Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEAND FUTURE INITIATIVESMaking progress in the field of knowledgedistribution, generation, and utilisationin the Arab countries requires thatnational development strategies includeinitiatives that seek to realise an integratedvision of knowledge. They must be guidedon this path by studies that analyse thestrong and weak points in the prevailingeconomic, social, and cultural dynamic,that define the requirements needed torevive and accelerate this dynamic, andthat draw up working plans to developtechnology capacity. These initiativesshould press for improvement to legaland regulatory environments and supportfor backbone networks and the means toaccess them to make best use of ICT. Toachieve sustainable goals in these areas,investment in ICT infrastructure shouldbe encouraged, to ensure its conformitywith next generation technologies and itscompatibility with new applications andservices.Many factors hinder the devising ofsuch policies, strategies, and plans. Amongthe most prominent are the absence ofa unified vision, within the limits of thepossible, on the national and Arab levelsto oversee future directions and set theground rules for common action andconstructive interaction within the regionaland global environments. The absence ofsuch a vision leads to a host of difficultiesin drawing up policies for developing ICT.These difficulties are compounded by theaccelerating dynamic towards technologicaladvance on one side and the entanglementof technological development with manyaspects of social development on the other.Many Arab countries are confrontingdifficulties that hinder the prioritizationof technological development on a listof development goals crammed withpressing priorities, foremost of which isthe securing of such basic necessitiesof life as food, water, shelter, and socialservices. Drawing up the open policiesrequired, in particular, by the spread anduse of ICT faces major difficulties, one ofthe most important of which may be thehigh level of government control over thistechnology and its development on thepretext of national security.There is no essential differencebetween sector-based developmentpolicies (which include the social servicessectors including education, health, andothers) before and after the deployment ofICT and its expanded application. A primecharacteristic of the current era is theunprecedented involvement of policies fortechnology capacity development withinsector-based policies–something not takeninto account before by the relevant partiesin most Arab countries. As long as thisweak spot is not treated by integratingtechnology capacity development policieswith sector-based policies, isolatedprogrammes, fragmented efforts, and theirever-growing negative consequences maybe expected to continue.Initiatives aimed at the indigenisationand development of ICT applicationsalso strengthen, and do not conflict with,economic and social development efforts,except when left exposed to exploitationby hardware promotion as an end initself, and to the achievement of varioustemporary gains. These initiatives must beformulated so as to respond to the needsof development rather than to the desire ofthe promoters of technology equipmentand the government officials who supportthem for rapid material returns. It must alsobe aimed at building capacity on variouslevels, with decision making centres andNGOs concerned with developmentmatters taking priority. 43 Also necessaryare capacity building in integrated form tocover both supply and demand, as well asdeepened technological know-how withreasonable possibilities for exploring thehorizons of technological progress in thefuture.The accelerating march of progress inmany aspects of ICT requires, on the onehand, the creation and support of specialistresearch and development institutes ableto compete with their counterparts in theProgress inknowledgedistribution,generation, andutilisation in theArab countriesrequires that nationaldevelopmentstrategies includeinitiatives that seek torealise an integratedvision of knowledge,guided by studies thatanalyse the strongand weak pointsin the prevailingeconomic, social, andcultural dynamicInitiatives aimed atthe indigenisationand developmentof ICT applicationsstrengthen, and donot conflict with,economic and socialdevelopment effortsINFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES IN THE ARAB COUNTRIES171