The opportunity in youth and technology

by Olivier Campenon*

Preparing for a series of meetings for the upcoming World Economic Forum event in Jordan later this week, I realised the theme of the discussions sounded familiar to the discussions I was participating at in Egypt three years ago. And there it was; checking materials from the World Economic Forum in Egypt in 2008, the resemblances are striking.

Under a theme “Learning from the Future”, the forum called for fast reforms to the region’s political and economic systems. And among the calls for more democracy, more entrepreneurship and resolution of long-term conflicts, there is also one that calls for more jobs and investment into education for the swelling numbers of young people across the region.

If anything, the revolutions have shown the power of young and educated populations the region boasts. Lack of job opportunities among the young was a catalyst in many cases. It was exactly those young people that were at the centre of the fascinating drama that left us all glued to the TV and computer screens earlier this year (and is still unfolding in parts of the region).

Technology played an important part in the flow of information during the revolutions and use of social media has by now been well documented. It now remains to be seen how countries can provide jobs for that same population of ambitious young people, enabled by technology to share ideas among themselves and everyone else in the world. This is a theme that has a broader relevance as the prospect of global recession comes back to haunt us again. Sustainable development and jobs for young people are central themes of discussions this year.

Just how countries can provide meaningful jobs is an open question. For me, one thing is clear; telecommunication infrastructure is at the heart of every open and prosperous economy. Besides providing connectivity essential for globalisation, investment into telecommunication and wider IT industry also provides those meaningful jobs young people are after.

I am excited about sharing new ideas and exchanging views at the event. I am certainly hoping there will be enough young people at the event to hear from them directly about the vision of society they wish to build as well as how we can help by investing into infrastructure, by engaging with communities where we make business and most importantly, by providing jobs.

*Olivier Campenon is BT Vice-President, EMEA and will be attending the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Economic Growth and Job Creation.