The development of relevant financing instruments, coupled with new institution forms supporting innovations and promoting ICT entrepreneurship constitute a cornerstone for developing a sustainable information society and knowledge-based economy in the region, thus paving the road to generate further socio-economic advantages on both the micro and the macro levels.
Furthermore, ESCWA organized an expert group meeting on "Developing the ICT Sector in the ESCWA Region" during 11-12 March 2009 and, focusing on investment, planned this workshop on "Investments in the ICT Sector" to provide needed capacity building on investment mechanisms and tools for building the ICT sector in the region.
The Workshop will be held at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Smart Village, B1, Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Giza, Egypt, from 5 to 7 May 2009.
The Tunis Agenda, outcome of the WSIS second phase, November 2005, stressed the need for enhancing financial mechanisms aiming at building the ICT sector and the importance of capacity building in this regard. During 2007, ESCWA carried out a study on “ICT Finance, Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship in the region" in response to the Tunis Agenda and to the Regional Plan of Action (RPoA) for building the Information Society in Western Asia, taking into account numerous recommendations of expert group meetings that stress the need to raise the capacity of member countries in understanding issues and solutions related to investment and finance in the ICT sector.
The main objective of the meeting is to raise the awareness of member countries in order to provide them with a better understanding of policies, strategies, mechanisms and tools for promoting ICT investments; and enhanced modalities for the implementation of policies aimed at increasing finances for the ICT sector.
The Workshop will cover the following topics:
- Policies, strategies and mechanisms for boosting investment in the ICT sector;
- Complementary roles for the public and private sectors in financing ICT initiatives;
- Conceptual framework for promoting ICT investment at the national and regional levels;
- Venture capital, angel financing and entrepreneurship for innovation in the ICT sector;
- Entrepreneurial considerations: Striking the right balance between entrepreneurs and investors;
- Wise investments and growth scenarios for ICT companies amidst economic recession;
- Stock market considerations: Impact on financing ICT companies at early and late stages;
- Equity versus debt financing modalities in the light of the credit crunch and stock market failures;
- Disruptive technologies (e.g. VOIP and smart-search) and their role in boosting the ICT sector during recession through cost reduction;
- Protection of intellectual human capital in recessions: Policies for avoiding layoffs in a value-based knowledge economy;
- Best practices on financing ICT projects and investment in the ICT sector;
- Lessons learnt by entrepreneurs from the region who have walked the talk: Successes and Failures;
- Regional dimension in ICT investments: Opportunities and challenges during economic Recession.
The main outcome of the workshop will be guidelines for enhancing investment policies, strategies and implementation mechanisms to be followed in order to develop a flourishing and sustainable ICT sector in the ESCWA region. These guidelines will be illustrated with best practices, lessons learnt and a set of recommendations to improve performance of ESCWA member countries
Participants from ESCWA member countries will attend the meeting. They include ICT entrepreneurs, ICT sector managers, policymakers from investment authorities and ministries of ICTs, venture capitalists, investment companies and investment bankers, from ESCWA member countries. Stakeholders from the financial world who work closely with ICT businesses may also participate in the workshop as well as government officials who are responsible for formulating or implementing national ICT sector policies and strategies, including financing.
Invited participants should complete the registration form, attached and available through the meeting Web page mentioned below. The title and abstract of substantive contributions to the meeting, if any, should be provided as part of the registration process, and the full contribution should be sent by 30 April 2009.
League of Arab States, Cairo, Egypt
