World Bank report highlights the importance of ICT for development

by Elizabeth Corley


Yesterday, the World Bank launched its report Information and Communication Technologies for Development 2009: Extending Reach and Increasing Impact. The report looks at how access to ICT effects socio-economic development. Among its findings:

• A 10-percentage-point increase in broadband penetration results in an increase of 1.3 percentage points in economic growth.
• In India and the Philippines, results show that for every new job in the IT sector, between 2 and four jobs are created in other sectors.
• E-government can reduce corruption. Based on a survey of five e-government projects in India, analysts found that computerization decreased corruption.

During the discussion at the launch, Christine Qiang, senior economist at the World Bank and manager of the ICT4D reports, noted that behavioral and organizational adjustments must accompany e-government solutions. Business and institutional leadership need to work with technical leadership.

Anand Anandalingam, dean of the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, commented on the need to focus on information, not just the communication part of these technologies. He also underscored the need for skilled labor to meet the demand for sustainable IT solutions and the role government can play in developing the backbone of the network.

As new applications are developed and mobile telephony expands, the potential for ICT to contribute to economic development grows. The evolving nature of this sector requires policy responses and new models for development. The report includes analysis of trends and best practices to maximize the impact of ICT.