In the last weeks the government published its National ICT Strategy for the years 2008-2010. It very aptly called this document The Smart Island. Unfortunately it got lost in the general election campaign and as such very few had the opportunity to comment about it. Maybe we have got used very quickly to the government's investment in this sector and so we have started to take it for granted. However, the targets that this document sets for the country are very challenging indeed, and if met, will create more jobs, more social cohesion and more democratic society.
It has long been claimed, not only locally but also abroad, that internet has democratised society to the extent that no other ideology has done before. This is because internet is a great tool in making accessible information. The challenge that the National ICT Strategy puts forward is to transform these technologies from merely being tools to being primary vehicles for improving our quality of life. It continues from where the previous strategy document left off. That was drawn up in 2004 and the results achieved demonstrate the successful policies we have had.
The information society indicators speak for themselves. Mobile subscriptions as a percentage of the population stand at 86.6 per cent. The percentage of households with a PC stands at 70.3 per cent. The percentage of individuals aged 18 and over using a computer frequently stands at 45.9 per cent; 63 per cent of individuals have access to internet and 80 per cent of these have access to internet with a broadband connection. In the field of education, the results are equally impressive. The number of new entrants in ICT programmes is 1,336 for the year 2007-2008. This is 240 per cent higher than five years ago. The ICT student population is 2269, 219 per cent higher than it was five years ago.
We also compare very well internationally. We rank second worldwide in the government's success in promoting the use of IT. We rank 12th worldwide in terms of the highest rate of technology used by the government. We rank 21st in terms of being most technology ready. And we rank second within the EU in terms of online sophistication of e-government services. That Malta is present on the global ICT industry map is the fact that 36 per cent of investment projects brought in by Malta Enterprise in 2006 were in the field of ICT. These results are to be seen within the context of the government's vision for 2015 (many had thought of it as being too ambitious and too cut off from today's reality, but now being recognised as being achievable) of having Malta as the leading regional ICT services hub together with health care, education and financial services.
The document lists a number of deliverables which include the enhancement of the technical infrastructure, the development of a workforce that is capable of exploiting the new employment opportunities, the transformation of public administration rendering it more open, the expansion of e-business to the extent that e-business becomes the rule rather than the exception, the development of a world-leading ICT industry, and the development of a more cohesive and more equal society through ICT. This effort is expected to be supported by maintaining IT as a key element of a ministerial portfolio.
In strictly economic terms, ICT will not only be a significant sector that generates jobs (the generation of 5,600 jobs in SmartCity is just one example of this) but it could also help in smoothening out the typical business cycle of peaks and troughs, through which our economy goes in response to the international economic situation.
Moreover, it is also becoming increasingly evident that most of the new jobs being created in manufacturing and in the services sector have a high component of ICT-related work content. The international call centres that have been set up are just one example of this.
However, the key question is whether we will be better off as a result of Smart Island. Will we enjoy a better quality of life? The indications all point to a definite "Yes". This is why it is critical that investment in ICT is maintained at a high level, because we cannot run the risk of falling behind.