Edgar Brandt
Windhoek-The fourth National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Summit was launched in the capital on Friday by ICT Minister Tjekero Tweya. This year’s summit will take place from October 9 to 11 under the theme ‘Leveraging ICT to unlock Economic Opportunities for an Inclusive Society’.
The event, which will be held at the Namibia Institute for Public Administration and Management (NIPAM), will bring together all ICT industry stakeholders to reflect on ICT trends, opportunities, innovations and challenges facing the local and global industries.
“As we may all be aware information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country. ICT plays a vital role in any society thus we, as the government of the Republic of Namibia, must ensure that we keep abreast with technological developments and trends.
“Our ICT industry has grown in leaps and bounds during the past few years and as a country we are rated by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Measuring Information Society Report 2016 as one of the most dynamic countries in Africa,” said Tweya at the launch.
He added that Namibia is fortunate to be one of the few African countries to have access to the West Africa Cable System (WACS), as this provides higher bandwidth capacities to mobile and internet users.
“We as a country boast as one of the countries with the Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A), which provides the population with faster data and internet services. Furthermore, our country has made progress in expanding its fibre network footprint,” Tweya added.
Also speaking at Friday’s launch, permanent secretary in the ICT Ministry Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana said the industry has been at the forefront in bridging the digital gap, bettering the lives and livelihoods of Namibian citizens through libraries, mobile devices, TV, radio, computers and related technologies.
“I would like to encourage all players in the ICT industry to participate and be more involved in this year’s ICT Summit. May we work together and do better than last year in order to ensure that this very impactful industry is well developed,” he said.
Activities planned for this year’s summit include presentations and statements on issues pertaining to ICT, while a full day will be dedicated to the youth to exhibit and showcase their talents and innovative ideas.