"Information and Communication

Technologies and Information

Gateways"

ECOWAS/IT
 Our Vision
… to become a Knowledge organization that
spurs the knowledge revolution in developing
countries and acts as a catalyst for creating,
sharing, and applying cutting edge knowledge
necessary for poverty reduction and economic
development
 Why focus on Knowledge?
 The knowledge revolution offers a historic
opportunity to redraw the global economy by:
– enhancing competitiveness of developing countries
– offering new opportunities for economic growth
– leapfrogging technologies
– increasing returns on investments in education and
health
– empowerment of local communities and the poor
 But there is also the risk of a
growing divide….

 both in access to knowledge

 and in access to the technologies that are
powering the knowledge revolution
 Teledensity Evolution:
Mainlines by Region
Millions 200

150
100

50
0
Asia Eastern Latin Middle Sub-Saharan
Pacific Europe America East/North Africa
Africa

1990 1999

Data Source: Pyramid, 2000

 The Situation in Terms of Aggregate
Defining the Connectivity Level Has Been
Improving,
Digital Divide : 700

600

500
Million

how serious an 400

300

issue is it ?
200

100

0
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999

Fixed+Mobile -- OECD Fixed+Mobile -- Non-OECD

Internet Subs -- OECD Internet Subs -- Non-OECD

Source: Pyramid Research, 2000

14,000
More Wealth Created
12,000  Connectivity is
10,000
only part of the story
Billion US$

8,000 DJIA Mkt. Cap

6,000
NASDAQ Mkt. Cap
Total Mkt. Cap
 Divergence in wealth
4,000 creation is a major
2,000 concern
-
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 March Now
Last 5 Years
 Other Dimensions of the Divide
Connectivity
Internet Hosts (millions)

50
30 m (70%)
40 11 m (26%)
30
1.5 m (4%)
20 (the first ten countries
amount for 1.2 m)
10

0 Content
Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan. Jan.
95 96 97 98 99 • 7% of World Pop. Speaks
US English
Other industrialized countries •75% of Worldwide Web-sites
Developing countries
are in English
• Jan 2000: 72.4 m Internet Hosts
Source: Network Wizards, World Bank, 1999
 Regional Patterns of
Convergence and Divergence

Growth in Internet hosts, 1999

Africa 18%

North America 74%

Latin America 136%
Asia 61%
Europe 30%

Data Source: ITU, 1999

Cross-Country Inequality:
Information Infrastructure Investments
Skewed toward Rich Countries Information Infrstructure Investments, 1991 - 1998

700,000

600,000

500,000
OECD
Sub-Saharan Africa
US$ Millions

400,000
Middle East/North Africa
Latin America
300,000
Eastern Europe
Asia Pacific
200,000

100,000

0
1991-1994 1995-1998

Source: Pyramid Research, 2000

 Within-Country Inequality
By Income: % of Households By Geographic Region:
with Private Telephones % of urban/rural
households with telephones
80%

100%
60%
80%
40% 60%
45.7%
40%
20%
20%
4.7%
0% 0%
We a lth ie s t Qu in tile 4 Qu in tile 3 Qu in tile 2 P oo re s t
Qu in tile Qu in tile Urban Rural

Panama South Africa

Source: LSMS, the World Bank
 The Promise and Peril of the
Networking Revolution

Adopter Countries’
National Information Infrastructure

broadband
The US broadband revolution
(scope and quality)

revolution
nce
e
erg
n v
Co

Divergence Latecomers

Time

Source: Pyramid Research, 2000

 Strategies
 Connectivity is a requirement
It is next to impossible to envision markets with less than 5%
voice penetration leapfrogging into Internet connectivity
 Competition is the Vehicle
Competition leads to decreased prices, subscriber growth &
new technology development. We must promote competition,
while supporting universal access via innovative government
support, focusing on convergence issues
 Infrastructure Support Systems Are Critical
Systems and services that support and deliver information such
as postal and financial services, are a vital component of public
action
 Education is the Enabler
Internet has higher social entry barriers than voice, requiring
literacy and ICT exposure at a minimum
 Networking and Poverty Reduction
 ICTs for Economic Growth
- enhanced competitiveness
- increased business opportunities
- access to market for rural communities
 ICTs for Improved Delivery of Social Services
- better health/education/environmental services
- reducing vulnerability to natural disasters
 ICTs for Greater Transparency
- improved efficiency on government procurement
- reduced corruption
- increased civil society participation
 ICTs for Empowerment of the Poor
- allowing the poor to better communicate their concerns
 Our response is
focused on
 Supporting the enabling environment for
efficient creation, adaptation and
dissemination of knowledge
 Building Human Capacity for the Knowledge
Economy
 Expanding Access
 Supporting knowledge sharing through
research, networking and communities of
practice
 Our Response….
A Number of Key Special Initiatives
ECOWAN

Global ICT
infoDev
Department

Development
Global Global Development Forum
Knowledge Learning Network
Partnership

Global African Virtual

Development University
Network
 How These Initiatives Fit Together

Supporting the enabling  ECOWAN

environment
 Global ICT Dept.
Building Capacity for the
Knowledge Economy  African Virtual
University
 Global Development
Learning Network
 World Links for
Development
 How These Initiatives Fit Together
(cont.)
Expanding Access  WB and IFC lending for
ICT infrastructure

 Development Gateway
Supporting
knowledge sharing  Global Development
through research, Network
networking and  Global Knowledge
communities of Partnership
practice  WB Knowledge Sharing
Network
 Development Forum
 infoDev: The Concept
Finance & Know-How from : Consensus
Building/
Awareness
Governments Raising
Information
Infrastructure
UNSD, ECOWAS, EU, ITU, Strategies
World Bank, ECOWAN
etc.
Pilot Projects

Private
Sector Telecom
Reform
 Taxonomy of Funded Projects
Active and Completed Projects by Category & Main Activity

Activities & E-
Telecoms Internet Education Health EnvironmentGovernment Total
Categories Commerce

Networks and
Communitties 1 25 2 1 2 1 32
of Interest

Policy 14 6 . . 2 20

Capacity
Building 12 17 4 1 4 3 41

Pilot and
Demonstration 1 10 8 7 7 6 10 49

Total 28 58 14 9 13 6 16 144

March, 2001
 Work Program FY00

Georgia’s Demonstration projects

Stories Exchange Net
Sofia’s MIS

Metabase de Datos
Empowering people with disabilities
 INDEV
-Guatemala MicroNet India’s Rural Health Care
 Planet University IS  Knowledge Network for Grassroots
National Graduate Registry
 Information infrastructure forAsia Pacific Telecom.
Uganda Regulatory Forum
 E commerce Uganda
and Tanzania

African Connection-Rural Telecom

 Y2K Health Sector Coord.  PeopleLink

 RFP/Analysis  Information Strategy Tool Kit/UNITAR
 ICT indicators
 15 iCSF Conferences
 Work Program FY01

NAROD project
Data Fusion for Flow Analysis and
E-Readiness Morocco Decision Support
Exploring Adequate Telecom
Empowering Local E-Readiness Egypt
Sector Reform Models in China
Communities in Mexico
UNECA/Cisco Training of Women Entrepreneurs
OHADA.com Inter-city Marketing Network for
Women Micro-entrepreneurs
Improving Healthcare & Education
CDI Intl. Expansion through shared ICTs
Kindlink Houses and USTTI Africa
Families
 RITS project
Community
Telecenters

 Country Gateways infoDev-Motorola Visiting Fellowship Program

Global Knowledge for Development Online Forum Online ICT Resource Center for the Global
 iCSF Workshops Development Community
ACT 2000  Creating a Global Information Network on
ICANN (Yokohama & LA) Distance Education
MT 2000 Regulatory Colloquium
OECD Dubai
 Flagship Initiatives
CONNECTIVITY REGULATORY
EDUCATION E-COMMERCE
IN AFRICA EFFORTS
Networking ITU Regulatory
UNECA Global
Y2K Initiative

for Innovation in
Technology & Connectivity for Colloquia
Teacher Training Africa Conference infoDev Symposia
MOTOROLA ICO 21
 Visiting Scholars Pyramid
st Report
 Fellowship African century

Communi. Analysis Report
Connec.
CISCO Training for Rural
African Women in Global ICT Incubator
Telecom
Internet Working Colloquium (RFP) Initiative
(DFID)
Technology

 Country Gateways (GDG)

e-Readiness Assessments
The Development Gateway

http:www.developmentgateway.org
 Gateway Value Propositions
 Solve development problems by sharing high-
quality information from local, national and global
sources, tailored to users’ needs by topic and
community, quickly and easily.
 A platform to facilitate the establishment of
common standards for the exchange of
information among the development community.
 Expanded opportunities for building and sharing
knowledge and experience in and among
developing countries.
infoDev Country Gateway Grants
Ukraine
Kazakhstan Russia
MoldovaGeorgia Kyrgyz Rep.
Romania Armenia
Bulgaria
 Croatia Azerbaijan
 Algeria West  Uzbekistan
Bank & Gaza  Mongolia
Dominican Republic China
 Pakistan
Costa Rica
 Venezuela
 Sri Lanka
Colombia
Indonesia

 Uruguay
 Namibia

As of April 4, 2001
For more information...
www.ecowas.int

www.infodev.org

www.developmentgateway.org

www.worldbank.org/ict
www.unites.org