Political will, Zambia’s necessity for ICT development

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Political will, Zambia’s necessity for ICT development

Rosaria Lubumbashi-Simengwa

Geneva, May 17/13, ZANIS——-Zambia’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Enclya Sinjela, says political will remains a necessity for the country to promote the development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) industry in order for it to blossom.

Ambassador Sinjela said this on the sidelines of the on-going World Summit on the Information Society taking place in Geneva, Switzerland.

ZANIS reports from Geneva that Ambassador Sinjela explained that Zambia has not performed as expected in the development of ICTs because of the lack of political will demonstrated by the previous regimes.

She cited a case in point where Rwanda is today making strides in the ICTs sector due to that country’s commitment made in the past years over the International Telecommunication Union initiatives that were offered to the African countries on a free basis for purposes of improving people’s socio-economic welfare.

The Ambassador added that Rwanda took advantage of the initiative where ITU connected that country’s schools and communities for enhanced development.

“As you know, Rwanda has advanced to one of the highest levels, not because there was no help but the base was from ITU.

“ITU went into Rwanda and connected the schools. It was from there that the Rwandese government took it up, and the country is a show case, “she illustrated.

She has, however, expressed confidence that Zambia still stands a greater chance of making a difference in the development of ICTs because of the bold decisions and commitment that Government has shown in adding value to the sector.

The Ambassador further explained that the ITU meetings are important because they promote interactive dialogues among different countries.

She described the meeting as economically beneficial as various Governments exchange views and exhibited various economic products from their countries, which show the level of progress countries are making in their various regions.

“We are able to learn a lot, get connected to the rest of the world, learn the best practices and make partnerships which can add value to Zambia’s ICTs, “Ambassador Sinjela narrated.

The Ambassador has, therefore, urged the Zambian citizens to continue supporting President Michael Sata’s administration, saying the Government has recorded a lot of progress since it took office in September, 2011.

“The Government has made a lot of bold decisions which in some cases people think are not beneficial to the country. These are long term decisions which will not only trickle down to the country but the individuals, too, “she explained.

The ITU is a world body that is charged with the regulation of telecommunication around the world.

It sets the standards and gives opportunities to Governments to tap into the knowledge that it has the expertise.

Since May 13, 2013, the ITU has been hosting the World Summit on the Information Society currently running in Geneva, Switzerland.

Official closing of the WSIS will be later this afternoon.

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