'ICT Can Be A Growth Catalyst In Global Turmoil'

Denmark and Sweden once again lead the rankings of The Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009, released today by the World Economic Forum. They are followed by the United States, which is up one position, thus confirming its pre-eminence in networked readiness in the current times of economic slowdown. Singapore (4), Switzerland (5) and the other Nordic countries together with the Netherlands and Canada complete the top 10. The Report underlines that good education fundamentals and high levels of technological readiness and innovation are essential engines of growth needed to overcome the current economic crisis.

“The development story of most networked countries in the world, including the Nordic countries, Singapore and the United States among others, has owed much to a consistent focus in the national agenda on education excellence, innovation and an extensive ICT access. This success stands as a reminder for leaders in both the public and private sectors not to lose focus on ICT as an important enabler of growth and competitiveness in times of crisis,” said Irene Mia, senior economist of the Global Competitiveness Network at the World Economic Forum and co-editor of the report.

The report is produced by the World Economic Forum in co-operation with INSEAD, an international business school, and is sponsored again this year by Cisco Systems. Under the theme Mobility in a Networked World, this year’s report places a particular focus on the relationship and interrelations between mobility and ICT.

The Networked Readiness Index (NRI), featured in the Report, examines how prepared countries are to use ICT effectively on three dimensions: the general business, regulatory and infrastructure environment for ICT; the readiness of the three key stakeholder groups  individuals, businesses and governments  to use and benefit from ICT; and their actual usage of the latest information and communication technologies available.

The NRI uses a combination of data from publicly available sources, as well as the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the World Economic Forum with its network of Partner Institutes (research institutes and business organisations) in the countries included in the report. The survey provides data on many qualitative institutional and business environment issues.

This cross-country analysis of the drivers of networked readiness provides useful comparative information for making business decisions and additional value to governments wishing to improve their ICT preparedness.

“Broadband access literally transforms the way we live, work, play, and learn by providing unprecedented opportunities for people to communicate, access information, improve education and healthcare, enter new markets and expand the reach of businesses,” said John Chambers, chairman and CEO, Cisco. “Now is the time to invest in ubiquitous broadband and empower all of the world’s citizens to participate in the human network. I believe that the most important steps government and business leaders in both developed and developing nations can take to encourage economic growth and global prosperity, is to concentrate collectively, collaboratively on longer-term opportunities like universal broadband access in order to raise the quality of life-and our economic prosperity for generations to come.”

To download the full Networked Readiness Index 2008-2009 rankings and read the highlights click here http://www.weforum.org/gitr