Digital Development Measurement and Monitoring Model
The first edition of the Digital Development Measurement and Monitoring Model (DD-MMM) aims to analyse the current state of digital development in the Arab countries, explore weaknesses and strengths, and highlight regional priorities to identify short, medium and long-term targets in order to achieve the 35 goals of the ADA.
This model was developed in consultation and coordination with the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) and the Core Research and Technical Cooperation Mechanism (CRTCM). It relies on selected international and Arab indicators, which were used in the situational analysis and the identification of ADA baseline values. The indicators will also be used to track progress in the ADA implementation and periodic update. The model takes into account the characteristics and priorities of the Arab region in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. It provides background information and an identification card for each indicator, and clarifies its relation with sustainable development indicators and other international indicators.
1. About Indicators
There are 85 indicators divided by source as follows:
- 24 international indicators (28 per cent), which are measured and disseminated by international organizations, mainly the specialized United Nations organizations.
- 61 Arab indicators (72 per cent), which are collected through the national digital development reviews of Arab countries.
The values of indicators for each country are captured through national observatories to be established during the first implementation phase of the ADA. According to the mechanisms in place in each country, these observatories collect the necessary data to calculate the value of indicators derived from national digital development reviews and relevant international indicators.
All observatories issue the values of national indicators according to the National Digital Development Reviews guiding manual, in line with the indicators contained in the digital development measurement and monitoring model. This process allows issuing periodic monitoring reports to track the implementation of the ADA goals. These reports will form one of the elements of the management and sustainability framework that assesses the ADA implementation effectiveness.
Each symbol of the indicators used in the ADA consists of two parts: the prefix and a set of digits, connected with a dash (_), as follows: prefix_digits (for example, DDR_1.2.3.4).
1. The prefix
- INT: It shows that the indicator is derived from reports or databases belonging to an international organization (INTernational), notably the United Nations, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the World Bank, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), ESCWA and others.
- DDR: It shows that the indicator is derived from Digital Development Reviews conducted periodically by the Arab countries participating in this project based on a specific definition that will be issued at a later period.
2. The digits
- The first digit refers to the cluster to which this indicator belongs (DDR_1.2.3.4).
- The second digit refers to the goal assigned to the cluster indicated in the first digit (DDR_1.2.3.4).
- The third digit refers to the target of the goal indicated in the second digit (DDR_1.2.3.4).
- The fourth digit refers to the indicator that measures/monitors the target indicated in the third digit (DDR_1.2.3.4).
2. List of international indicators used in the Arab Digital Agenda
| Indicator symbol | Indicator name | Source |
|---|---|---|
Digital maturity ranking according to the ICT Regulatory Tracker |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Country readiness for digital transformation according to the Benchmark of fifth generation collaborative digital regulation |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Percentage of individuals using the Internet |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Fixed broadband Internet subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, broken down by speed |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Percentage of the population covered by at least a 4G mobile network |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
International bandwidth per Internet user |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Number of Arab countries classified as at least “adequate” by the EU or any other entity in data protection |
EU |
|
Global Cybersecurity Index |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Research and development expenditure (as a proportion of GDP) |
UNESCO Institute for Statistics |
|
Patent filings (as a percentage of the global total) |
WIPO |
|
Global Innovation Index |
WIPO |
|
ICT goods exports (as a percentage of total goods exports) |
The World Bank |
|
Proportion of youth and adults with ICT skills, by type of skill |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Cost of mobile broadband Internet access as a percentage of monthly GNI per capita |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Cost of fixed broadband Internet access as a percentage of monthly GNI per capita |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Gender parity score in Internet use |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Percentage of Internet users in urban areas compared to those in rural areas |
International Telecommunication Union |
|
Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation (DARE) Index |
Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs (G3ict) |
|
Proportion of schools with Internet access |
UNESCO Institute for Statistics |
|
E-Government Development Index |
DESA |
|
Government Electronic and Mobile Services Index (GEMS) |
||
Percentage of digital Arabic content on the Internet |
To be determined |
|
Percentage of websites that provide content in the Arabic language |
||
Number of Arab countries that have a country code top-level domain registered in Arabic |
Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) |
3. List of Arab indicators used in the Arab Digital Agenda
| Indicator symbol | Indicator name |
|---|---|
Number of Arab countries that have comprehensive national digital strategies or digital development agendas |
|
Number of Arab countries that have an ICT sector strategy |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a sectoral policy/plan for digital learning |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a sectoral policy/plan for the digital economy |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a sectoral policy/plan for digital health |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a sectoral policy/plan for smart agriculture |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a sectoral policy/plan for smart transport |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national policy/plan for cloud computing |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national policy/plan for fintech |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national policy/plan for cybersecurity |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national policy/plan for the Internet of Things |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national policy/plan for artificial intelligence |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national policy/plan for the metaverse and virtual reality |
|
Number of Arab countries that periodically monitor and review the status of digital development at the national level |
|
Number of Arab countries that have special controls to encourage competition and control exclusivity |
|
Number of telecommunication or other digital services available regionally |
|
Number of Arab countries that have regulatory agreements for telecommunications or other digital services exchanged with other Arab countries |
|
Number of Arab countries that have at least one national Internet exchange point |
|
Number of regional IXPs |
|
Number of global content providers connected to regional IXPs |
|
Number of Arab countries connected to a regional IXP |
|
Percentage of intraregional data transferred without the need for international networks |
|
Number of Arab countries that have an effective national digital signature and certification authority |
|
Number of Arab countries that have mutual recognition agreements for digital signature services with other Arab countries |
|
Number of Arab countries that have updated laws for personal data protection |
|
Number of Arab countries that have personal data protection authorities |
|
Number of Arab countries that have updated laws to combat cybercrime and cybersecurity |
|
Number of Arab countries that have implemented the Arab Convention on Combating Information Technology Offences |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national cybersecurity strategy |
|
Number of Arab countries that have national computer emergency response centres |
|
Number of Arab countries that have cooperation agreements with other Arab countries for coordination between national computer emergency centres |
|
Number of Arab countries that have adopted a unified international classification of the registers of companies operating in the fields of ICT |
|
Number of Arab countries that have adopted an Arab framework to facilitate access to statistical data on companies working in the ICT field |
|
Value of the tangible and intangible assets of companies operating in the ICT sector |
|
The contribution of venture capital investments in ICT sector companies |
|
Number of Arab countries conducting periodic national measurements of the contribution of the ICT sector to the national economy |
|
Number of companies specialized in emerging technologies (in ICT fields) in each country |
|
Percentage of foreign direct investment in ICT companies |
|
Share of the ICT sector’s contribution to GDP |
|
Number of Arab countries that have approved plans to introduce ICT in manufacturing, agriculture, trade and other productive sectors |
|
Transactions using e-commerce mechanisms as a proportion of GDP in each country |
|
Value of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce transactions as a proportion of all e-commerce transactions |
|
Number of Arab countries that have laws and/or regulatory frameworks related to e-commerce and e-payment |
|
Number of Arab countries that have regulations for digital currencies |
|
Remote work opportunities as a percentage of all work opportunities in each country |
|
Percentage of companies that have ICT training programmes in each country |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a national digital accessibility policy for persons with disabilities |
|
Number of Arab countries with programmes to empower and protect youth in their meaningful use of the Internet |
|
Percentage of health centres with Internet access |
|
Percentage of those enrolled in e-learning and virtual learning in the country compared to total educational enrolment |
|
Existence/development of a national interoperability framework in Arab countries |
|
Number of Arab countries that have initiatives in the field of open data |
|
Number of Arab countries that have national data centres with cloud environments to provide e-government services |
|
Number of regional data centres |
|
Number of Arab countries using ICT in any e-health field |
|
Percentage of domain names registered in Arabic in each country |
|
Number of Arab countries that have strategies to achieve convergence between ICT and the media |
|
Number of Arab countries that have platforms specialized in providing access to media content |
|
Number of Arab countries that have laws dealing with issues of publishing on the Internet |
|
Number of Arab countries that have a licensing system that covers issues of access to media content through telecommunications networks |
|
Number of websites specialized in detecting fake news on the Internet |