National ICT Policy and Plan Development Committee

THE GHANA ‘ICT FOR ACCELERATED DEVELOPMENT’ (ICT4AD) PROCESS

Developing the Ghana Integrated ICT-led Socio-Economic Development Policy and Plan

A Briefing Document on the Process

Government of Ghana		Economic Commissionfor Africa

Preamble: Meeting the Challenges of Globalization and the Information Age

1. The world economy is experiencing the effects of rapid globalization and liberalization as well as the impact of the emerging information age. The prediction is that this information age will bring about a new global economic order to be dominated by information and knowledge-based economies (IKEs). Most African countries including Ghana are facing new challenges to their socio-economic development process as a result of this globalization process and the impact of the emerging new information age.

2. It could be argued that: the emerging information age characterized by information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the extraordinary increase in the spread of knowledge has given birth to a new era: that of knowledge and information. These technologies are offering even less developed agricultural countries like Ghana the opportunity to transform their economies and accelerate their socio-economic development process towards an information and knowledge-based economy

3. There is no doubt that the information and knowledge-based economy is the economy of the future and the challenge facing African countries including Ghana relate to how they should go about formulating and implementing appropriated integrated ICT-led socio-economic development policies and plans that could aid the process of moving their countries to the other side of the digital divide.

4. The digital divide no doubt constitutes a serious socio-economic development threat to African countries. The African Information Society Initiative (AISI) initiated by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is one of the bold attempts aimed at addressing this threat. This serves as a framework within which African countries are being assisted to develop and implement their integrated ICT-led socio-economic development policies and plans to facilitate the radical transformation of their respective economies and societies within the context of the challenges of globalization and the information age. The Ghana Process is being undertaken within the framework of the African Information Society Initiative.

The World-wide Move Towards an Information and Knowledge-based Economy

5. Governments world-wide have recognized the crucial role that ICTs can play in socio-economic development. In this respect, a number of countries in both the developing and developed world are designing economic policies that will accelerate the process of transforming their economies into information and knowledge-based economies.

6. For example, countries like the USA, Canada and European countries as well as Asian countries like: India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam have policies and plans in place to accelerate their development process through the development, deployment and exploitation of ICTs. Also South American countries like: Brazil, Chile, and Mexico among others like Australia and African countries like Mauritius, Rwanda, Mozambique, South Africa, and Senegal have in place comprehensive ICT policies and most of these are at an advanced stage of implementing these programmes across their economies and societies.

7. In India for example, the government see ICTs and their deployment for socio-economic development as one area where India can quickly establish global dominance and reap tremendous payoff in terms of wealth creation and generation of high quality employment. Finland on the other hand regards the development and utilization of ICTs within its economy and society as a key component of its national vision to improve the quality of life, knowledge and international competitiveness.

8. In fact, Malaysia's Vision 2020 which envisages Malaysia as a fully developed nation by Year 2020 and the Singapore's vision of transforming Singapore into an 'Intelligent Island’ all see ICTs as the main engine for promoting accelerated development and growth as well as gaining global competitive advantage.

9. Mauritius, learning from the Singaporean experience has developed an ICT Strategic Plan that forms an integral part of its overall vision of social and economic development. Mexico, also see ICTs as a key factor for achieving progress in social development and economic development. Rwanda, one of the leading African countries in this area has developed a comprehensive ICT-led accelerated development policy, strategies and programmes aimed at transforming the Rwandan society and economy within 20 years.

10. From large and powerful countries like the USA to small countries like Andorra, Mauritius and Rwanda, the need for embracing the information revolution to transform their economies and societies to improve the quality of life of their people has been recognized. The Government of Ghana also recognised the key role that the emerging information and communication technologies can play in facilitating national development and prosperity.

11. There is no doubt that the emerging technologies underlying this information revolution are offering even under-developed agricultural countries like Ghana a window of opportunity to leap-frog the industrialization stage and transform their economies into high value-added information economies that can compete with the advanced economies on the global market. Because of the portable nature of these technologies, Ghana like other developing countries is equally placed to take advantage of them to facilitate her socio-economic development process.

12. Although the opportunities of the information and knowledge economy facilitated by ICTs is one that both big and small; developed and under-developed could avail of, these technologies will no doubt be creating new winners and losers, within the emerging new global economic order. The prediction is that: the gap between the new winners and losers within the new world economy order to be dominated by IKEs will be much larger than the development gap that now exist between the advanced nations and the under-developed nations. Ghana, like most African countries is at risk of being further marginalized if she fails to embrace these technologies to transform her economy and society.

13. The basic premise is that: Ghana will need to put in place the relevant policies and corresponding action plans to address the challenges of globalization and the information age within the context of devising ways and means to aid the process moving its predominantly subsistence agriculture dominated economy into an information and knowledge-base economy --- the economy of the future.

The Case for Developing Comprehensive Integrated ICT-led Socio-Economic Development Policies, Strategies and Plans

14. The key role that ICTs can play in accelerating the socio-economic development of African countries towards an information and knowledge economy has been recognised. It has been acknowledged that in the new emerging economic order, the fundamental basis for wealth creation and national prosperity is information and knowledge and Ghana like other countries cannot afford to be without either of these. The deployment and exploitation of these technologies within the society and economy is key for achieving progress in economic and social development in African countries including Ghana.

15. There is no doubt that information and knowledge economy is generating opportunities across all sectors in a number of developed and developing countries.-- It is a new source for the creation of quality jobs, wealth generation, income redistribution and poverty alleviation, as well as for rapid economy development, prosperity and a source for facilitating global competitiveness. However if countries like Ghana are to move their industrially weak, subsistence agriculture based economy towards an information and knowledge economy they will need to develop and implement a comprehensive integrated ICT-led socio-economic development policies, strategies and plans.

16. In other words whilst, the industrially advanced countries only need to put in place specific ICT deployment programmes and national information infrastructure (NII) development and expansion programmes to move their already advanced and globally competitive economies into an IKE; developing countries like Ghana (as is the case of other African countries) will need to do more to achieve the same. It will not be enough for developing countries including those in Africa to implement a number of isolated ICT projects and programmes or sectoral policies that are not tied to their overall socio-economic development strategy and hope to move their economies to IKEs

17. Furthermore, it could be argued that, subregional and regional level cooperation on ICT policies and strategies can only be possible and sustainable if the respective African countries effectively address such issues at the national level. In other words, a particular country can only benefit from subregional or regional cooperation in this area if it has in place its own national ICT policies, strategies and plans that takes into account its national socio-economic realities, challenges, priorities and the vision for the future.

The Ghana Process: The Way Forward

18. The Ghana ICT-led Socio-Economic Development Policy and Plan Development Process will be based on a methodology developed by the ECA, and is to be carried out in three phases:

Phase 1: The first phase will concentrate on the development of an Integrated ICT-led Socio-Economic Development Framework for Ghana (The Ghana Framework Document).

The Framework Document will among other things provide an analytical basis for the development of the subsequent Policy document and the Plan. The study underlying the development of the Framework will be based on the review and analysis of the current national socio-economic development frameworks, policies, strategies and provisions as well as the ICT development, deployment and exploitation profile of Ghana;

The premise is that: the Framework Document will specify and define the general problem and policy areas as well identify specific policy issues and orientations that are required to guide the Policy development process and the subsequent Plan.

Phase 2: This phase of the Ghana Process will concentrate on the development of an Integrated ICT-led Socio-Economic Development Policy and Strategies for Ghana (The Policy Document).

The Policy Document will provide details of the Government’s policy commitments in relation to WHAT need to be done towards the realization of the Vision for Ghana through the exploitation and development of ICTs. The Plan, to be developed in the 3rd Phase of the Process will provide details of HOW these policy commitments of the Government can be translated into concrete programmes and initiatives for implementation.

Phase 3: This final phase of the Process will be devoted to the development of 1st ICT Plan for Ghana guided by the Government’s policy commitments detailed in the Policy Document. This Plan, the first of four Yearly Plan is to serve as a cornerstone of the Government’s socio-economic development plan over four year. The Task will be to develop an integrated ICT and socio-economic development Plan with the capability to support the development of the necessary economic base and environment for accelerating Ghana’s development towards an information rich and knowledge base economy and society.

August 2002