The 2020 edition of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Global Innovation Forum highlighted the critical role of entrepreneurship-driven innovation in the context of a global pandemic.
“Supporting entrepreneurship-driven innovation has never been more important,” notes ITU secretary-general Houlin Zhao. “Simply put, innovation pushes the boundaries of what is possible. It creates jobs, economic growth, and new ways to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic. ICT innovators need access to the resources to take their ideas to market and access to a well-developed broadband infrastructure.”
While digital technologies have the potential to change lives and significantly accelerate sustainable development, many communities lack access to an enabling environment as key stakeholders often fail to understand, develop and renew the competitive practices that fuel digital transformation. Furthermore, the Covid-19 pandemic has created additional challenges for countries’ transition to a digital economy by negatively affecting socio-economic conditions worldwide.
“Entrepreneurship-driven innovation has been a rising priority for ITU stakeholders since the 2014 World Telecommunication Development Conference in Dubai,” says Doreen Bogdan-Martin, director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau. “This forum enabled participants to share insights and discover new practices. By bringing diverse stakeholders to connect with change-makers for more action-oriented outcomes, we hope that symbiotic relationships will develop to ensure sustainable and competitive digital ecosystems that unlock communities’ potential.”