Information Deputy Minister attends ECOWAS Telecom/ICT conference in Gambia
Sierra Leone’s Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Hon Theo Nicol is presenting in the Gambia leading a five man delegation to the ECOWAS Telecommunications / ICT Experts meeting at the Kairaba Beach Hotel. Minister Nicol and H.E Fadika
The Gambian Vice President and Minister of Women’s Affairs, Her Excellency Haja Isatou Njie Saidy, presided over the opening ceremony, closely assisted by the Gambian Minister of Information, Communications and Infrastructure Nana Grey Johnson.
The high level five day conference is organized under the theme “Bridging the Regional ICT Divide” and attracted 14 ICT/ Telecommunications Ministers from the ECOWAS Region together with over 80 International experts in the field of communications and other related fields.
According to Minister Theo Nicol, the conference is specifically designed to among others bridge the ICT divide within ECOWAS Member States and further consolidate the ICT aspirations of members through series of measures, taking into account the proposed termination of taxes on incoming calls in order to make the ECOWAS region a key player among the global ICT family.
Hon Theo Nicol, is expected to talk on our country’s State of preparedness for the migration of broadcasting from Analogue to Digital and ICT programs and policies in the region vis a vis Sierra Leone.
According to a member of the delegation, Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communications, Gilbert Cooper the meeting will further discuss the implementation status of the ECOWAS 2011-2015 strategic plan for the Telecom/ ICT sector and will also discuss the draft regulation for access to the submarine cables and adopt the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) transmission standard.
Experts will also dilate on the resolution on special reduced rates for Telecommunications services on ECOWAS day May 28, the West African Postal conference and the implementation status of the Africa project. After an intensive deliberation on strengthening of the Telecom/ ICT within the sub region, the experts on the fourth day are expected to adopt a final report and prepare the working documents for the Ministerial meeting. The Ministerial meeting, which concludes the five day forum, is expected to consider the report and recommendations made by the experts with a view to improving the Telecom/ ICT sector within Member States.
On what this high level conference in one of Africa’s smallest countries is expected to achieve at the end, the Hon Deputy Minister said “Above all, all ECOWAS countries are expected to go Digital by June 17th 2015 according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Signing the visitor’s book
Paying a courtesy call on High Commissioner Mohamed Fadika in his Banjul office on Monday before the start of the meeting, Hon Theo Nicol briefed His Excellency on the purpose of his visit to the Gambia and that at the end of the conference he would on the instruction of the President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma want to talk and explain to the Sierra Leonean community in the Gambia what the AGENDA FOR PROSPERITY and the CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW is all about.
His Excellency Fadika welcomed the Minister and his delegation and sent his best regards to the President and people of Sierra Leone. He informed that there are over 15.000 citizens presently in the country and promised that all arrangements will be put in place for the meeting to take place on Saturday at his official residence.
Other members of the Sierra Leone delegation included the Chairman of Sierra Leone Cable Company Idrissa Yillah and its Managing Director Mohamed Sheriff, Lawyer Musa Nur Kamara from NATCOM and Gilbert Cooper from the Ministry of Information and Communications.
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