• Commonwealth:
• Networking Commonwealth African states through ICT

Networking Commonwealth African states through ICT

18 June 2008

Rural connectivity initiative to be boosted through deepening partnerships among key players

Information and communication technology (ICT) industry leaders will meet in London on 19 June 2008 to discuss development opportunities in telecommunications in the 18 Commonwealth African countries.

The gathering at the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Marlborough House headquarters will comprise government policy advisors, regulators, operators, manufacturers, infrastructure developers and financiers.

More than 100 delegates will be attending the meeting that will be focused on the Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI) – a programme to develop ICT for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa. This will provide rural and isolated populations with access to communications, knowledge, and public and commercial services.

The seminar will examine current trends in policy, legislation and regulation; successes in rural connectivity; business models; and partnerships.

Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah said over 60 per cent of Africa’s population lives in unconnected rural areas.

“This represents an untapped market which holds enormous potential for the growth of service providers, equipment manufacturers and the entire telecommunications industry,” said Dr Spio-Garbrah.

He stressed the need for governments to provide basic ICT services to poor and marginalised communities that have been isolated both geographically, as well as through the lack of telecommunications access.

“There is also the need for continued incremental and methodical process of liberalisation and privatisation of the telecommunications sector in many African countries,” added Dr Spio-Garbrah. “A variety of regulatory safeguards need to be put in place to foster competition and to promote a conducive environment for rural connectivity.”

Mr Anthony Ming, Head of the Commonwealth Connects Secretariat which is supporting the COMARCI programme, said ICT regulation and legislation must be in line with the fast developing telecommunications industry.

“Trends that follow innovations in the ICT and telecommunications industry must be examined in the drawing up of policies to facilitate and develop connectivity. It is also important to ensure that national ICT policies are an integral part of the national development plan to promote coherence, cohesion, co-ordination, competition and cost-effectiveness – the 5Cs – in addition to funding, technical support and human resource capacity at all levels of government and society. Software, hardware and the skills to utilise these ICT tools for development are critical factors in achieving connectivity.”

COMARCI, which is managed by the CTO, aims to attract more partners to fund and further develop the second phase of the project following the first phase which examined the impact of telecommunications regulation, policy, legislation, financing, technology, infrastructure and operations on the cost-effectiveness of rural connectivity in Commonwealth African states in a study conducted over the past six months.