Summit pushes for greater ICT in Africa, developing world

The Telecom Equipment and Services Export Promotion Council ( TEPC ), have called for the establishment of a greater Information and Communication Technology in Africa and the developing world.

The Director-General, TEPC, Shri Rajesk Kumar Bhatnagar said in a statement that the Indo-Africa ICT Expo and Summit 2017 was an avenue where African ICT experts would fashion the future of the industry.

“Digital Transformation is the need of the time for the developing world.
“Nations in Africa and India can share their experiences on embracing digital technologies, digital competencies, digital literacy for re-inventing lives and changes covering all aspects of human society in the respective nations.

“TEPC is a body set up by the Indian government to organise the event that will presents African ICT experts a unique opportunity to present and review their nations’ ICT plans over short, medium and long term periods.

“The Indo-Africa ICT Expo & Summit 2017, a two-day forum is designed under the auspices of strengthening Indo-African relations, essentially to move the African ICT industry to greater heights.

“The event which will be coming up on Sept. 6 and 7, has the theme ‘Digital Dreams of Developing Nations’.

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“The Nigeria’s Communications Minister, Mr Adebayo Shittu, the Ghanaian side, Mrs. Ursula Owusu-Ekuful with their Indian counterpart Shri Manoj Sinha will also be on ground,” he said.

Bhatnagar listed other topics for the conference to range from training, regulation in telecom sector, Convergence of IT and Telecom, e-Health, e-Governance, e-education, e-finance, infrastructure, new technologies, standardisation, spectrum auction and optimisation.

He listed others to include licensing, evolving needs of consumers, service providers.

According to the organisers, a key highlight of the event will be an ICT Ministers’ Roundtable Meeting scheduled for Sept. 6, on the guiding theme ‘Digital Vision of the Developing Nations”.

He said that it would be a platform for ministers to present and share the ICT visions of their countries over the next five years thereby showcasing partnership opportunities that such vision would bring to the industry at large for the two regions.

He said that it would also come with lots of opportunities for SMEs as the event would also showcase the best of the telecom and IT industry from Africa and India.

Bhatnagar said that TEPC was working in conjunction with the National Association of Software and Service Companies, (NASSCOM), which is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPM industries in India.

He said that the vision of a knowledge based society built on an edifice where IT and telecommunications merge had already established a symbiotic relationship between the development strategies of IT and telecommunications.

“IT flourishes on the telecom-network and in turn permits modern day telecommunications to use sophisticated IT-software.

“Africa is among the fastest growing markets worldwide, improving macroeconomic indicators, conducive business environment, larger, younger and more affluent population, rising middle class.

“All of these are strong indicators of not only a source of capital but also of job creation, skills development, technology transfer, infrastructure development, responsible governance and most of all sustained growth that eventually will lead to transformation of African economies,” he said.