The material provides an overview for decision makers about the opportunities and obstacles towards empowerment of their organization, government or country through ICTs. It covers issues raised in IT workshops and seminars across the globe presented in perspective to the Pacific experience.

The CD-ROM contains the following modules:

1a. IT for National Development - Overview: A broad overview of the opportunities with the Internet and obstacles to national participation in a 20 - 30 minute presentation. This is useful for introducing the topic during an "opening" session where dignitaries are also present.

1b. Getting Started: Internet 101 - Internet history, what it is, what’s available, key definitions and other valuable background information.

2. Ecommerce - Doing Business Online: ecommerce, what works and how to apply a strategy for a small business in the Pacific. This helps policy makers grasp ecommerce from a local business perspective.

3. eGovernance - The role of Government: In small island countries, Governments are the biggest employer as well as policy maker. This makes the Government an important catalyst for implementing a national IT strategy.

4. Security and Networking Issues: What are the threats of an information enabled economy? What is perceived and what is real? How do we deal with it?

5. Culture and Society in the Information Age: A cultural nightmare? What is the impact on our cultures? Can we afford NOT to be online?

6. Capacity Building - Upskilling a nation: Most Pacific Island countries are faced with the dilemma of participation in an information age without people with the skills to participate. What do we do now? How do we upskill an organization or a nation?

7. A strategic Approach to Policy making: This session helps participants work from a realistic view of current status in a nation and identify steps towards developing policies that will enable participation in the information age.
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