the strategy. ICT policies and strategies need to be integrated into broad development concerns and mainstreamed into all aspects of society and of development planning. Since these issues are ICT Policy Formulation and e-Strategy Development 29
largely cross-cutting and interrelated, a participatory mechanism is essential to ensure that policies will correspond to real concerns and be supported by stakeholders. For the same reason, it will be useful to consider establishing an independent entity created by the government or identifying an independent organization or a not-for-profit association to manage and implement the ICT strategy. Definition and Examples of e-Strategies e-Strategies are plans based on the selection of scenarios and options for applying ICTs to national development. They apply specifically to sectors such as e-commerce, e-government, e-learning (which is sometimes confused with distance learning), e-health (which is sometimes confused with telemedicine), and related e-enabled sectors and activities. Simply put, these e-enabled activities are the application of ICTs to the usual business processes that are specific to each sector and area of human activity. In some cases, the introduction of ICTs radically transforms the way things are done. A good example of this is the introduction of Voice over IP (VoIP) technologies or EDI applications. Putting Together an e-Strategy: the Components There are several parts to an e-strategy: the assessment, the vision, the strategic plan itself, the action plan or master plan for implementation and the consultation plan. Also included are the institutional mechanisms for implementation and supervision, as well as monitoring and evaluation. The assessment is based on consultation, research, facts and figures, perceptions and observations 1 . Consultation, which must be ongoing, is required in putting together an ICT4D e-strategy so that the outcomes have a better chance of succeeding because they are more likely to meet the expressed needs of stakeholders. Steps have to be taken to ensure that consultation is representative and that marginalized groups, such as women, the poor, rural dwellers, youth and the handicapped, are included. The action plan for implementation can include detailed projects, their outcomes, and indicators of success, intended results and their justification, risk assessment and mitigation, cost and other detailed resource requirements. It also includes a schedule for implementation. Institutional arrangements for implementation may require that an organization be designated as the agent responsible for the strategy and the action plan. In many cases, this organization is associated with or attached to a high-level government decision-making body such as Parliament or the Office of the President. The dedicated organization has the authority and full support of the chief executive and government. In some cases, the organization responsible for implementation is separate from the institutional arrangement responsible for overseeing. 1 The World Economic Forum Africa Competitiveness Report is based on perception and observation. 30 ICT Policy Formulation and e-Strategy Development
Page 2 and 3: ICT Policy Formulation and e-Strate
Page 4 and 5: Table of Content Foreword List of A
Page 6 and 7: Foreword Information and Communicat
Page 8 and 9: ITU - International Telecommunicati
Page 10 and 11: Preface The objective of this Guide
Page 12 and 13: Stage One Visioning and the Role of
Page 14 and 15: A third aspect is the impact of cha
Page 16 and 17: significant achievement in internat
Page 18 and 19: Box 1: Definition of the Informatio
Page 20 and 21: to ensure compliance. Policy statem
Page 22 and 23: Internet users 100 inhabitants, 200
Page 24 and 25: Continuing to improve local standar
Page 26 and 27: are dynamic in the use of new techn
Page 28 and 29: local empowerment and community dev
Page 30 and 31: . Transaction processing: ICTs spee
Page 32 and 33: ICTs for Better Government e-Govern
Page 34 and 35: Geographic Information Systems (GIS
Page 36 and 37: effective 49 . Policy-makers also n
Page 38 and 39: that establish the basis for secure
Page 42 and 43: For example, a draft Mongolia ICT A
Page 44 and 45: infrastructure exists and the idea
Page 46 and 47: policy proposals, if they can be re
Page 48 and 49: However, it is also important to th
Page 50 and 51: and selling tourist experiences in
Page 52 and 53: e-Readiness Assessments Most e-read
Page 54 and 55: opportunities and options. Without
Page 56 and 57: · Don’t forget radio and televis
Page 58 and 59: In summary, a national ICT strategy
Page 60 and 61: · Encourage public-private partner
Page 62 and 63: available on the Internet, as do ma
Page 64 and 65: that encourage competition in the t
Page 66 and 67: Many countries have developed very
Page 68 and 69: However, some countries need assist
Page 70 and 71: Stage Three Identifying Priority Ar
Page 72 and 73: Box 7: Basic Telecommunications Ser
Page 74 and 75: The allure of wireless The rapid di
Page 76 and 77: information in the local languages
Page 78 and 79: e-Strategies for Enterprise Develop
Page 80 and 81: Duncombe and Heeks state that the
Page 82 and 83: adio, voice over wireless devices (
Page 84 and 85: Stage Four Management, Monitoring a
Page 90 and 91:
meetings for stakeholders; and · T
Page 92 and 93:
The five clusters of the objective
Page 94 and 95:
Apart from realistic and measurable
Page 96 and 97:
Stage Five Financing and Resource M
Page 98 and 99:
Appendix 1. Example of Log Frame An
Page 100 and 101:
OUTPUTS A comprehensive national as
Page 102 and 103:
Awareness building campaign aimed a
Page 104 and 105:
· Regional e-government conference
Page 106 and 107:
Community-based use and deployment
Page 108 and 109:
- SchoolNet, WorldLinks · World-cl
Page 110 and 111:
IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVE 4 (to be substa
Page 112 and 113:
About the Author Richard Labelle is
Page 114:
Also available UNDP-APDIP ICT4D Ser
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