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Too few firms in developing countries are taking advantage of new technologies which can help them export better. In this article, ITC focuses on what developing countries can do to shift their attention from the "Digital Divide" to the "Digital Dividend".
From the "Digital Divide" to the "Digital Dividend"
Recent information and communication technology developments, particularly the growing use of Internet, have affected almost every facet of modern life. Technology has brought both new challenges and new opportunities, leading to digital "haves" and "have-nots". Experts and analysts describe this phenomenon as a "Digital Divide". It has been argued that this divide is often congruent with others such as the economic divide, the education divide or the health divide. But nowhere has the impact of technology been more pronounced than in the area of international business.
In an effort to bridge this divide, many institutions have conducted extensive studies, discussions and dialogue. The aim of this research and dialogue is to harness technology so that it makes a positive impact on development and poverty reduction.
For our purposes here, we will leave aside the analysis of the root causes of this divide or the measures to bridge it. Rather, ITC has focused on what developing countries, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), can do to gain the "Digital Dividend" - by exploiting "Digital Opportunities" that have now become available.
Business views in developing countries
ITC's starting point was in-depth consultation with business communities in developing countries. We began by talking to business representatives and their public-sector counterparts to obtain the view from the playing field and from the sidelines. We held a year-long running dialogue with the key players over the course of 2000. We undertook surveys, consultations, analyses and practical research, posing such questions as: "Do you know about the digital developments under way? Do you know how they will affect you and your business? Do you know what you need to do?"
This dialogue helped shape the Executive Forum 2000 on "Export Development in the Digital Economy", held in Montreux in September 2000. At the event, 45 national export strategy-makers and business leaders from 24 developing countries and transition economies and 20 e-commerce specialists met for three days to deliberate over identified...