Competiveness, in an increasing open global economy, requires new approaches to development enabling digital to be ubiquitous in all sectors of an economy. Digital Innovation ecosystems are flourishing in most countries, yet struggling to reach critical mass that unlock jobs, economic growth and inclusion. To address these challenges, ITU has developed a multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral Digital Innovation Framework, with aim to help countries, cities and ecosystems to be empowered for accelerating digital transformation. 

The validated framework, tools and methodology, provide a structured approach to gathering and analyzing issues about the ways in which digital innovation and entrepreneurship in the region of interest is supported or hindered by financial capital, human talent, infrastructure, market access, policies and overarching vision. It also enables the stakeholders to co-create specific policy conditions and develop specific projects to jump start digital transformation in a country.

ITU has packaged this knowledge into a toolkit that will enable stakeholders to analyse their ecosystems and take specific actions to start changing the trajectory of their digital economy. ITU has worked together with other international organizations, global experts and key stakeholders to develop this toolkit, with the ultimate goal to close the innovation divide that separates those developing and using emerging technologies from those who, at best, are reliant on others to develop solutions, and at worst, do not benefit from access to innovation in ICTs.

The first part of the session will advise participants about what the ITU toolkit for strengthening ICT centric ecosystem is, and how to use it to scale up and empower economies.

This will be followed by the soft launching of Rwanda Country Review Report, that examines the dynamics of the ICT centric innovation ecosystem in Rwanda, and makes recommendations to strengthen ICT innovation in the Rwanda national development agenda and leverage the economic and social opportunities provided by innovative technologies.

Finally, a partnership agreement for developing Digital Innovation Frameworks will be signed with Bangladesh.