Africa: Africa needs 3Es not 3Gs
The Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, says what Africa needs at the moment is 3Es rather than 3Gs. Speaking at the recently concluded 18th annual session of the Crans Montana Forum in Monte Carlo, at the ministerial panel on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), that took place in Monaco, Dr. Spio-Garbrah said that the 3Es needed urgently by the continent is "education, empowerment and employment" of the citizenry.
Highway Africa News Agency
The Chief Executive of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, says what Africa needs at the moment is 3Es rather than 3Gs.
Speaking at the recently concluded 18th annual session of the Crans Montana Forum in Monte Carlo, at the ministerial panel on Information and Communication Technology (ICT), that took place in Monaco, Dr. Spio-Garbrah said that the 3Es needed urgently by the continent is "education, empowerment and employment" of the citizenry.
A press statement from CTO and endorsed by Communications Officer, Toby Davies, and made available to Highway Africa News Agency (HANA), indicated that while lamenting the burgeoning misuse of Third Generation (3G) licenses on the continent, Dr. Spio-Garbrah noted that though the high frequencies had been allocated in some countries for the transmission of audiovisual entertainment content, its has been hijacked for other purposes.
"Invariably the frequency is being used for the transmissions concentrating on girls, games and gambling," he noted.
He therefore solicited for a change of heart if Africa is to meet up with the pace of development, insisting that the 3Es are the most important areas of development Africa needs at this time.
In support of Spio-Gabrath's voice, Cameroon's Minister, of Posts and Telecommunications Mr. Bello Bouba Maigari, outlined progress made by his country in respect of ICT development and availability to the populace, re-echoed that what is most desired by the continent is how to go about achieving the 3Es for development.
Mr. Maigari also called for the sharing of infrastructure by ICT operators, stressing that there needs to be an aggressive strategy to penetrate rural communities, and the need for lower prices for telecom services.
Equally contributing, Minister of Posts and Telecoms of Burundi, Mrs Marie-Goreth Nizigama, cited the importance of inter-departmental cooperation, sub-regional and regional cooperation in advancing the objectives of ICTs for development (ICT4D).
She further noted that landlocked countries, such as Burundi, have the special challenge of getting access to undersea fibre-cable projects in Africa, which usually were designed to first satisfy coastal communities.
Mrs Nizigama also drew attention to the special needs of the disabled, women and other marginalised communities, especially in post-conflict countries.