Ordering priorities
Those differing viewpoints reflect a debate that's simmering within the development community about how much focus should be placed on addressing the global digital divide.
In a study commissioned by the World Bank, Ernest Wilson III, director of the University of Maryland's Center for International Development and Conflict Management, found that developing countries on average are increasing their adoption and use of information technologies by 18 percent per year, but this is still below the 23 percent per year for developed nations. Wilson says that while this illustrates that a digital divide exists, it is unclear how much benefit developing countries would derive from narrowing it.
One view is that aid programs and organisations need to continue to focus on addressing the most basic needs, such as providing clean water and improving sanitation. But Bruce McConnnell, a former Clinton administration official who now heads McConnell International, a firm that advises foreign governments and others on using information technology, says that "there is a growing viewpoint that [information technology] is part of the solution."
Kent Lupberger, manager of investments in the Global Information and Communication Technologies Group of the International Finance Corporation - the World Bank's private investment arm - says many officials who have worked with developing countries have a difficult time seeing the value of investing in information technology projects when their budgets for more traditional work in developing countries are shrinking. The challenge for him and others in his field, he says, is to show how information technology can help "get more bang for the buck."
Many observers say that if steps aren't taken now to ensure that developing nations are not left behind as the world's industrialised nations become more dependent on technology, the gap between the richest and poorest countries will only widen. "If you don't work now to bridge the digital divide, the people who will suffer the most will fall that much further behind," says Elli Kaplan, a spokeswoman for the United Nation's Development Program.
The Group of Eight (G-8) industrialised nations made it a key priority following their summit meeting last summer in Okinawa, Japan, establishing a "dot-force" to help provide access to the Internet and improve computer literacy skills in developing nations.
International aid groups have also launched initiatives in conjunction with the G-8's work. For example, the U.N.'s Development Program is working with the Markle Foundation and Accenture, formerly Andersen Consulting, to develop a strategic approach and recruit others to help developing nations take advantage of technology. The organisations will provide funding for pilot projects, which could include providing education via the Internet.
"What we're saying is we have the capabilities to ignite some kind of spontaneous economic development," says Russ Meekins, a partner at Accenture.
