Country Gateways: Addressing Local Development Objectives Through Collaboration

1. Vivek ChaudhryProgram Administrator, ISGIF Country Gateway Coordination Team“IV Infopoverty World Conference” New Frontiers of the ICT: Services for DevelopmentApril 30, 2004 Country Gateways: Addressing Local Development Objectives Through Collaboration

2. Development Gateway Foundation • The Development Gateway responds to growing recognition that sustained development requires a long-range approach based on: • Access to appropriate knowledge • Effective and transparent participation of every sector • Country ownership and direction of their development agenda • The Development Gateway is an enabler of development. It helps others to implement their development agenda and activities. • We improve people’s lives by building partnerships and information systems that provide access to knowledge for development.

3. Development through Collaboration • The Development Gateway can increase the productivity and competitiveness of small enterprises and their intermediaries in developing countries by facilitating access to information and networking opportunities. • The Development Gateway’s comparative advantage is in bridging the information gap that exists between enterprises within a country and across national boundaries. • Some Country Gateways are providing country specific information needed by businesses in their countries, or are promoting trade and investment for their countries.

4. A Country Gateway is… • … a key partner of the Development Gateway at the country level • … a locally owned and managed portal that facilitates access to knowledge relevant to a country’s development • … a collaborative endeavor – with stakeholders drawn from the local development community, including government, the private sector, civil society, academia, and the donor community. • … a supplier of a range of online and offline products and services in the areas of e-government, e-business, e-learning, and knowledge-sharing • … an incubator for initiatives that use ICTs for local development

5. Country Gateways

6. What Country Gateways Do Build Local Capacity • Provide online and offline training to local communities (Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Venezuela, Poland) • Address connectivity issues and partner with public Internet access programs (Armenia, Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Moldova) • Provide technical solutions for local communities sites (Romania, Moldova, Venezuela) • Develop skills in operating knowledge-based businesses and services (Poland) • Development Coordination and Collaboration • Establish local databases and exchange information with AiDA (Romania, Bulgaria) • Create online collaboration platforms (Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Romania, Ukraine) • Facilitate dialogues and monitor progress (Mongolia)

7. What Country Gateways Do • Government Efficiency and Transparency • Provide online government information (Georgia, Ukraine, Indonesia, Armenia, Poland, Kyrgyzstan, other) • Offer local dgMarket services (Mongolia, Poland, Romania) • Train government officials (Georgia, Ukraine, Poland) • Host online collaboration platforms for local government officials (Mongolia) • Knowledge Sharing • Develop and/or aggregate local content through: • Horizontal portals • Topic pages on local development issues • Information products and services targeted at specific sectors Local Social and Economic Development • Contribute to ICT innovation at the country level

8. For more information: www.dgfoundation.org email: vchaudhry1@worldbank.org Thank you