World Bank
Updated October 2003
 

Guiding Principles/Objectives

Programmes

The World Bank's vision is to be a catalyst in improving access to ICTs and promoting their use for stimulating economic growth, increasing equality, and reducing poverty, while promoting private sector leadership in extending the reach of ICTs through the development of information and communication infrastructure (ICI).

The World Bank agenda comprises actions along four strategic directions:

1. Information and communication infrastructure sector reform: provide policy-based support and technical assistance on regulation, privatization, competition. Facilitate convergence of ICTs, develop the legal environment for the commercial and social development of the Internet, find synergies between postal and communication networks, build institutional capacity.

2. Access: improve access to modern ICI through a range of instruments that encourage private sector investment, and provide smart subsidies where the market will not reach the appropriate level of universal access.

3. ICT for Development: support the use of ICT applications for business, government and citizens to harness technology for economic and social development in the developing world.

4. Human capacity building: support the development of a national human capital base and technical knowledge for exploiting ICTs and developing a knowledge economy.

Areas of Application:

► Policy and Regulation
► Universal Access/Rural/ Poverty
► e-Agenda, e-Enabling Environment (including legal)
► Trade Liberalization
► Postal Sector
► Private Investment
► Hard and soft infrastructure, including fixed and mobile voice and data networks, Internet and broad-band networks and regional solutions
► Applications: sector-based applications, e-Gov./e-Procurement, e-Commerce, city-to-city knowledge networks, education, etc.
► Knowledge management
► ICT and MDGs

► Lending and grants to the public sector
► Grants to non-governmental organizations
► Lending and investment in private sector

And also:

► Universal access funding
► Public/private partnerships and cofinancing
► Small technical assistance grants
► Special purpose initiatives (infoDev flagships)

Within the World Bank Group, the IFC and MIGA provide funding and guarantee facilities for private investments in ICTs.

Participation in Multi-donor Programmes:

► infoDev
► The Development Gateway
► Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility(PPIAF)
► World Links for Development (WorLD)
► African Virtual University (AVU)
► Global Development Network (GDN)
► Knowledge for Development (K4D)

All developing and transition countries

World Bank Group historical portfolio in ICT totals 265 loans, 124 private investments, 30 guarantees and 420 grants (Up to FY 2003) (See the “Questionnaire reply” section for more figures and details)

► Mr. Pierre Guislain, Manager, GICT, pguislain@worldbank.org (Based in Washington)
► Mr. Bruno Lanvin, Adviser, GICT, blanvin@worldbank.org (Based in Geneva)
► Mr. Yann Burtin, Operations Officer, yburtin@worldbank.org (Based in Paris)