Japan's Official Development Assistance White Paper 2009
(2) Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
The dissemination of ICT contributes to sustainable economic development through advancement of industries and improvement of productivity. The active utilization of ICT is very important as it facilitates information disclosures by the government and improvement of governance through improved broadcast media, which is a cornerstone of democratization, and strengthening civil society by improving the availability and the quality of services.
<Japan's Efforts>
Japan provides active support in order to eliminate the disparities in ICT between regions and nations. ICT is a sector that can be basically developed through private sector initiatives. Because ICT is a field which is advanced by leadership in the private sector, the main focus of support centers around sectors which the private sector is not well suited to, such as the establishment of communication and broadcasting infrastructure in developing countries, as well as introducing legislation and fostering human resources. In addition, Japan works to promote the Japanese style of digital broadcasting system abroad, which has technical advantages.
Strengthening the Capacity of ITSS Education at Hanoi University of Technology (Vietnam)
Vietnam has positioned its IT sector as a promising industrial sector with a high rate of growth, and is actively moving forward with education and the fostering of human resources for this sector. However, the development of the human resources sought by this industry has not been adequately carried out due to factors like a lack of equipment and funds at universities and research institutions, as well as a dearth of teaching staff and technical professionals who are well versed in the latest technologies. Therefore, Japan has been carrying out a technical cooperation project aimed at Hanoi University of Technology since October 2006 (Note 21). Through the dispatch of experts and the acceptance of trainees, Japan creates learning plans and educational materials and provides intensive courses aimed at working adults. Through this Japan contributes to the fostering of exceptional human resources for educational institutions for Vietnam's IT sector and its IT industry, as well as strengthening the industrial competitiveness of the country through the development of IT skills (Note 22). Also, this project promotes education for IT technical experts in a Japanese language environment based on the Japanese IT Skill Standard (ITSS)(Note 23). This is expected to foster human resources who can connect the IT industries of Japan and Vietnam (Bridge SE (Note 24): bridges connecting the IT industries of Japan and Vietnam).
Notes:
(21) Phase I lasted from 2006 to 2008, Phase 2 has been ongoing since March 2009.
(22) Japan has been supplying equipment for IT education, dispatching Japanese language teaching personnel, and providing support for the dispatch of foreign students to Japan through an ODA loan project (authorized in FY2005).
(23) ITSS: Information Technology Skill Standard. Refers to IT standard skills formulated by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan.
(24) SE: System Engineer.