A National Information Communication Technology (ICT) workshop opened at the Miatta Conference Center, Thursday. The two-day event, organised by Government of Sierra Leone’s NICT Task Force has been made possible thanks to the combined efforts of all stakeholders under the leadership of Governments and support from regional and international organizations as well as bilateral partners and the private sector, marked the unveiling of the E-Government Readiness Survey, commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The objective of the survey was to “gain a clearer understanding of the Government of Sierra Leone’s readiness to adopt e-government as a way of increasing efficiency in service delivery and reforming and modernising the public service. The survey was also aimed at supporting government’s efforts in preparing an e-government strategy and action plan.
The event drew wide participation from government, led by the Vice-President, Alhaji Sam-Sumana, who is also Chairman of the ICT Task Force, senior government ministers, members of the ICT Oversight Committee in parliament, senior executives from the private sector and the academia.
In her opening remarks, the Chairlady of the occasion, Hon. Veronica Sesay, Chairman of the Parliamentary ICT Oversight Committee, expressed the determination of her committee to “ensure that ICT play an important role in the development of the country”. She said that “the outcome of the workshop will put my committee on the right grip to forge ahead with ICT and help to compliment the executive”.
In his keynote address, the Vice President Alhaji Sam-Sumana, noted that on assuming the reigns of government in 2007, “we identified Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a major tool we will need to employ in the national development”. He said the government was eager to employ ICT as a “priority agenda in our government”. He reiterated government’s continued commitment to the Harmonization of Policies and Regulatory Framework for Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) signed by ECOWAS Heads of State on 19 January 2007 in Ouagadougou. The Vice President also lauded UNDP’s support to this effort and called on the Country Director to continue their support through to the implementation phase.
Earlier, the Minister of Information and Communication, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, Co-Chair of the ICT Task Force, stated that the event was “a manifestation of how Government is serious about ICT, and how committed and dedicated we are in ensuring that Sierra Leone becomes a preferred location for ICT and ICT enabled services in the sub-region”. He noted that government was not oblivious of the obstacles that lie ahead, but affirmed that they are emboldened by the “His Excellency, the President’s adoption of ICT development as one of his Government’s priorities in the journey of the governance of this nation”. He again thanked the UNDP for their continued support to the government.
Responding to earlier comments, the UNDP Country Director, Mr. Bernard Mokam, accepted the compliments on behalf of the Executive Representative of the Secretary General, Mr. Michael von Schulenburg. He said that ICT is going to be an important tool in the development of the country, especially in the area of service delivery. He noted however that there are many challenges facing government at the moment. He said it was important first to create an “enabling environment by defining a policy framework’, which he said will determine how partners will operate in the environment. On the issue of implementation, the Country Director said a lot will depend on the availability of tools, skills and equipment. He said the UNDP has chosen to work with the Public Sector Reform; finding ways to provide incentives for skilled people, providing training, tools, systems and procedures and attractive retrenchment packages.
The workshop continues through Friday, May 1 with group sessions which will look at the draft policy and make recommendations for a final policy document to be presented to the President for cabinet concurrence and ratification of parliament in due course.
