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Daily Trust (Abuja)

June 11, 2002 
Posted to the web June 11, 2002 


Information and Communication Technology (ICT) experts say computer engineers in Africa should develop software and hardware to boost the economy of the continent.This position was made known in a communiqué at the end of a three-day African Internet Summit and Exhibition (AFRINET 2002), held recently in Abuja.

The summit with the theme: "ICT as the Driving Force of the New Economy: Emerging Opportunities in the African Market," attracted participants from all over the world. A communiqué issued at the end of the summit charged the continent's computer engineers to foster and promote local development of software and hardware engineering and management.

The summit which was organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in collaboration with the Nigerian Internet Group (NIG), the Nigerian Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), made other far reaching recommendations.

These recommendations include:

To create a regulatory environment that promotes competition, keeping in mind the disparities in African Markets.

To adopt a unifying market strategy for ICT development in Africa; i.e. the need for standardisation; first at national levels and subsequently at regional and continental levels.

To provide incentives such as tax and duty concessions, which will ultimately be passed on to the consumers.

To foster cross-border partnerships among operators throughout the continent.

To select technologies that can leap-frog Africa, and that are also affordable, fast to deploy, scalable, interoperable and environment sensitive; and to support telecommunications infrastructure with adequate energy supply, using appropriate, alternative means such as solar, hydro (small-scale) bio-gas and wind, etc.

The other recommendations are:

To establish Community tele-centres in all local government headquarters;

To establish systems for encouraging Banks/financial institutions to extend funding to ICT ventures;

To promote Policy consistency and regulatory certainty and the establishment of independent regulatory body as well as a forward-looking legislation.

To actively promote Universal Access service and create fund from defined sources and

To make it obligatory for Banks to set aside funds for lending to sector investors.