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UAE top in Mena for ICT infrastructure

The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010, produced by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with INSEAD, is the world’s most comprehensive assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.

The report examined the key role of ICT as an enabler of a more economically, environmentally and socially sustainable world in the aftermath of the most serious economic crises in decades.

Of the fourteen Middle East and North Africa countries assessed, the UAE has once again been placed at number one.

This year’s report again featured the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), which ranks 133 economies by examining the correlation between ICT readiness and economic growth.

Sweden ranked first in the 2009-2010 rankings, followed by Singapore and Denmark.

Regionally, the UAE ranked first, followed by Bahrain at 29^th place followed by Qatar at the 30^th in the ranking.

The UAE’s impressive performance in recent years has been driven by a strong and consistent government focus on ICT as a key factor for its vision for the future.

“For nearly a decade, The Global Information Technology Report and the Networked Readiness Index have contributed to raising awareness about the importance of ICT as a central tool in the design of policies aimed at increasing nations’ development and competitiveness,” said Soumitra Dutta, Roland Berger Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD and co-editor of the report.

The Networked Readiness Index 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 in a society — individuals, businesses and governments — to use and benefit from ICT; and the actual usage of the latest information and communication technologies available.

From a regional perspective, Irene Mia, Senior Economist of the Global Competitiveness Network at the World Economic Forum and co-editor of the report said: “United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar’s superior capacity to leverage ICT as an enabler of sustainable, long-term economic growth in the Middle East region is a direct result of the focus placed by governments on knowledge-based economies with particular emphasis on education, innovation, as well as ICT access and diffusion.”

· haseeb@khaleejtimes.com