FYI. Interesting discussion on a topic which is relevant for other areas of the world, specially Asia.
miraj khaled. ============= How to Help Technology Help African Entrepreneurs? http://rru.worldbank.org/Discussions/topics/topic74.aspx The upswing in African cell phone usage is impressive. Yet for Africa to fully reap the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICT), investment in broadband Internet and other robust technology is also necessary. Should African governments focus on expanding low-cost technologies that are easily adopted in both rural and urban areas, such as mobile phones? Or should they target more robust ICT services, such as Broadband and fiber-optic cable, that require heavy infrastructure investment? Are ICT-specific development projects required to enable infrastructure build-out or can ICT needs be met through mainstream financing programs for businesses? How should ICT investment be prioritized in relation to other pressing development needs in Africa? This online discussion is moderated by George R. Clarke, senior economist in the Africa Private Sector Group at the World Bank; Naomi Halewood, a World Bank consultant working on information and communication technology; and Rob Henning, an OTF Group manager and current Chief of Party for the Afghanistan Competitiveness Project. The discussion, which will run through July 31, 2006, is supported by the following background readings: The Role of ICT in Doing Business Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang, George R. Clarke, and Naomi Halewood, 2006 Improving Competitiveness and Increasing Economic Diversification in the Caribbean: The Role of ICT OTF Group, April 2005 The Use of Mobile Phones by Microentrepreneurs in Kigali, Rwanda Jonathan Donner, October 2005 Enterprise Development and ICT in Developing Countries Richard Duncombe and Richard Heeks, 2001 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
