Sector-Wide Impact Assessment of the ICT Sector in Myanmar
1 September 2015
The roll-out of new information and communications technologies (ICT), infrastructure and services in Myanmar is having a transformative impact on the country. Mobile phone penetration has increased from 7% to 33% between 2012 and 2014, and continues to rise. The growing availability of smartphones is increasing opportunities for Internet access. It has been estimated that by 2030 the ICT sector could contribute $6.4 billion to Myanmar’s GDP and employ approximately 240,000 people.
The ICT sector is having a transformative impact on Myanmar at the same time as the country itself is undergoing a transformation: emerging from decades of ethnic-based armed conflict, authoritarian rule and economic isolation. Myanmar is – and will remain for some time – a high-risk country with poor governance.
The Myanmar ICT Sector-Wide Impact Assessment (SWIA), developed by IHRB in partnership with the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) and Danish Institute of Human Rights, is intended to support responsible business practices in this growing sector of Myanmar’s economy.
The Myanmar ICT SWIA puts detailed information on potential impacts of the sector into the public domain for uptake and use by a wide range of audiences.
It assesses not only localised impacts on individuals and groups that may arise from projects in the sector, but also cumulative impacts and the sector’s potential impacts on Myanmar society as a whole.
The recommendations in the ICT SWIA are directed towards government, businesses (and investors in those business), civil society and development partners for Myanmar, and are intended to support wider multistakeholder collaboration.
