This article was originally published in La Prensa on 20 October 2022.
At an event hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and Google, AlphaBeta part of the Access Partnership launched its latest report “The Digital Sprinters: Boosting exports through digital technologies”. In the context of the autumn meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the event brought together more than 50 representatives from the private sector, government, international and regional organisations, technology industry leaders and academics.
During his intervention, Christopher Martin (Principal and Policy Innovation Head of North America at Access Partnership) mentioned that “digital technologies drive exports through three channels: creating new digital solutions, reducing the costs of accessing foreign markets, and supporting the efficiency of export processes”.
Commissioned by Google, the study measures the export opportunity of six Latin American economies: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay. The study reveals that digital exports contribute about US$34 billion to these economies; however, with more effective policy instruments, digital exports can trigger up to US$140 billion in economic activity by 2030. The report outlines four key recommendations which, at the regional level, could help policymakers foster an export-driven enabling environment: 1) build future-proof digital infrastructure, 2) close the export-related digital skills gap, 3) promote digital security and build trust and confidence among businesses and consumers, 4) implement facilitation measures and policies.
