CTO Chief calls for a worldwide consensus on the contributions of ICTs to development

Wednesday, 16 June 2010 00:00  |  James Barton

The CEO of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has called on global ICT stakeholders to join forces to ensure that ICTs are used in a way that enhances development. In his words, “whether the importance of ICTs are measured by voice and data penetration rates, by percentage contribution to GDP, to national taxes, to employment, empowerment, or to per capita income, there is a worldwide consensus on the contributions of ICTs to development.”

Dr. Spio-Garbrah was speaking at this year’s World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) organized by the ITU in Hyderabad, India, which has brought together a delegation of Ministers, heads of international organizations, development banks, regulatory agencies, and CEOs of operators. According to him, the telecoms and ICT sectors have been amongst the best performing sectors over the last two decades.

Indicating that the right to communicate is a basic human right, as recognized by the UN, he pointed out that 30-40% of people in most member countries still do not have access to affordable telecommunications, including mobile communications, and more than 90% of the population in most developing countries does not enjoy the benefits of the Internet. Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah emphasised the need for additional work to be done in “this important sector” by countries around the world in order for them to meet their Millennium Development Goals by 2015. He ascertained that achieving such goals requires far-sighted policies, robust regulation, competitive ICT operating environments, openness to new business models, technological innovation, a high level of capital investment in the sector, consumer adoption of new products and services, and expanded financial intermediation. “WTDC is only one of many opportunities afforded to the global community to renew its commitment to various pledges made in the past, and to carve new paths for the future,” he said, while commending the efforts of the ITU in harmonising the conference.

The CTO Chief reiterated  his organisation’s commitment towards promoting the needs of rural communities through its Commonwealth African Rural Connectivity Initiative (COMARCI), an initiative, which examined the state of rural connectivity in the eighteen Commonwealth African countries, identified some useful lessons from the experiences of five comparator non-African countries (the USA, Canada, Australia, India, and Malaysia), and was presented to the ICT community to help address the prevailing digital divide in rural regions.

The CTO’s upcoming events, the 5^th Annual Connecting Rural Communities in Africa, organised in conjunction with the Government of Ghana,  in Accra, in August this year, and the 4^th Annual Connecting Rural Communities in Asia in Jaipur, India, in November, will examine the key policies, regulations, legislation, business models, operating environment, technologies, financing schemes and Public-Private-People’s Partnerships (PPPPs—4Ps) to help facilitate greater ICT access to rural and disadvantaged communities. According to him the organisation has already held six local workshops in Nigeria, some of which have drawn between 400 to 600 community leaders, to forge the 4Ps. In Sierra Leone, six Cabinet ministers joined some 250 community leaders in March this year to consider such partnerships, with several other African countries awaiting similar interventions by the CTO. 

In his end note, Dr. Spio-Garbrah, stressed on the need to remain “mindful” of the many priorities facing the global ICT community. He pointed out that “unless the last human who is awaiting ICT access, is connected, all of us are poorer and we do not live fully in a globalised world.” He remained confident that decisions will be made “that will enable us sooner than later to become a truly global village.”

About CTO

With a history dating back to 1901, the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) is an international development partnership between the Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth governments, businesses and civil society organisations. CTO provides the international community with effective means to help bridge the digital divide and achieve social and economic development, by delivering to developing countries unique knowledge-sharing programmes in the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).

With its headquarters in London and recipient members based in Europe, the Caribbean, Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions, the CTO has been at the centre of continuous and extensive international communications development funding, co-operation and assistance programmes. CTO’s mission is to reduce global poverty through the more efficient utilization of ICTs, and its development agenda reflects the priorities set in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

More info:

• www.cto.int