Mr Darrell Eugene Owen

Development Through Digitization Mr Darrell Eugene Owen

Over the fifteen years of the Millennium Development Goals (2000-2015), and the first two years of the Sustainable Development Goals (2015-2030), the international development community increasingly focused on leveraging digital technologies for advancing socioeconomic development. This was initially referred to as Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D), but more recently referred to as Digital Development. During the timeframe of this unfolding dynamic, the author was engaged in many developing countries. His work included designing and launching Agency-wide programs, undertaking in-country assessments, and designing and implementing on-the-ground ICT projects. Based on his experiences and combined with research, the author puts forward a broader, more comprehensive development model. His foundational "Digitization" model integrates a broad range of essential components needed to achieve success for moving forward. As the book subtitle suggests, the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are the primary focus. These countries continue to fall further behind other developing countries in leveraging this critical opportunity. While focusing on the countries most in need, the Digitization model also applies across the spectrum of all economies--developing and developed. The author concludes by highlighting areas needing sharper focus for pursuing a more aggressive agenda--by both, the developing countries and the international development community. Unfortunate the current dynamics at play are such that unless there is a substantive shift during the remaining life of the SDGs (2015-2030), the LDCs will continue to fall even further behind other developing economies.