Achieve your national development priorities through digital transformation

Many countries have set out ambitious plans to become digital economies with various benchmark goals such as smart society, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Society 5.0 and creative economy, to cite a few. However, achieving these goals requires aligned digital strategies and enablers to deliver impact. Seven interrelated factors are needed:

1. a clear vision and strategy,
2. availability of appropriate infrastructure and programmes,
3. skilled talent and champions fostering change,
4. availability of capital and resources,
5. access to markets and networks,
6. an ecosystem culture fuelled by communities, and
7. underpinning policies and regulations.

How these factors come together determines a country’s digital innovation capacity. Without them, political will and commitment might not be translated into implementation.

As a result, innovators will be unable to target problems in specific sectors in need of digital transformation, as they will be lacking the coordinated continuum of support needed to enhance their chance of success.

Key questions

• What specific initiatives are you undertaking to update ICT policies with innovation and entrepreneurship components?
• What opportunities do you foresee in meeting your national ambitions using entrepreneurship-driven innovation?
• What can we do to accelerate innovators and entrepreneurs focusing on unlocking the opportunities in national development priorities?