IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Mobile services such as sharing credits, providing cash, paying bills, supporting small and medium (SME's) enterprises, and sharing health information from HIV/AIDS to prenatal care -- all have become the order of the day for many in the developing world. In fact mobile phones in Africa, China, and Asia have become cradles of innovation for mobile services; mobile phones are used less for talking, and more today as platforms to support daily living, and improving quality of life. Today nearly half of the world's population has access to mobile phones, both pre-paid and post-paid services, growing from fewer than 1 billion in 2000 to over 6 billion, of which nearly 5 billion units are in the developing world.

South Korea’s Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning is revealing the secrets of its successful digital transformation to developing countries. This is in the framework of world Bank Democracy Development Program (DDP) forum held in Seoul on October 15-19, 2018. The forum that gathers 40 representatives of 25 countries including some people from the Smart Africa Alliance countries, will provide developing countries with an opportunity to learn from South Korea and realize their development via ICT.

Thanks to strategic public-private partnerships and an aggressive Technology policy, South Korea has been one of the most advanced countries in terms of digital governance for many years now. In the 2018 E-Government Development Index (EGDI), the United Nations ranked it as the third, after Denmark and Australia. Its telecommunication infrastructures development rate, online services, and citizens participation online are high.

2200 Frauen in Städten und stadtnahen Gebieten aus den Ländern Ägypten, Indien, Mexiko und Uganda wurden für die Studie zu ihrer Internetnutzung befragt. Die Ergebnisse wurden im Rahmen einer zweitägigen internationalen Arbeitstagung des US-Außenministeriums und der Organisation “UN Women“ vorgestellt.

Countries around the world are turning towards eHealth to enhance healthcare service delivery and Pakistan should do likewise, said speakers on the closing day of the International Conference on eHealth at the University of Health Sciences on Sunday.

Developing countries like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Rwanda have taken steps towards revolutionising their health sector through the use of eHealth, which refers to the use of information and communication technology in the provision of healthcare services.

While wireless enablement creates a number of important advantages for providers and patients no matter where they live, the focus on how telemedicine benefits communities is often different in Third World countries than it is industrialized countries, like the United States.

"It is estimated that approximately 35 per cent of e-government projects in developing countries are total failures, approximately 50 per cent are partial failures -- only some 15 per cent can be fully seen as successes", a senior World Bank official told a seminar on e-governance here today.

Following are extensive excerpts from the opening remarks by the Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) at the high-level E-Governance Conference on 30 May 2017 in Tallinn, Estonia.

Many institutions and organizations (public and private) in developing countries, such as ACP (the African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries, have embraced the utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to address the various opportunities and challenges in the context of their respective development strategies.

Of all the world's developing countries, Afghanistan may be the poster child for an economy struggling to emerge from the abyss of chaos. Following centuries of foreign occupation, the legacy includes rampant poverty, obliterated infrastructure and perhaps the greatest concentration of land mines on earth.

So when it comes to rebuilding countries like Afghanistan, one could be forgiven for questioning whether broadband should be a priority. Absent such basic infrastructures as water, sanitation and roads, should luxuries like broadband wait? If not, what role should broadband play? Can it somehow jump-start economies that have stalled or, like Afghanistan's, hit rock bottom?

The World Bank's report, "The Path to 5G in the Developing World," outlines the transformative potential of 5G technology in driving economic growth and digital transformation in developing nations. The article discusses the benefits of 5G across various sectors, the associated risks, and the policy measures needed for successful deployment.

As the world races towards digital transformation, the fifth-generation mobile network, known as 5G, is set to revolutionize the way we live and work. The recent report by the World Bank, "The Path to 5G in the Developing World," sheds light on the immense potential of 5G technology to drive economic growth and innovation, especially in developing nations. This next-gen technology promises to deliver unprecedented speeds, ultra-low latency, and the ability to connect a million devices per square kilometer, making it a game-changer in the digital landscape.

To date, the majority of smart city initiatives have progressed in developed economies, with authorities in Europe and the Nordics taking a lead in employing digital technologies to improve municipal services.

But the concept of the smart city encompasses more than the application of digital tech in urban spaces. Ultimately, private sectors and authorities need to ensure technology makes a meaningful contribution across many aspects of a citizen’s life, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

We will bring a series of reports from Digital Africa – it is a very exciting group of people who truly have the best interests of Africa as their key objective. Kicked off by Dr. Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya, Vice President of Uganda, the conference also included ministers of communications from Uganda, Niger, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso. Other nations are well represented with representatives from the private sector, government, and education.

In a Global Health Partnerships report, Crisp suggests that new technology and approaches are not yet being seen as central to international development and more needs to be done to encourage local entrepreneurs to use ICT to improve health services themselves.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is much more than just a buzzword nowadays. It powers facial recognition in smartphones and computers, translation between foreign languages, systems which filter spam emails and identify toxic content on social media, and can even detect cancerous tumours. These examples, along with countless other existing and emerging applications of AI, help make people’s daily lives easier, especially in the developed world.

As of October 2021, 44 countries were reported to have their own national AI strategic plans, showing their willingness to forge ahead in the global AI race. These include emerging economies like China and India, which are leading the way in building national AI plans within the developing world.

But in fact, many developing countries worldwide are investing in e-health to help increase access, improve affordability and boost care quality.

The digital transformation of society has brought many immediate benefits: it's created new jobs and services, boosted efficiency and promoted innovation. But when it comes to improving the way we govern, the story is not that simple.

It seems reasonable to imagine introducing digital information and communication technologies into public sector organisations – known as "digital government" or "e-government" – would have a beneficial impact on the way public services are delivered. For instance, by enabling people to claim rebates for medical bills via a government website.