The 3rd International Conference on Information Technology and Economic
Development-March 3-5, 2004

Host Country: GHANA

Theme

THE CHALLENGES OF ICT DEVELOPMENT: POLICY, STRATEGIES, EQUITY AND ACCESS

The 3rd International Conference on ICT and Development is beind organized
by the International Chamber for Economic Development, USA in collaboration
with the Ghana Ministry of Information, Ministry of Communications and
Technology-Ghana, AITEC-Ghana, The Electronic Community-USA, IAED-USA and a
host of ECOWAS member countries.

The event which is scheduled for March 3-5, 2004 is unique as it coincides
with the host country's 47th Independence Day anniversary celebrations. At
least 15 countries from the sub-region are expected to present on " The
State of ICT and Development in their respective countries."

Cooperating Organizations:

United Nations Economic Commission For Africa, Int'l Agency For Economic
Development, UNESCO, Kenya, The Electronic Community.

Venue: ACCRA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTER, GHANA

The gathering presents a platform for participants from around the world to
share information and insight on the impact of Information Technologies on
Economic Development. It is a forum for professionals and executives to
exchange information and identify new opportunities in today's highly
competitive and rapidly changing world.

GOAL

To goal of the gathering among other things, is to develop consensus,
amongst a wide-cross section of stakeholders on ICT and economic development
policies, strategies to take advantage of the emerging digital economy for
development.

BENEFITS

Draw recommendations from best policy ICT policy practices, models and
projects.
Opportunity to network and build partnerships with a range of local and
international professionals in Government, Business, Education, civic
society.
Increased knowledge of international trends ICT and their impact on
education, training and employment opportunities.
Examination of policy issues critical to the use of Information Technology
in bridging the digital divide
Exposure to new areas or opportunities, such as e-Governance, electronic
money, and electronic banking, multi-media industry and convergence
technologies and their impact on education and training, society etc
TARGET AUDIENCE

Participants to this conference would include delegates from countries
within the region, officials form the UN and the World Bank, government and
civic society, diplomats, academic institutions, IT business executives,
Information and Telecommunication Ministers, Economists, development
practitioners, NGOs, researchers, etc.

TRACKS

The three-day conference will explore how information and communications
technologies may be employed to promote economic development. Conference
activities will include, panel discussions, keynotes, roundtables,
workshops, exhibits of best practices, models, lessons learned etc.
Exhibitions are planned to run concurrently with the gathering. Tracks would
include.

A. Harnessing ICT for Development

This session will explore how evenly access to technology is spread across,
and between societies, countries and regions. What efforts are likely to
improve the equity of access, and what factors affect it. It will also
address the technical aspects of information technology, ICT policies,
business and civil society.

B. National Strategies for ICT Policy Development
This track will explore country-to-country specific ICT strategies and
policies in addressing socio-economic issues. As countries have different
political, social, economic and cultural environments, it will be reasonable
to speculate that each tailors her own policies and strategies to meet the
challenges as well as unearthing the opportunities presented by the emerging
digital era. Discussions will also cover the transfer, adoption and the
assimilation of ICT strategies.

C. Africa and ICT Market Development: Business Enterprises, E-Banking

Technology has always been one of the main drivers in commercial
enterprises, economies and international trade. The future of regional
business success will depend on the ability to develop, implement, adopt and
maintain emerging technologies, operational concepts, behaviors and
organizational cultures. It is important for all economies to be involved in
key technological areas and to participate in all relevant international
processes that impact on the future of their economies.

D. ICT for National, Regional and International Networking for Development.
This track will explore how aggressively economies are pursuing policy
strategic alliances with multinational corporations in all aspects of
information technology and market development. It will also address issues
of localization, competitiveness, technological transfer and strategic
partnerships for development. The goal will be to share and to cultivate
strategies that work and innovative solutions that can be sustained and
replicated. Issue will also cover export enhancement, private sector
development, public sector management and poverty alleviation.

CONTACTS

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[email protected]
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