Digitalization is now a fundamental element to the development and prosperity of a nation, as it is to advanced regionalization and sectorial emergence. Nations broke away, regions achieved competitiveness, and industries became more efficient as a result of investing in digitalization and innovation.
This is particularly true for developing countries, that are facing great economic and social challenges, and are assessing different development models. These countries are relying on the internet and digital technologies to accelerate the development of their digital economy, and to quickly catch up on government services, sectorial development, and social inclusion. They also consider the digital sector as a foundation for their entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The challenge is, are the developing countries destined to keep following and trying to catch up, or could they join as participants in the digital revolution? Is it an option for them to leverage digital to achieve leadership in certain sectors?
The talk will go over the as-is situation covering regional initiatives and success stories, shortfalls, and opportunities for a number or developing countries. It will also outline a set of answers and recommendations to the challenges above, including major responsibilities governments can take to promote digital development considering their inherent slow capacity to evolve with technology.