Johnson leads Commonwealth forum on broadband expansion

Ministers in charge of Information and Communication Technology in 30 Commonwealth countries converged on London on Monday at a forum expected to produce an agreement for advancing broadband penetration across the 53 member organisation.

The Nigeria’s Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson, currently chairs the Commonwealth ICT Ministers Forum.

The two-day meeting which ends on Tuesday (today) will also review the recommendations for a pan-Commonwealth cyber-governance model and consider ways to improve access to technology for users with disabilities.

A statement issued by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation on Monday said Cyber security and cybercrime would also be discussed.

According to the statement, it is the first Commonwealth ICT Ministers’ Forum and is being jointly organised by the CTO and the Commonwealth Secretariat.

It stated that the forum had representation from the large Commonwealth countries such as India to the small island nations like Nauru.

The meeting followed an endorsement last year by the heads of government of a multi-stakeholder partnership involving the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation and the International Telecommunication Union to develop national broadband policies and strategies and bridge the digital divide.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Kamalesh Sharma, said a widespread access to social media would bring new immediacy to politics and governance, with elevated expectations of transparency and accountability.

He said, “The explosive growth of the Internet has revolutionised global access to knowledge, networks, business opportunities and expanding markets, transcending national boundaries.

“By exchanging experience and insight on a vast variety of subjects, whether an opportunity or a threat, and many other ICT-related issues; we continue a rich Commonwealth tradition.”

The statement quoted Johnson as saying that she was certain that the event would strengthen pan-Commonwealth co-operation and help to build consensus on the ICT matters at a global scale.

The CTO Secretary-General, Prof. Tim Unwin, on the other hand, said CTO was delighted to work closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat to organise the pivotal meeting, which filled a gap in Commonwealth policy forums.

In view of the great strides made by the Commonwealth family in the ICT, he added the forum was set to become a key influencer of the global ICT debate.