DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION SERVICES

In order for the South Asian region to achieve meaningful social and economic development, suitable strategies and plans in ICT for developmental programmes are necessary. Countries need to create an enabling environment in areas such as policy formulation and regulatory frameworks, which support the growth of the ICT for better use by the developmental actors and beneficiaries. Although ICT initiatives and national e-strategies have proliferated in the recent years, not much has been done to measure their impact on the lives of people. It is for this reason that the SARDEG initiative intends to support the region’s transition to an Information Society by building the capacity to collect and manage the kind of information and data that supports and engineers economic growth and investment. This component of SARDEG will be a collaborative effort with major academic institutions, development agencies and international organisations.

Towards this goal SARDEG will organise a workshop and start an institutional network for data collection in key areas: infrastructure, sectoral applications (education, health, public and private sector), and the information economy. Where possible, the participating institutions could collect additional data on additional themes. A suggested framework for baseline studies with indicators contained will be developed and classified based on SARDEG focus areas. The development information service will include this basis research at the institutional level and their dissemination through the SARDEG portal in four components:

1. Indicators and Benchmarks: These are essential for measuring the progress made and were based on the targets made by countries towards an Information Society,

2. Policy Issues: The results of the researches will help countries overhaul ICT-unfriendly policies, and create enabling frameworks that will facilitate better access to ICT;

3. Human Resources: For countries to participate in the global digital economy, it is necessary to retrain the existing workforce in information technology (IT). SARDEG development information studies will be an instrument for monitoring the growing demand for ICT skills. The project will enable educators and the private sector to deliver distance-learning courses through ICTs, particularly among the youth.

4. Applications: SARDEG portal will enable countries to disseminate information on ICT applications to entrepreneurs, communities, and those involved in social services, such as education and health care.

The aim of the development information services component of SARDEG is to expand data- collection and analysis and to monitor the progress made in the ICT sector by the countries. The studies will be used to fine-tune indicators to match the growing or changing needs of countries. Where appropriate, new indicators will be established. As improvements continue to be made on the indicators and benchmarks, it is expected that the SARDEG will provide decision-makers with accurate and up-to-date data on the progress monitored over time. The common denominator in the existing data and databases will also allow for analysis, monitoring and sharing of best practices and lessons learned at the regional level.