At the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2025, policymakers, industry leaders, and experts gathered to explore innovative strategies for closing the global digital divide. The session, titled "Enhancing Digital Capacity Building & Bridging Digital Divide," spotlighted the crucial role of inclusive policies, public-private partnerships, and education-driven solutions in making technology accessible to all.
Former Finnish Prime Minister Esko Aho set the stage by highlighting the historical collaboration between governments and the private sector in driving technological progress. Drawing comparisons to landmark initiatives like the U.S. Apollo program, Aho stressed that strategic investments in innovation have paved the way for today’s digital infrastructure, with human capacity building remaining the key challenge.
Cambodia's Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Commerce, Svay Nakry, presented her country’s comprehensive five-pillar strategy to foster digital inclusion. Her plan includes subsidizing internet and cloud computing costs for small businesses, expanding broadband infrastructure, and launching platforms such as CambodiaTrade.org to connect local enterprises to global markets. Nakry also emphasized support for women-led businesses, noting that 70 percent of Cambodia's SMEs are led by women.
Contributing further, Iran's President of the Center for Progress and Development, Sajjad Ahadzadeh, outlined initiatives including tech parks, tax incentives for knowledge-based companies, and open-access AI projects like DeepSeek. He advocated for integrating programming and AI literacy into school curricula at an early stage, underscoring the importance of empowering the next generation with digital skills.
The discussion culminated in a robust panel debate where participants agreed that international collaboration is essential. During an engaging Q&A session, questions on AI developments in the Chinese mainland prompted panelists to stress that no single nation or entity can bridge the digital divide alone. They emphasized the need to share best practices and create global ecosystems that harness technology as a bridge to inclusive growth.
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Global leaders talk about bridging the digital divide at Boao Forum
cgtn.com
