The nomination for the WITSA Global ICT Excellence Awards is now open. All WITSA members are eligible to nominate candidates for the award in three (3) categories - Public Sector Excellence, Private Sector Excellence and Digital Opportunity. The awards ceremony will take place in Amsterdam during the WCIT 2010 Gala Dinner on May 26 this year.

The nomination will be closed on Monday, March 1, 2010. For more information, please check out our website or contact Anders Halvorsen.

The nomination for the positions of WITSA Chairman and Board of Directors for term 2010 – 2012 is now open.

Please refer to the new WITSA Bylaws for information and criteria on the nomination and election of office bearers.

To nominate, please complete the Nomination Form and return to the Nominating Committee Chairman c/o Dr. Jim Poisant not later than Thursday, April 1, 2010. The election of these positions will take place during the WITSA General Assembly in Amsterdam on May 24, 2010.

The request for proposal (RFP) and Licensing and Event Hosting Agreement to host the WITSA World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2014 is now open. The RFP will be closed on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. The result is expected to be announced on during the WITSA General Assembly on May 24, 2010 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

For more information, please check out our website. Alternatively, you may contact the Secretary General.

WITSA aims to strengthen our national industry associations through the sharing of knowledge, experience, and critical information. We seek your continuous support to provide us with materials on the below listed subject areas.

This information will be published in our quarterly e-Newsletter and stored within our knowledge sharing portal (coming soon). Please send your materials to the Membership Secretariat.

• Industry News and Updates
• Industry Best Practices
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Reports
• Grants Availability
• Market Intelligence and Survey Reports
• Upcoming Events 2010 / 2011

During the recent Extraordinary General Assembly in Bermuda, WITSA has approved the setting up of new Regional Secretariat Offices in Latin  America, Africa and the Middle East.

These new offices will be funded by AMITI (Argentina), ITAN (Nigeria) and PCA (Lebanon) respectively, adding to the existing offices in North America (Virginia), Asia (Malaysia) as well as the WITSA Headquarters in Cyberjaya, Malaysia.

The Global Trade Committee has faciltated a trade mission to Melbourne, Australia recently, in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Digital Innovation Summit (APDIS 2009) on Dec 14 – 17, 2009.

Hosted by the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), a total of 32 delegates from ten economies, including Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Laos, Indonesia, Thailand, India and the host country participated in the trade mission. Over 200 business matching meetings have been concluded with potential trade deals and investment prospects worth more than US$7.2 million.

Check out the WTM-Melbourne Report and the Press Release here.

WITSA Chairman was invited to speak at the recently concluded Asia-Pacific Digital Innovation Summit (APDIS 2009) in Melbourne, Australia. Chairman Khoo presented the keynote entitled “ICT is Key in Reviving Global Trade”.

Chairman Khoo pointed out that ICT is an essential tool to revitalize cross-border trade and revive the world economy in the wake of the recession caused by the financial crisis of 2008. He also cautioned against the move by some governments in adopting protectionist measures to reduce unemployment as well as current account and trade deficits, which could instead hamper global economy recovery.

Check out WITSA Chairman’s Speech and Press Release here.

BRIC IT Associations – RUSSOFT of Russia and BRASSCOM of Brazil – together with China Council for International Investment Promotion (CCIIP) combine efforts in promoting the idea of accelerated development of IT industry in the BRIC countries.

In October 2009, they had a video-conference to discuss on the concerted action of BRIC countries aimed at the development of ICT sector as a tool for overcoming crisis and its after-effects, as well as for building the New Economy. They appeal to the governments of BRIC countries to develop the IT sector and to support international cooperation between these countries in the ICT field.

Please click here for the Press Release and the BRICs’ Appeal.

In 2009, the Dutch market size for ICT spending was over 30 billion Euros, representing more than 5% of its economy. The Dutch has designated ICT as the Axis of Innovation, making ICT as an Enabler for innovation for all the other key sectors.

This report has outlined three main areas – ICT and Innovation, Energy and Environment as well as Education and the Labor Market.

Please check out the ICT~Office Report here.

The Dutch will be hosting the WCIT 2010 on May 25 – 27 this year in Amsterdam.

Some of the most influential and innovative minds in business, politics and academia will come together to discuss the “Challenges of Change”, from Inspiration to Innovation and Transformation. The “Challenge” reflects the sense of urgency to provide ICT a prominent role in the current economic crisis and the economic recovery package in Europe and the rest of the world.

Among some of the key tracks for the congress include Creative Industries, eInclusion, Security & Safety, Mobility, Energy, Sharing Space, eGovernment, Water and eHealth.

The host of WCIT 2010 invites you to partake in this premier congress and to witness the WCIT 2010 Declaration of Amsterdam.

For more information, please visit www.wcit2010.org.

The WITSA Trade Mission (WTM) is a platform for the host economy to attract potential investment and to promote their ICT industry. Through WTM, WITSA provides opportunities for participants from around the globe to network, to forge strategic partnerships and to explore business opportunities.

The Global Trade Committee invites all WITSA members to host the next WTM in your economy. Please send your request to the Global Trade Secretariat.