Andean Networked Readiness Project:

The overarching goal of the Andean Competitiveness Project (ACP) was to increase the economic competitiveness of the Andean Region, while the IT component focused on the role of information and communication technologies as they pertain to competitiveness -- and leveraging them for growth. Since the completion of the ACP in 2002, the project sponsor, the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF or Andean Development Corporation) has continued to build upon its successes with the Andean Competitiveness Program.

The first stage of the project began with research on each nation's Readiness for the Networked World. ITG worked together with local universities and consultants using its Readiness methodology to generate assessments for each nation. Preliminary results were presented in interactive multi-sectoral workshops held in each country (except Venezuela, where the local partners combined a workshop with a survey). We asked each group to respond to a complex set of challenges relating to the ICT environment and use in their nation.

As the workshops drew to a close, there was commitment in each country to continuing the efforts begun that day, and cooperating across sectors to design projects and policy initiatives to help their community to benefit more from ICT. ITG continued to work informally with these self-appointed task forces.

Building on the research effort of this vast team, ITG wrote an overview document (version espanol) which sought to contextualize the rich and varied insights from each nation, and act as an introduction to the country-specific pieces. Results were integrated into the Global Inforation Technology Report as well as the Latin American Competitiveness Report, and also presented to national and international stakeholders. The final document ITG prepared for the PAC was a case study of three regional electronic commerce iniatives that can inform the CAF's and Andean region's approach to the new economy.

ITG had fruitful collaborations with: Universidad Católica Boliviana - Insituto de Investigaciones Socio-Económicas, La Paz, Bolivia; Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia; Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Guayaquil, Ecuador; Universidad del Pacífico, Lima, Perú; and Venezuela Competitiva, Caracas, Venezuela. There were numerous other contributors in the process, in particular, CAF.

Our partners prepared the following papers in collaboration with ITG, all available though the CAF's website.

Tecnología de Información en Bolivia, Carmen Crespo, Horacio Zambrana

La Tecnología de la Información y de las Comunicaciones en Colombia, Santiago Montenegro, Luis Carlos Niño

La Comunidad Andina y su Preparación para el Mundo Interconectado: Ecuador, Freddy Villao, Sergio Flores

Preparación de los Países Andinos para Integrar las Redes de Tecnologías de la Información: El Caso de Perú, Mercedes Araoz, Sandra van Ginhoven

Tecnologías de la Información y Comunicación (TIC) En Venezuela, Lorenzo Lara, Lino Clemente, y Claudia Serrano

Brief descriptions of ICT in the Andean region are available in the Country Profiles section of Global Information Technology Report: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela