What are Basic Questions to Consider before Designing Policies and Programs?

In order to better design programs to increase ICT adoption, it is useful to review the current related policies, which industries to target, what barriers to target, and how to best reach the SMEs. The following questions provide a basic guideline.

Existing policies and programs:

1. What are existing ICT policies?
2. What policies/programs do the regions currently have for SMEs?
3. What are existing policies/programs that encourage SMEs to adopt ICT?

Who to target:

1. In which industries do revenues from SMEs comprise over 50 percent of total revenues?
2. How do the top five export industries in the non-ICT sector use ICT?

What barriers to target:

1. What percentage of the population is connected via fixed lines, mobile phone lines and/ or the Internet?
2. How expensive are ICT connection charges compared to neighboring countries?
3. What is the level of ICT literacy?
4. What options do SMEs have for accessing financing? How difficult is it?
5. How do SMEs currently use ICT?
6. Are firms in the ICT sector starting to target SMEs? If so, how?
7. What percentage of firms has started to use e-commerce, both B2B and Business-to-customer (B2C)?
8. How developed is the legal infrastructure for online transactions?

How to target:

1. What government support agencies are there for SMEs?
2. What other support agencies/programs exist for SMEs? How strong is their institutional capacity?
3. How and from whom do SMEs receive industry information?