The challenge of preparing developing countries for Industry 4.0
16 July 2017
GENEVA, 16 July 2017 - Top industry, government and civil society leaders have met to discuss how action-oriented partnerships with country-level programming can help make concrete contributions towards assisting developing countries preparing for Industry 4.0. This special session at the World Summit for the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2017 was hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
The panel discussion focused on the question of how developing countries can prepare for the inevitable advancement of industry 4.0. The panel was comprised of Ratika Jain, Executive Director of Manufacturing at the Confederation of Indian Industries; Sami Haddadin, Professor and Director of the Institute of Automatic Control at Leibniz University; and Sebastián Díaz Mesa who heads the Marketing and Communications team at Start-Up Chile, a public startup accelerator created by the Government of Chile.
The discussion highlighted the importance of having a coherent strategy for industry 4.0, and the need to focus not just on companies but also on creating an eco-system to support the creation of technologies. In this context, another crucial aspect that was highlighted was the need for collaboration - within a country and internationally - in order to adapt to Industry 4.0 and reap its benefits.
Speakers noted that a hitherto neglected ingredient of Industry 4.0 is the essential role played by start-ups, with big corporations looking to them for solutions to problems. As entrepreneurs and large firms are taking a “collaborative” lead on Industry 4.0, special attention may be needed for the large and important small and medium-sized enterprise sector.
Panellists also stressed the important role to be played by international organizations in, amongst others, sharing knowledge and technologies, connecting actors in different markets and cultures, and providing education and training.
It was stressed that in many developing countries we are likely to see coexistence of Industry 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0. Undoubtedly, such a range of stages of industrialization within countries will present international organizations and governments alike with new challenges, forcing them to focus on innovative ways of delivering their services.
Other discussions during the session focused on cyber security laws, IPR protection and the role of government, as well as on standards and infrastructure addressing digital, human resource development, physical, institutional and technological needs.
For more information:
Detailed description of all sessions of the event (pdf)
Session on Industry 4.0 - Preparing for the 4th Industrial Revolution
Article by ITU News: ‘Industry 4.0’: How can we use tech to accelerate #SDG9?
(Main image: ITU)