The South Asia Region ICT Strategy and Implementation Plan

“ICT for development” has become a core development topic. Many developing countries have already recognized that in a few years information and communication technology (ICT) for development will no longer be discussed as a separate topic but as an integral part of all economic development issues, much as access to electricity is today. This strategy aims to develop a formalized approach that would allow the World Bank’s South Asia Region (SAR) to provide more focused and comprehensive assistance to our client countries. The World Bank Group ICT Sector Strategy delegates the implementation of the strategy to the regional units. This action plan aims to build on the World Bank Group’s strategy by proposing a specific approach to addressing some of the internal organizational issues constraining the development of a comprehensive ICT work program. There is a clear need for an internal strategy and standard on ICT for development. A question now confronting both the World Bank as a whole and the South Asia Region is, “how can the use of development related technologies be better mainstreamed into the Region’s work program?” And “How can the region be more responsive to our clients’ ICT needs”. To answer these pressing questions requires considering a few critical issues, such as: *What do our clients want? *What have our clients been doing to pursue their ICT related goals? *How have they incorporated the use of ICT into their overall economic development plans? *How has the WB and the SAR responded to this demand? *How should the SAR respond to its clients needs in the future? All of these questions were analyzed and covered in detail in a separate background document. This document summarized the highlights of that analysis and prescribes a detailed strategy to respond to our clients’ needs.