Iraq to Spend Over $6B on IT Development

[LauraK]

Electronic News, 7/9/2003

Iraq is set to spend close to $6.4 billion annually on information and communication technology (ICT) by 2008, according to a study by the Madar Research Group of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

By 2008, the report predicts, Iraq will experience up to triple-digit growth in areas such as mobile phone and Internet use, compared to 2002. Such expenditures will come to around 8 percent of its gross national product (GDP) on ICT-related development projects annually between 2003 and 2008. This ratio, which is equivalent to the world average ICT spending and much higher than that of the Gulf region, will be fuelled by Iraq?s need to build from scratch an infrastructure that is either heavily damaged by war or made obsolete by over a decade of strict United Nations sanctions. <cut

?We have built our GDP projections on the most solid components of the economy, such as oil production and other promising elements,? said Abdul Kader Kamli, president and research director of Madar. ?To accommodate the political-economic variables our analysis has led to three scenarios for GDP growth over the next six years. Even the low-growth scenario brings huge opportunities for ICT providers and investors.?
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http://www.e-insite.net/electronicnews/index.asp?layout=article&articleid=CA309797&spacedesc=news

[NYC]

1. Didn't MCI World Com get this contract?

Despite their $11 billion fraud that was punished with a mere $500,000 fine?

[Nambe]

2. I wonder how long these contracts awarded by the occupier....

will hold up? I assume a crack in the coalition would be a crack in the contracts. I'll ask the I-Ching!