Bridging the digital divide


By Sami Saeed

Saturday, Sep 22, 2007

INFORMATION and communication technology is one of the key drivers that have shaped the modern world. It is a major catalyst of globalisation that has brought the world closer together, enabling people around the world to benefit from the opportunities of increasing economic integration.

Information and communication technology is an engine of social and economic development with a cross-cutting impact on all sectors of the economy and society at large. It is a keystone of the knowledge economy and a critical input for gaining competitive advantage in the current global environment. For countries like Pakistan, it opens a window of opportunity to move into the value-added information and knowledge-based economy.

Information and communication technology has indeed revolutionised modern life in many ways. Yet for millions of people around the globe, mostly in poor countries, there remains a digital divide excluding them from the benefits of information and communication technology. It is thus far a tale of two worlds.

Bridging the digital divide should, therefore, be a key element of the global development agenda. Undoubtedly, a lot of progress has been made in developing information technology infrastructure and global connectivity, creating an enabling environment, and instilling confidence by promoting cyber-security. However, a lot more needs to be done to increase the access of millions of people around the globe to information technology, particularly for low-income groups in developing countries.

Both the developed and developing countries must have a shared vision of how the world can eliminate the digital cleavage in content and physical infrastructure, thus leading the way to a truly open, inclusive and prosperous telecommunications age.

All stakeholders — governments, private sector, civil society, international agencies — should find effective vehicles of how developing nations can take advantage of new opportunities through pioneering technological and financing solutions. This requires a strong commitment among all stakeholders to be able to keep pace with a moving target.

In an increasingly networked world, young people are not only the beneficiaries but often the driving force behind the latest innovations and practices. Being the future workforce, it is extremely important to bring all children and youth within the fold of the ongoing digital revolution. In order to achieve this critical objective, national e-strategies must address the special requirements of children, specially the disadvantaged and marginalised, and ensure their full inclusion in the information society.

On the one hand, steps should be taken to enhance capacity-building among the young through improved e-learning and education, while on the other, an enabling environment should be created to utilise their capabilities towards the advancement of a better, more peaceful and productive world. The key to achieving the development aspirations of humanity lies in investing in the future generation.

Improving the access of information technology to young people has a special relevance to Pakistan — a country of 160 million people, of whom 100 million are below the age of 25 years. In contrast to many countries with aging populations, Pakistan has a large pool of young and enterprising people who are entering the workforce. Our country is, therefore, well positioned to reap the demographic dividend. Realising this dividend presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The best way to leverage this potential is to focus on human development and in particular on education and skills reflecting national and international job market requirements.

Pakistan in recent years has made remarkable progress by way of reform and the resultant growth of the information and communication technology sector. We are moving forward with great speed to bridge the digital divide in the country by improving access to information and communication technology for low-income groups.

Like other sectors of the economy, reforms in the information technology and telecom sector have been underpinned by the principles of liberalisation, privatisation, deregulation, separation of policy, regulation and operations and transparent business processes.

The telecom sector has gone through rapid growth, showing the greatest impact of policy reforms. In a few years, this sector has reached new heights. Teledensity has increased from three per cent in 2000 to 40 per cent in 2007, which is the highest in South Asia.

As a result, the total number of fixed and mobile subscribers has reached 67 million, with a major contribution coming from the mobile sector. About 22 million youngsters are already connected on mobile networks. Pakistan has already crossed the Asian connectivity average, surpassing India and Sri Lanka and getting close to China.

Pakistan continues to be one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world.

Investments in the telecom infrastructure and consequent improvement in services are having positive spill-over effects on the economy. In the fully liberalised and deregulated environment of Pakistan, telecom and information technology companies are expanding their networks, business and customer base. The telecom sector attracted foreign investment on licence and infrastructure of over nine billion dollars during the last five years, and another four billion dollars are expected on roll-out by 2010.

The expansion of the telecom sector has created employment opportunities in the country through linkages in the value chain such as franchise, sale, promotion, infrastructure and equipment. The benefits of reform and growth have also trickled down to the general public and consumers through substantial reduction in prices for both fixed and mobile services.

Although there have been considerable achievements in the information and communication technology sector, many challenges remain. A major challenge to future growth is the availability of a highly skilled and semi-skilled workforce in this sector. There is a shortage of high-quality graduates in view of the increasing industry demand. Apart from this, appropriate infrastructure is also required to support the expansion of the telecom services.

In view of the importance of broadband for convergence of computing, communication and broadcasting, the coverage of broadband connections needs to be expanded. Be it initiatives for establishing e-governance or providing e-services to citizens, availability and affordability of broadband are essential.

There is also a need to build capacity in academic institutions to engage in cutting-edge research and development required for supporting a globally competitive high-tech industry. The linkages between industry and research institutions need to be strengthened to provide commercial underpinnings to research and development activities. The inclusion of youth in the development process through skill development should remain the major focus of the development strategy.

Young people are among the most prolific and knowledgeable users of information and communication technology. But the digital chasm leaves many out of this picture and unable to benefit fully from the opportunities of globalisation. It may be emphasised that young people everywhere must have equal opportunities to rise out of poverty and illiteracy and to realise their full potential.

Policymakers and industry leaders should put their minds together to produce suitable technologies, applications and services to facilitate access to children and youth. Visionary public policies, innovative business models and creative technological solutions should be promoted to empower young people and place them on the vanguard of the journey for development. The world needs to build a society which is open and pluralistic and where all people have access to information and knowledge.

The writer is a civil servant. The views expressed by him are his own.

samisaeed7@hotmail.com

http://www.dawn.com/2007/09/22/ed.htm