At the Boao Forum for Asia’s 2025 Annual Conference, leaders from tech, politics, and academia tackled one of the 21st century’s biggest challenges: closing the digital divide. The session "Enhancing Digital Capacity Building & Bridging Digital Divide" became a hub for solutions ranging from education reform to AI-powered tools. Here’s the scoop!
💡 Collaboration = Key to Progress
Former Finnish Prime Minister Esko Aho kicked off discussions by comparing today’s tech race to the U.S. Apollo program. "Just like the moon landing required teamwork, we need governments and companies to co-create inclusive tech ecosystems," he said, stressing that long-term investment in digital education is non-negotiable.
🚀 Cambodia’s 5-Pillar Blueprint
Cambodia’s Svay Nakry revealed bold plans to empower small businesses, especially women-led ventures (70% of SMEs there!). Subsidized cloud services, nationwide broadband expansion, and platforms like CambodiaTrade.org aim to turn local entrepreneurs into global players. 🔌
🤖 Iran’s AI Classroom Revolution
Sajjad Ahadzadeh from Iran’s Center for Progress highlighted open-access AI projects like DeepSeek and tax breaks for startups. His pitch? "Teach kids coding and AI literacy before trigonometry!" Panelists agreed: bridging the divide starts in schools.
🌟 The Big Takeaway
No single country can solve this alone. From regulatory teamwork to scaling successful models (looking at you, CambodiaTrade.org!), the forum’s message was clear: tech should connect us, not divide us. Let’s get to work! ✨
