If Africa is to harness ICT for sound socio-economic policies, continental and national ICT strategies must be integrated into broader policy agendas and frameworks, such as poverty alleviation.
These were the words echoed by the African ministers responsible for telecommunications, postal, and ICT, at the recent third African Union (AU) conference for ministers.
This comes ahead of the New York United Nations Summit in September, which will address these issues on a global scale.
According to the AU, the main objective of the conference is adopting strategic guidance, as well as regional and continental programmes for the development of ICT in Africa.
They also detailed the activities of the African Union Commission in the field of ICT, and urged the meeting to support the implementation process.
The ministers say this conference has come at a critical time, as Africa looks for ways and means of integrating an information society. They believe it is time Africa invested in broadband infrastructure. Their goal is to focus on the harmonisation of telecommunication policies and regulations in order to reinforce the African Internet network.
The AU says: “Africa has resolved to put the issue of ICT high on its agenda and the conference was a way to provide leadership to bridge the digital gap and to zoom into the ICT age, to fast-track the development of the continent.”
Southern Africa is already spearheading these efforts. Earlier this year, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ministers for telecommunications, postal, and ICT approved the e-SADC Strategic Framework. This aims at harnessing ICT to enhance socio-economic development and regional integration, it says.
They met to propose regional priorities for 2011/2012, which included: the setting up of national and regional Internet exchange points; the harmonisation of cyber security regulatory frameworks in SADC; and a regional project to improve interconnection among physical, electronic and financial postal networks.
SADC says its ministers also approved the recommendations made by the Regional Alliance Task Team for the adoption of a policy statement. This included the following policy objectives: transparency; cost-based pricing; effective competition; regulatory certainty and predictability; regional development; and infrastructure development.
According to SADC, it held a meeting to facilitate the implementation of regional ICT programmes to contribute to socio-economic development. This will also aid in achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the region, with only five years left until the deadline.
SADC agreed that the region should come up with common positions on various issues prior to the UN Summit, the AU says.
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