Chapter 2: ICT Sector Development and Its Contribution to Innovation and Economic Growth in South Asia: A Critique

South Asian countries have recently shown tremendous advancement in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) deployment and have been identified as one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. This chapter reviews 43 state-of-the-art scholarly articles on the role of ICT in accelerating economic growth by fostering innovations in South Asian countries. A seven-step approach to the literature review is used for synthesizing relevant data. The findings indicate that although many South Asian countries understood ICT innovations as an approach that provides a competitive edge to business firms and the country's economic growth, their full potential remains untapped due to many barriers. Some significant barriers include the digital divide, ICT infrastructure, existing ICT policies, and data governance and social trust. The results of this chapter would help policymakers understand the vital role of ICT in fostering innovation and uplifting economic growth in the South Asian region.