Transcript Innovation, Science and technology Policy For The Knowledge

The Fifth Session of the Committee on Development Information
29 April - 4 May 2007, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Innovation, Science and technology Policy
For The Knowledge Economy - the Case of
Mozambique
by
Constantino Sotomane
Project Developer
MICTI – Mozambique Information and Communication
Technology Institute
[email protected]
www.micti.co.mz
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Country Background
(Basic Indicators)








Employment and the Knowledge Economy
Area:799,390 sq.Km
Population (2005):

Total: 19,420,036

Urban: 31.0%

Rural: 69.0%
Government

25 Ministries

11 Provinces, 128 Districts, 352
Administrative Posts

33 Municipalities
Illiteracy Rate (2003):

Overall: 53.6%

Urban: 30.3%

Rural: 65.7%
Per Capita GDP (2005): USD310
Annual growth rate: 8.2%
Internet Usage Density (2004):2.7
Teledensity (2004):

Fixed Line: 0.4

Mobile: 8.6
MICTI 2007
Country Background
(Economic Drivers)
• Mozambique is rich in natural
resources (hidro-power, gas,
coal, minerals, timber, long
marine coast and fertile land
for agriculture).
• Main exports: sea products,
sugar, cashew nuts, tea,
coconuts, aluminum, timber.
• Main ports: Maputo, Beira
and Nacala
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Motivation, problem area
•
Nevertheless having all these resources Mozambique is indexed as one of the LDC
• Some weaknesses:
•
Human resource development
– shortage of qualified personnel and physical infrastructure to support innovation
relevant to Mozambique
– Lack of proficient personnel in Information and Communications Technology and
stimulation schemes to encourage the active participation of the private sector
– Shortage of scientist and low human capital
•
R&D and income generation
– Weak industrial base and a lack of an appropriate technology base. Innovative ways
for make mozambique being a more producer than consumer are the ones that will
contribute to income generation and job creation
– Week entrepreneurship and innovation culture for income generation and job creation
– Poor copyrights enforcement
– Low public and private contribution to R&D national efforts
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The KBE Advantage at Work
•
•
Diagram showing reasons for divergence of GDP between Ghana and Korea
over more than 25 years.
Korean example shows transformation from a poorly knowledgeable society to
a high knowledge based society producing innovative high technology products.
Source:www.worldbank.org/kam
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Why Knowledge
Economy?
• Because knowledge is the foundation of development and a
Sources of Technological Change (Korea example)
• Because a global knowledge revolution, leading into a post
industrial society (opportunity for Africa which missed the
industrial era)
• Get confidence and move to higher level of reforms and
developments
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The Four Pillars of the Knowledge
Economy
•
•
•
•
A sound
economic
incentive and
institutional
regime
An educated and
creative
population
A dynamic
information
infrastructure
An efficient
innovation
system
Source: Carl Dahlman, innovation in African Context- A forum for policymaker (March 2007)
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Cross-country
Comparison
Source:www.worldbank.org/kam
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Knowledge Economy Index
Africa in World
Source:www.worldbank.org/kam
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The Mozambique Government
Commitment on S&T
• Mozambique recognize Science and
Technology as a primary productive force and in
its Five Years Plan (2005-2009) defined three
pillars for Science and Technology:
– Scientific Research
– Technology Transfer and Innovation
– Information and Communication Technology
(ICT)
• The S &T strategy was approved in June 2006
and launched in February 2007 by the H.E
President of the Republic of Mozambique Mr.
Armando Emilio Guebuza.
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Strategic Objectives of Mozambique’s
Science & technology Strategy
1. Foster a culture of innovation through Mozambican society;
2. Promote grass-roots innovation and of S&T-based approaches by poor
and disadvantage communities;
3. Promote R&D and innovation within the industrial and public sectors;
4. Promote the transfer of technology;
5. Promote the use of ICT for good governance and service delivery, and
for the diffusion of knowledge, in support of poverty reduction and
economic growth;
6. Promote human resources development at all levels in the area of STI;
7. Build and improve the police instruments, institutions and infrastructure
of S&T system;
8. Establish funding policies and mechanism for research and innovation;
9. Review, evaluate and enhance the performance of S&T system;
10. Promote the mainstreaming of S&T within all sectors.
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Ministry of S&T Vision for S&T
Source: Mozambique Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy( 2006)
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The Role of ICTs in
KE
• The Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy of
Mozambique recognizes the crucial role of integrating
innovation and ICT in all sectors as a facilitating tool
that will strengthen capacity, improve corporate
governance
and
increase
the
government’s
effectiveness.
• Mozambique also recognize that ICT skills are
fundamental for the public/private sector as:
– increase its efficiency;
– they stimulate its entrepreneurial spirit; and
– play a role towards high quality and diversified
production.
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
ICTs and Development Plans
Development
Programmes defined
by the Government
 Plan of Action for the Reduction
of Absolute Poverty
 Government Five Years Plan
 Economic and Social Plans
 Public Sector Reform Strategy
 Agenda 2025 for Mozambique
ICTs as Enablers for
Social and Economic
Development
 ICT Policy and
Implementation Strategy
 e-Government Strategy
 Telecommunications Policy
and Universal Access Strategy
 New Telecommunication Act
 Import Tax reduction from
7.5% to 0%
 e-Legislation
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
ICT Policy Implementation Strategy
Projects
Human Capacity
 SchoolNet
 MICTI-ICT Institute
 ICTs Curricula and Certification
 Youth Programme for Content
Development
 HEI (Universities and Polytechnics)
Policy and Regulation
 Capacity Building at INCM
 Capacity Building at the
ICT Policy Commission
 Telecommunication
Sector Reform
Infrastructure
 National Transmission Network
 VSAT Nework
 Universal and Affordable
e-Mail Access
 Telecenters
 Digital Agencies
E-Government
 GovNet (Government Net.)
 SIP 2000 (Public Servants
Information Systeml)
 Civil Identification System
 State Financial Info. Sys.
(e-SISTAFE)
 Digital Land Registry
 One-Stop Shop
 ICT Survey in Public
Institutions
 Electoral Process Info. Sys.
Content & Applications
 Info. Sys. For HIV/AIDS
 Distance Education
 Knowledge Base for
Science and Technology
 ICT Observatory
 Country Development
Gateway (MzDG)
Source: Mozambique ICT policy strategy 2002
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Human Resources Development
The MICTI Model
“… a long-term vision for building ICT skills and capacity in
Mozambique, … through a unique sustainable and supportive
environment for the development of entrepreneurial and education
activity that facilitate business incubation, technology transfer, training
and the commercial exploitation of the knowledge-base”.
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The MICTI concept
Address the dire
need for skilled
personnel in
Mozambique and in
the region
Nurture
entrepreneurial skills
providing
employment and
wealth generation
opportunities
Research and
Learning Institute
Science and
Technology Park
Technology and
Business Incubator
Participation of international
and domestic organizations
that will provide expert input,
seed knowledge and
innovation capacities.
Source: MICTI Business Plan, 2002
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The MICTI Model – Objectives
• Promote corporate R&D research activities between private industry,
research institutions, and academia
• Provide a range of specialist support services and supporting start-up–
business incubation, risk capital financing, R&D and product
development, entrepreneurship development, management training, etc.
• Facilitate the development of business and technical know-how that
contributes to fight against poverty through expanding citizen’s access to
global knowledge resources and attracting foreign investment and new
partnerships into Mozambique.
• Provide tenants with access to high quality, secure and reliable physical
and communications infrastructure and services to tenants that minimize
their operation and development cost
• Creating in Mozambique an anchor project in ICT related fields that
reinforce the linking of the country into the Global Information Society.
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The ICT industrialization Project:
Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
Creation of an enabling environment that will allow more
involvement of private sector in the production and delivering
ICT products and services/solutions.
Creation of a workgroup of professionals and practitioners to
handle the task and implement flagship projects. The
identified typical workgroups included following areas:
– Free and Open Source Software (FOSS);
– E-Learning and Online Content Creation;
– Information Security;
– Infrastructure Development.
Improvement of education (Human Capacity Development) as one of the drive forces for the sustainable development of
ICT industrialization in Mozambique and Africa in general;
Identification, motivation and supervision of future
entrepreneurs;
Use the MICTI project as model for innovation and
entrepreneurship development.
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The ICT industrialization Project:
implementation of the findings
Based on the above recommendations and on the
strategic objectives of Mozambique Government
the team proposed to implement a model which
will contribute on the development of human
resource and creation of entrepreneurs that will
accelerate the development of ICT industry.
• Develop skills in the area of ICTs and management;
• Create opportunities to the youth to develop business in
the area of ICT applications;
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
The Industrialization Model
Mid-level
course
Short term
course
Enabling enviroment
Research and
Development
projects
Business
incubator
Decision Point
Small and medium Enterpriise – Existing in Market
Small Entreprise, Just after the incubation
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
Students/ MICTI client
MICTI 2007
The combination of the training and
the incubation will:
• Increase the capacity of the existing ICT companies in term
of the quality and diversity of the services (the ICT industry
will grow in tem of quality and number of services);
• Increase the number of ICT companies in the market (grow
the ICT industry in number);
• Create new Jobs and Increase the labor market
(incubation);
• Exploit with innovative solutions new opportunities such us
e-government/e-services, mobile applications (mbaking/mcomerce)
• Private sector and other ICT practitioners involved on
training, curriculum development, supervision during the
internship programs and mentoring on specific area.
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Roll Out of the Model
• Start of the implementation of the Centre for Technology
Development (CDT) -Transform the military barrack in
centre of excellence in S&T;
• Start of the ICT mid-level professional course (18 mounts
course including 6 mouths of internship);
• Graduation of the first 3 companies incubated at MICTI –
each companies end up with a minimum of 3 employees;
• Research activities in low cost communication technology;
• Signature of MoU between the ministry of S&T with Sahara
holdings to install a computer assembly line at CDT;
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
Conclusions
• S&T affect the degree of job-creation enhancing
competitiveness increasing the demand for labor. To
enjoy the positive effect of S&T its necessary:
– To have skilled human capital;
– To make the education system more demand driven;
– To develop a diversified science and technology
infrastructure, and strong global niches in the IT
industry;
– Promote investments in knowledge-related areas;
– Increase the role of the private sector and promote
university-industry partnerships;
– Invest in research and development;
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007
http//www.micti.co.mz
Thank you for your attention!
[email protected]
www.micti.co.mz
Employment and the Knowledge Economy
MICTI 2007