Sharing knowledge

The second key element of GTI will be put in place in the near future. This will comprise two peer networks supported by the World Bank’s Global ICT Department and the World Bank Institute.

The first, which is scheduled for launch at the Forum, consists of influencers from some 20 countries who will act as local champions, encouraging high-level governmental support for proposals. The second, which is being piloted for the eProcurement track, comprises about 30 practitioners. As heads of procurement for departments such as health, they are involved at the implementation level.

The idea behind the creation of the peer networks is to enable participants to exchange knowledge and ideas around business models and best practice, particularly in relation to governance. Besançon explains: “It’s really about looking at how we can support governments in leveraging ICT to transform the delivery of services, and how we can help them to access expertise. We want to help accelerate their thinking, as well as their ability to embark on such projects.”

A progress review is scheduled to take place in 2010, but the success of GTI will also be measured in various ways within 10 to 18 months of projects being initiated.

“We’ll evaluate things like the speed of rollout, the level of savings achieved and the numbers of people gaining easy but secure access to services,” says Besançon. “Another important measure of success will be how replicable the business models are, because we’d like this initiative to have a domino effect and lead to more government leaders embarking on similar projects."

“Projects involving ICT are high risk and high reward, but the point of GTI is enabling people to access expertise, best practice and business models to help them minimize those risks,” he concludes. “It’s not about developing countries reinventing the wheel on their own – it’s about tapping into the right expertise to help them solve problems.”

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