At our SSN Summit that we ran in Dublin, Ireland back in May, one of the highlights for me was the presentation that UNDP ICTDAR gave on the work they are doing to build out ICT awareness and capabilities across the Arab Speaking Regions.  The presentation was a double act by Amira El-Serafy and Ziad Haddara, and if enthusiasm was something that could be bottled, this pair could certainly fill a few.

 The aim of ICTDAR is to promote better collaboration between the regions on the issues that ICT can address; and they think not only about the technical solutions, but also the policy decisions behind them.

The World Bank in their 2006 Information and Communications Development report have stated:

A vibrant private sector—one where firms invest, create jobs, and increase their competitiveness—promotes growth and expands opportunities for poor people in developing countries.  ICT is an essential part of national infrastructure and private sector potential. It can create business opportunities, especially for companies located far from urban centers, and improve links among firms, suppliers, and clients. When used well, ICT can also make management and operations more efficient. 

They go on to provide a wide ranging set of metrics for every dimension imaginable on the impact that ICT has...the one that struck me the most was its effect on labor productivity which stated that using ICT in an enterprise can have as much as a 65% increase in overall value added per worker.  This metric reminded me about a report that Microsoft Ireland commissioned which explored how increasing worker productivity was a key issue in securing future positive development of the economy there.

The evidence is certainly clear enough to inspire action, and going back to Amira and Ziad, it has certainly spoken to them.

Check out their collaborative site here...and of course you can also download their presentation from the File Exchange.

Jonny Chambers