The 11th Innovation Africa Digital Summit attended by ministers, policy makers, regulators, service providers, end users, finance companies and international agencies in a move set to develop Africa’s Telecoms and information communication technology ecosystem has come to an end.
Themed “National Broadband Strategies and Agendas: Acceleration and Alignment”, the summit began March 19 with opening remarks from a representative of Ethiopia’s Communication and Information Technology Minister Dr. Debretsion Gebremichael.
The minister said the Ethiopian government recognizes the importance of developing ICT to eradicate poverty.
Praising Africa’s potential, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Office for Africa Director Andrew Rugege added that though Africa has less broadband penetration, its potential is high if governments invest in it.
He added that the UN Broadband Commission has set broadband targets and therefore countries needed to have their own broadband plans or strategies and also ought to make broadband services affordable by 2015 and make sure that 40 per cent of households have access to Internet with penetration standing at 60 per cent.
The Summit was made possible by Extensia in partnership with the Ministry of ICT Ethiopia and was designed to assist acceleration of national broadband agendas and their alignment with national imperatives.
Image courtesy:Ethioisports.com
