For many of the successful economies of Asia, the recent advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have transformed and opened up new avenues for accelerating economic growth, eradicating poverty, promoting sustainable human development, and facilitating their integration into the global economy.

However, for many African countries attempting to create a self-sustainable path of growth, the digital divide is emerging as another barrier that is magnifying their comparative disadvantage, reducing their competitiveness and undermining their economic and social development.

To bridge this emerging digital divide, and as part of a UNDP Programme initiative focused on promoting Africa-Asia technical co-operation in ICT development, an “Africa-Asia Workshop” was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the context of TICAD, and supported by the Government of Japan.

Objectives
To sensitize high-level African policy advisors/policy-makers and private sector representatives on the use of information and communication technologies for the development and transformation of their economies. Specifically, the workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss issues relating to ICT capacity building and infrastructure development, Internet connectivity, e-governance, e-commerce, e-learning, networking, and knowledge management, public-private sector partnerships, gender perspectives, and many more. The workshop will also act as a platform for Asian participants to share their knowledge and experience in ICT with their African counterparts.