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.
About the Author: Darrell Owen has worked in the international development arena for nearly 25 years (1993-2017). He worked as an employee for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for 6 years. He then consulted for 18 years through over a dozen for-profit and non-profit firms that held USAID contracts and grants. Prior to joining USAID, Darrell worked at the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) for 18 years, beginning in 1970 after completing 3 years military service in the U.S. Army. He first became involved with information technologies (IT) in the late 1960s while in the U.S. Army. His IT-related work continued throughout his working experience, with a concentrated focus during the last decade on expanding affordable voice and Internet to those living in rural communities. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Portland State University (Portland, Oregon), and a Master's Degree in Telecommunications from the George Washington University (Washington, DC). Darrell has been actively engaged in a wide range of ICT-related programs and projects. This has included designing and launching new initiatives, leading countrywide assessments, designing country-level programs, and managing and executing on-the-ground projects. Recently, his work has focused on increasing affordable Internet access as a foundational component for expanding socioeconomic opportunities, especially to the rural populations who are most often ignored.