If you search for “ICT sector in Afghanistan” you may get many reports and analysis of ICT sector development, improvement and empowerment in Afghanistan, but it all looks like fog because later in reality nothing exists.

1 > MCIT Creating ICT Sector

It’s important to agree that ICT sector cannot be created by wealthy businessmen investing in ICT sector having no ambition and idea of this sector but just trying their luck to get wealthier. Also ICT sector cannot be created by short term and temporary projects funded by donors. In other words ICT sector can never be built by money but by brilliant minds with ambitions. For example Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg founders of Microsoft and Facebook, they started it from their rooms and the only thing they had were skills, knowledge and ambition.

MCIT need to focus on young generation, creating collaboration with national and international academic institutions to equip graduates with skills and knowledge that is required in ICT sector market. Working with government organizations to facilitate and make it easier and cheaper for talented graduates to create startups (here I don’t mean simplification of services or procedures). Facilitation and availability of technological tools which might enable graduates to create startups easily.

2 > MCIT Empowering ICT Sector

Frankly speaking I was one of those who was no one’s cousin or had no ethnic affiliation. So mostly I would always work hard and honestly but I would be ignored if there were good opportunities. I know I might not be the only one but I trust MCIT can empower ICT sector while being neutral who to be empowered. The platforms and opportunities should be free and easily available for anyone who has the required skills, knowledge and ambition.

MCIT can empower ICT sector by creating platforms where experts can collaborate and network with national and international firms for job opportunities, exchanging experiences, and acquiring new skills.  Facilitating opportunities to create startups just by having laptop, access to internet, knowledge and ambition.

3> MCIT Leading ICT Sector

Leading the ICT sector means having a clear vision and strategic approach to improve ICT sector in Afghanistan. Having important role in creating platforms, opportunities and collaboration in ICT sector. In Afghanistan much more has to be done to be able to compete with ICT sectors of even our neighbor countries, and having strategic approach can help to wisely utilize our available resources and avoid wasting time on unpractical approaches, it’s all about which approach should be considered in the right time. Whenever we try to adopt other countries practices we should research it’s history and phases they have completed before considering this exact practice.

Leading this sector means understanding and analyzing our local problems, researching international practices and approaches for resolving the same problems and come up with our own local solution.

ICT is a wide field and there are many opportunities available in this sector which is not even considered by Afghanistan government till date. ICT is not only strong backbone for e-Governance implementation but it’s crosscutting many other sectors and can be used as enabler and empowering tool for development and improvement of other sectors as well and for this to happen we need strong ICT sector. But unfortunately focus is not on empowering and leading ICT sector itself but elsewhere.

“ICT is never about digitization of procedures and services, and has nothing to do with Electronic Governance. But Electronic Governance need strong ICT sector to implement Electronic Governance. In other words ICT is about creating, empowering and leading Information and Communications Technologies.”