IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

UNCTAD has assessed the state of play in the two countries and identified policy actions required to harness e-commerce for development.

Tanzania is well-positioned to integrate into the global digital economy, thanks to its growing economy and a rapidly developing innovation ecosystem, a new UNCTAD assessment says.

The assessment of the country’s readiness to engage in e-commerce has revealed its potential to become a leading contender in online trade in east Africa, especially on mobile finance and digital payment fronts.

SAP Mena has called for a comprehensive public-private partnership centering on policy overhauls, a national awareness campaign and a cutting-edge, project-enabling ICT platform tohelp combat the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region’s looming sustainable jobs crisis.

The situation in the UAE amply demonstrates the need to take decision action, with the Government recently calling for the creation of 20,000 jobs over the next decade, and an Emirati unemployment rate ominously hovering around the 13 per cent mark according to the Federal National Council – a problem exacerbated by the fact that less than eight percent are currently forging careers in the private sector.

Agency to underpin smart city expansion

The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (Depa) wants to pursue six projects to drive the country's digital economy and smart city development under its fiscal 2023 budget.

The agency plans to seek 900 million baht for its fiscal 2023 budget.

Government agencies are planning a major push to help the country achieve "Smart Thailand" status, involving the widespread use of information technology and the adoption of international standards, to prepare Thailand for implementation of the Asean Economic Community in 2015.

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Minister Anudith Nakornthap said Smart Thailand would involve smart connected community networks, smart digital government services and smart collaborative business support.

Call it "Mission: Possible" - in the next couple of years, the new government's Smart Thailand initiative will see rural residents submitting their house registrations online at their local tambon office instead of having to travel to the main district town.

This high-tech mission will also enable them to have new smartcard IDs made at their local post office, consult with doctors in Bangkok from any health station in the country and, for students, study in virtual classrooms.

Thailand is pushing ahead with its ambition to become a regional digital economy hub as global technology giants seek a strategic destination to invest in data centers and cloud-related services, the country's Public Relations Department said on Wednesday.

According to Thailand's Board of Investment (BOI), the Southeast Asian country has so far approved 37 projects involving data centers and cloud computing services, with a combined investment value of 98.53 billion baht (2.69 billion U.S. dollars).

In a seminar on a new era of government services on high speed internet attended by heads of government agencies from all ministries, Capt Anudith said that the public would begin to make use of the new government services within one year.

In a new Lowy Institute Analysis research paper launched today, Digital Islands: How the Pacific's ICT Revolution is Transforming the Region, I outline how the Pacific Islands region is in the midst of an information and communication technology (ICT) revolution that could have profound implications for the region's governance and development.

One such anecdote goes like this: Getting anything accomplished on the web is about as convenient as using a mobile phone tethered to a desk.

In his speech before launching the ZANTEL's 3G-high speed internet wireless broad band services in the Island, Dr Shein emphasized that growth of technology should mean development.

"As we move from analogy to digital technology, use of mobile phones and internet should ease communication, search for information for students, share ideas and drive us to be innovative," said Shein. He said the history of telecommunication in Zanzibar, from 1880 when the wireless and cable were first installed in the islands is broad, "but Zanzibar is proud to be the first country in the region to have improved communication network."

While presenting the research findings of 2011 information economic report yesterday at Makerere University, he said that the research finding reflect frequent absence of ICT dimension from Private Sector development strategies.

This in turn hinders the sector’s competitiveness, Ndiwalana noted. He added that there is need for government to create environments for greater ICT adoption for private sector development.

The Catapult centre will act as a "hub for the best innovations in the digital sector," and will conduct research into sustainability, consumerisation and the impact that new technologies are having on existing platforms, according to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

“Today, America’s wireless industry continues to grow based on consumer demand that’s at an all-time high, and the staggering growth of mobile broadband traffic has created an explosion in new services, new devices, content and applications,” former Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell told the symposium.

Similarly, Google employs only 30,000 workers and even a heavyweight software employer like Microsoft has only 90,000 employees. Compare the employee numbers at Apple or Google or other symbols of the "new economy" to the massive employment numbers by corporate leaders of yesteryear like General Motors or U.S. Steel and you get an inkling of why our economy is having so much trouble generating jobs.

Public sector digitisation initiatives alone will have US$63 million, while US$19.7 million will go into education digitisation initiatives.

The Ministry for Information Technologies and Communications of Uzbekistan and Ministry of Public Administration and Security of South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding on establishment of the bilateral group of experts for cooperation in e-government and digital economy.

The document was signed by Minister for Information Technologies and Communications Shukhrat Sadikov and Minister of Public Administration and Security Chin Young.

Việt Nam could enjoy an additional US$162 billion to GDP in the next 20 years if the country succeeds in its digital transformation, said Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Vũ Đại Thắng.

Thắng was referring to research conducted by Australia’s Data 61 at a conference held in Hà Nội on Thursday, saying the digital economy had been rapidly growing and was having an impact on socio-economic life around the world.

The vigorous growth of the internet and technology in Vietnam is expected to provide a platform to support the development of a digital economy.

CMC Corporation’s chair Nguyen Trung Chinh said that a digital economy involves all sectors of the economy based on the internet and internet protocol platforms.

Chinh said the implementation of a policy on a digital economy can help ASEAN countries increase their GDP by $1 trillion in the next 10 years.

Vietnam plans to become leading digital economy in Asean by 2030

Vietnam aims to become the leading digital country and economy in the Asean region by 2030 and allow testing of new technologies in the digital economy.

This is one of the proposals in a draft project on national digital transformation by Vietnam’s Authority of Information Technology Application (AITA) under its Ministry of Information and Communications.

Vietnamese Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and the UK’s Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Chris Philp signed a Letter of Intent on cooperation in digital economy and digital transformation on November 1 (London time).

The two officials shared strategic orientations, national programmes and projects on the development of the digital economy and digital society of each country, as well as initiatives and policies in support of digital economic development.