Friday, February 04, 2005
A need for numbers
By Brenda Zulu
Only nine African countries replied to the questionnaire on the WSIS Plan of Action adopted at Geneva phase of WSIS.
Shortly after the summit in Switzerland, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Bamako Bureau sent African states a questionnaire on all aspects of the Plan of Action (PoA). The questionnaire specifically asked respondents about problems encountered while assessing progress in implementing the (PoA).
At the Africa preparatory conference in Accra, a representative of Mali presented a report on a pre-conference workshop held to discuss the responses to the questionnaires. He noted that less than half of the countries replying to the questionnaires had formulated their national ICT policies between 2002 and 2004.
The workshop recommended that states should establish an information gathering mechanism involving all concerned parties at national level.
Governments should also set up and activate the national WSIS committees called for in the Bamako Declaration to facilitate the gathering of information. The Bamako Declaration was adopted by leaders at the first African regional preparatory meeting ahead of the first phase of WSIS.
They should also ensure that national statistical offices are involved in the collaboration and dissemination of information on the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action. The workshop called for a proper evaluation of the progress achieved in realising the dream of an African information society and the implementation of the Geneva Action Plan for the period 2005 to 2015.
Delegates agreed that all institutions involved with ICTs should be encouraged to work in partnership and in close cooperation with national statistics offices in collecting, collating and disseminating ICT development data and statistics. They identified the need to create synergy between the public and private sectors in this regard.
The capacities of ministries in charge of ICTs and regulatory agencies responsible for the collection, collation and dissemination of ICTs indicators should be strengthened.
Attention to ICT indicators should be incorporated into general framework for identification of various types of indicators, capable of adoption to the specific needs of each country. A draft document on ICTs indicators, covering all interested African countries should be prepared for submission to all donors.
Regional economic communities should be involved in the ICT indicator process.
The development use of software for the prediction of ICT indicators should be encouraged and the ICT task force should ensure follow up to implementation of the recommendations prepared at the WSIS workshop at the national and sub-regional levels between now and Tunis 2005.
Only nine African countries replied to the questionnaire on the WSIS Plan of Action adopted at Geneva phase of WSIS.
Shortly after the summit in Switzerland, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Bamako Bureau sent African states a questionnaire on all aspects of the Plan of Action (PoA). The questionnaire specifically asked respondents about problems encountered while assessing progress in implementing the (PoA).
At the Africa preparatory conference in Accra, a representative of Mali presented a report on a pre-conference workshop held to discuss the responses to the questionnaires. He noted that less than half of the countries replying to the questionnaires had formulated their national ICT policies between 2002 and 2004.
The workshop recommended that states should establish an information gathering mechanism involving all concerned parties at national level.
Governments should also set up and activate the national WSIS committees called for in the Bamako Declaration to facilitate the gathering of information. The Bamako Declaration was adopted by leaders at the first African regional preparatory meeting ahead of the first phase of WSIS.
They should also ensure that national statistical offices are involved in the collaboration and dissemination of information on the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action. The workshop called for a proper evaluation of the progress achieved in realising the dream of an African information society and the implementation of the Geneva Action Plan for the period 2005 to 2015.
Delegates agreed that all institutions involved with ICTs should be encouraged to work in partnership and in close cooperation with national statistics offices in collecting, collating and disseminating ICT development data and statistics. They identified the need to create synergy between the public and private sectors in this regard.
The capacities of ministries in charge of ICTs and regulatory agencies responsible for the collection, collation and dissemination of ICTs indicators should be strengthened.
Attention to ICT indicators should be incorporated into general framework for identification of various types of indicators, capable of adoption to the specific needs of each country. A draft document on ICTs indicators, covering all interested African countries should be prepared for submission to all donors.
Regional economic communities should be involved in the ICT indicator process.
The development use of software for the prediction of ICT indicators should be encouraged and the ICT task force should ensure follow up to implementation of the recommendations prepared at the WSIS workshop at the national and sub-regional levels between now and Tunis 2005.
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