The development of societies is dependent not only on their ability to generate knowledge, but also on their capacity to attract and digest flows of knowledge, said an expert.

Dr Hussam Salama, Dubai Initiative Research Fellow at Harvard University, was speaking at a presentation on the revolution of communication technology at the Dubai School of Government.

He highlighted the importance of knowledge generating capabilities and the ability to digest the global flow of knowledge, underlining their critical role in the advancement of societies as well as societies that have the capacity of hosting agglomerations of knowledge and modifying them to suit the local context.

Dr Salama also analysed the nature of knowledge flows with reference to case studies from the Middle East, and discussed the challenges that knowledge exchange might pose for societies in the region.

The Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010 states that the UAE Government is ranked second in the world in terms of ICT network readiness.

This reveals that the UAE government clearly wants to empower its citizens with global knowledge that leads to societal development and economic progress, Dr Salama said.

“The evolution of communication technology has facilitated movement of information and exchange of ideas. Many developing countries are currently creating mega-hubs of knowledge flows in an attempt to accelerate development and economic progress,” Dr Salama said.

“These huge projects mainly focus on bringing the most advanced scientific and technological forms of knowledge to the local context,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service