“Information Communication Technology is live wire of Business & Governance” Nigeria’s Vice President
Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Vice President, Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo has said that information and communications technology (ICT) has become the live wire of both business and governance. (Photo: Group Photo of African Information Communications Ministers)
Speaking during the formal opening of the 3rd ordinary session of the African Union of Communication and Information Technologies Ministerial Conference at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria, Architect Mohammed Namadi Sambo said for Africa to achieve rapid and sustained economic social and human development, “we must overcome the knowledge and technology gap that divides us from the developed world.
Although appreciable progress has been made in our continent, our ICT strategies and policies as well as regulatory frameworks still need to be harmonized to enable us reap the full benefits of this achievement.
Qualitative Representation at the 3rd African Information Communication Summit of Ministers
He said the next focus of the continent therefore must be on the development and application of broad band and improvement in internet services to accelerate development in areas of national security, e- governance, tele- medicine, public safety and education.
According to Nigeria’s Minister of Information and communications, Professor Dora Akunyili the main objective of the conference is to adopt strategic guidance as well as programs and projects of regional and continental scope for the development of the communications and information Technologies sector in Africa.
Nigeria’s Minister of State information communication Labaran Maku said the need for Government ministers to be attending conferences on ICT need not be over emphasized, because the huge digital gap that separates Africa from the rest of the world has been identified as a collective challenge that our countries must meet to boost economic development, commerce and good governance in the continent.”The Heads of State and Government recognized this, which was why the January 2010 summit was dedicated to ICT’s.
He said the 3rd ordinary session of the African Union of Communication and Information Technologies Ministerial Conference is a follow up of May 2008 Cairo second ICT conference on Reference Framework for the harmonization of Telecommunications /ICT policies and regulations in Africa: an action plan for the development of postal services in Africa and eleven flagship projects of the African Regional Action plan for the knowledge Economy (ARAPKE), the January 2009 declaration of the African Union Head of state and government Assembly calling for the implementation of the program for infrastructure development in Africa (PIDA) and for the establishment of appropriate institutional arrangements and mechanisms to interconnect ICT backbones including national and regional internet exchange points within Africa and the rest of the world. Mr. Labaran Maku said this project aims at elaborating a development master plan for Transport, Energy ICT and water sectors. This 3rd session is also a follow up of the Oliver Tambo declaration of the extra ordinary session of ICT Ministerial conference held in November 2009.
Representing Sierra Leone were Sierra Leone’s Information and Communications Minister Alhaji Ibrahim Kargbo and his permanent Secretary Mr. Sheku Tamu.
Pasco Gerald Temple, Information Attaché, Sierra Leone High Commission, Abuja, Nigeria
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