[UgaBYTES] ICT is a Means to Achieve Development and Democracy

[Mwathi Francis]

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a means to achieve
development and democracy, through supporting political, economic and
social transformation, the Commonwealth Director of Legal Affairs told
delegates at the Sixth Commonwealth ICT Summit in Abuja, Nigeria
yesterday (6 October).

Betty Mould-Iddrisu was speaking at the opening of the two-day summit
organized by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO),
in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications
and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). She made the address
on behalf of Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma.

 "Without a robust telecommunications network citizens cannot access
health services remotely or obtain a good education for their children
who are located in remote communities. We must help lift the smallest
and most vulnerable and most in need off the bottom rung," she said.

Experts in the field of telecommunications and ICT, private sector
representatives, international aid agencies and civil society
organisations are meeting discuss the theme: "Ensuring Effective
Connectivity for a Socially Inclusive and a Commercially Vibrant
Africa."

The term digital divide refers to the gap between those people with
effective access to digital and information technology and those
without

This summit also offers participants the opportunity to explore Africa
as a fertile emerging market for ICT business, to gain up-to-date
insights into current trends in technological advances, and compare
national ICT strategies.

The Secretary-General is encouraging the global network of
Commonwealth member governments and associations such as the CTO,
COMNET-IT and the CBC to work in partnerships with the wider
international community to help Africa to reduce its digital divide

Ms Mould-Iddrisu reiterated this by saying: "The Commonwealth is not a
resource-rich organisation, in money terms. But its networks, and the
goodwill that it generates, can be worth a great deal."

Over the coming months the Commonwealth Secretariat will be delivering
a series of workshops designed to build capacity in the Development
and Implementation of National ICT Strategies, a necessary
pre-requisite before any major investment in ICT can be made.

Top government officials from more than 58 countries, including
non-Commonwealth countries are attending the meeting to discuss
Africa's march towards ICT development.

 The CTO is an international development partnership between
Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth governments, business and civil
society organisations. It provides the international community with
effective means to help bridge the digital divide and achieve social
and economic development, by delivering to developing countries unique
knowledge-sharing programmes in the use of information and
communication technologies (ICT) in the specific areas of
telecommunications, IT, broadcasting and the Internet. It has a
specific focus on private-public partnerships.



Source; Commonwealth News and Information Service (London)