Commonwealth ICT Summit opens in Abuja
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Oct 6, 2008, 16:03

President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has called for a definite roadmap to bridge the digital divide existing between Africa and the rest of the world.
In an address read on his behalf at the opening of the Sixth Annual Forum of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) in Abuja on Monday October 6, President Yar'Adua, represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Yayale Ahmed said Africa was still in a "digital deficit", notwithstanding the progress recorded in the ICT sector.
"It is my fervent hope that your deliberations will lay the foundation for effectively transforming Africa’s digital deficit into a digital opportunity,'' President Yar’Adua told the summit.
He challenged the forum, which is pushing for a vibrant rural connectivity agenda in Africa, to "frontally face-up to development challenges within the ambit of the Commonwealth movement''.
The President also said Nigeria endorsed the institution of an open and stable telecommunications policy.
According to him, a stable policy supports effective global and regional alliances and partnerships and equitably places the benefits of ICT at the disposal of "our common humanity."
The Summit which holds between October 6 to 8 2008 has as its theme: “Ensuring Effective Connectivity for a Socially Inclusive and Commercially Vibrant Africa”.

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