The target audience for this course is senior-level* government officials from FOSS countries working in national regulatory authorities overseeing digital and communications sectors.

*approximately Director level.  

This course is open to all policy makers and regulators who are interested in better understanding the evolving development of the digital economy.  

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:  

• Develop enabling digital policies and regulations and deploying connectivity infrastructure as foundational pillars of digital transformation.   

• Nurture the technology ecosystem to support innovation in the digital economy. 

• Promote industry and social programmes to enhance digital connectivity and connect the unconnected to build inclusive digital societies.  

• Build a secure and resilient digital environment. 

Face-to-face course over 5 full days. This course will be conducted in lecture and panel discussion formats by senior policymakers, academia and/or industry practitioners including: 

• Four to six in-person lectures per module – 1.5 hours each to facilitate knowledge transfer.  

• Two panel discussions – 1.5 hours each at the beginning and end of the course to facilitate knowledge transfer in an interactive setting. 

• Three group reflections – 1.5 hours each to set learning goals, check-in on learning progress, and wrap up.  

• Three evaluation sessions – Multiple-choice quiz at the end of each module.  

• Two site-visits – To innovation centres and or labs to facilitate hands-on training.  

• Pre-reading materials – To be posted on the portal prior to each day.   

At the end of each module, participants will take part in a written test to validate the level of knowledge gained during the course. 70% passing grade is required to obtain the certificate.

Introduction: Trends, opportunities, and challenges of the digital economy  

This session will provide an overview of the trends, opportunities and challenges of the digital economy which are relevant to regulators and digital policy makers.  

Module 1: Governance: Laying the foundation for resilient, cross-sectoral and cross-border growth in the digital economy  

These sessions will deep-dive into the foundational policies and regulations for small states to develop resilience and growth in the digital economy: 

• Part 1: Develop a holistic and evidence-based approach to governance – develop and analyse impact of policies, regulations and technical standards in a digital economy -  

• Managing competition and economics in the communications market;   

• Infrastructure business planning, mapping, deployment, sharing and resilience; 

• Infrastructure financing (e.g. public funding, public-private partnerships, government bonds, universal service funding); 

• Emergency preparedness and management;  

• Greening ICTs and ICTs for green  

• Part 2: Protecting consumers in a digital age: 

• Combatting online harms;  

• Artificial intelligence governance; 

• Personal data protection;  

• Cybersecurity;    

• Part 3: International digital trade and economy agreements. 

Module 2: Innovation: Creating a vibrant digital ecosystem   

This topic will focus on nurturing the technology ecosystem in a small state to support innovation in the digital economy. It will discuss how to do so through the promotion of the following: 

• Digital public goods and utilities (e.g. trade digitalisation tools, digital identities); 

• Fostering an innovation ecosystem;   

• Supporting small and medium enterprises’ digitalisation efforts.   

Module 3: Inclusion: Leaving no one behind  

 

This topic will focus on digital inclusion in the digital economy, ensuring all segments of society are able to benefit from the opportunities afforded by digital transformation, especially the vulnerable segments. It will feature discussions on the following topics : 

• People-Private-public (PPP) partnerships to encourage digital learning as a lifelong pursuit   

• Digital skills for all   

• ICT accessibility  

• Affordability of Devices    

Closing: Imagination: Architects of a common digital future  

 

This topic will empower participants to re-imagine a common digital future for themselves and their people.