The World Economic Forum\u2019s Edison Alliance organized a seminar on promoting and expanding digital inclusion. The seminar was held in the context of the Edison Alliance\u2019s \u00ab1 Billion Lives\u00bb challenge, a challenge to improve the lives of one billion people worldwide by 2025 through accessible and affordable digital solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to a recent report by the Middle East Institute, spending on information and communications technology in the Gulf states was expected to reach approximately $70 billion by 2024, with Saudi Arabia expected to spend approximately $37 billion, the United Arab Emirates $23 billion, and Qatar about $9 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With an estimated 47% people worldwide lacking internet access\u2014equivalent to about 3.8 billion people\u2014and the cost of broadband internet exceeding the financial means of 50% developed countries, Badr Jafar, in his capacity as one of the appointed leaders of the Edison Alliance, emphasized that digital inclusion is a means to an end, stating that addressing the global challenges facing humanity and our environment is, of course, the primary goal, and technology is a means to achieve this end, not the agent of change, as reported by \u201cAl-Anba.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Commenting on the innovative investment models needed to achieve digital inclusion, Jafar explained that the importance of providing digital connectivity to those who lack it is an indisputable fact, as 70% of the new value in the economy and the ability to benefit from it over the next decade will be linked to platforms that require digital connectivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added: \u00abToday, with trillions of dollars in capital seeking returns without interest rates, stable, long-term, tariff-based investment opportunities\u2014such as digital infrastructure\u2014have become extremely attractive.\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00bbWe still need to consider how to ensure that the regulatory and investment frameworks are clear, transparent, and sufficiently convincing to accelerate this investment.\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is worth noting that the Edison Alliance Symposium on Promoting Digital Inclusion was held as part of the virtual World Economic Forum\u2019s 2021 Sustainable Development Impact Summit, where the summit, held in parallel with the United Nations General Assembly, brought together world leaders across sectors, disciplines, and geographic regions to share knowledge, innovative approaches, and promising ideas to accelerate post-pandemic recovery.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> Minutes<\/span><\/span>The World Economic Forum's Edison Alliance organized a symposium on promoting and scaling digital inclusion, held against the backdrop of the Edison Alliance's 1 Billion Lives Challenge, a challenge to improve the lives of one billion people globally by 2025 through accessible and affordable digital solutions. According to a recent report by the Middle East Institute, it was expected ... 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