The Latvian Information Technology and Telecommunications Association - LIKTA
The Latvian Information Technology and Telecommunications Association - LIKTA - is a professional association, founded in 1998, that regroups over 60 important ITTE product and service providers and educational institutions, as well as over 150 individual professional members of the ITTE industry sector in Latvia, namely in computer hardware and software, electronics, and telecommunications infrastructure and service providers. LIKTA member organisations employ over 15 000 people.
LIKTA is a non-governmental, democratic organisation, respecting and balancing the rights of its corporate members and its individual members. All decisions are consensus based.
Latvia wholly endorses the objectives of e-Europe and intends to become a full partner of the knowledge based global economy. It has elaborated its own e-Latvia strategy as well as an e-government model. Crucial prerequisites for this mission are a knowledgeable, ITT literate population and a well developed ITTE industry. Latvia has the advantage of having a fully literate population and a tradition of excellence in mathematics, science and engineering.
The principal objective of LIKTA is to promote and further the development of Information Society in Latvia, so that all citizens may be given the opportunity to benefit from ITT and contribute to the Knowledge based economy. LIKTA works toward increasing e-awareness in society by organizing conferences and educational endeavours and takes an active part in preparing professional study programs for ITT specialists. It has also set up the European Computer Driving Licence (ECDL) certification process in Latvia to allow non-specialists to confirm their computer skills. So far, 26 ECDL examination centers are established in the country and all pupils, starting from the 4th grade, will be acquiring computer literacy skills, up to the ECDL level.
An important aim of LIKTA is to encourage the growth of a vigorous ITTE industry in Latvia and to lend support to the selling of ITTE products and services abroad. Latvia intends to be not only a well educated and informed consumer of ITTE products and services, but even more importantly, an active provider of these. Software product exports reached the 25 million USD mark in 2002. LIKTA is the coordinator of the Information Systems Cluster, regrouping close to twenty export oriented ITT enterprises.
LIKTA also provides expert advice to Governmental institutions on legislative and other matters related to ITTE, and maintains close links to other more specific ITTE industry associations, as well as to corresponding organisations abroad. It is an active spokesman on behalf of the ITTE industry in Latvia. LIKTA is actively involved in discussing legislation and in monitoring public procurement procedures for ITT products and services.
At the 2002 annual meeting the members of LIKTA have adopted a declaration on the need to develop the ITTE sector, listing a number of concrete steps to be taken. The declaration has been forwarded to the highest level government officials, political parties and other competent authorities, and consultations are under way with them to seek out the best ways to achieve the wanted results. At the 2003 annual meeting progress was evaluated in meeting the stated tasks and a follow-up resolution has been adopted.
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