Ministers in charge of Telecommunication/Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) in ECOWAS Member States are to meet in Banjul, The Gambia, on Friday, to discuss how to improve the sector and make the region more competitive in the global ICT market.
In a press statement, received here Sunday by PANA, ECOWAS said the 12th ministerial meeting would be preceded by that of experts, themed “Bridging the regional ICT divide”, which will consider a series of measures , notably the proposed termination of taxes on incoming telecommunication calls to ECOWAS Member States.
The four-day meeting of experts, whose report and recommendations will feed into the ministers’ agenda, will also discuss the implementation status of the ECOWAS 2011-2015 Strategic Plan for the Telecom/ICT sector and the impact of the termination of taxes on incoming calls.
According to the statement, the experts will also discuss the draft regulation for access to submarine cables and adopt a Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) transmission standard.
“They will also consider a resolution on special reduced rates for Telecommunication services on ECOWAS Day (28 May), the West African postal conference and the implementation status of the “Dot Africa Project”, the statement indicated.
Gambia’s Vice President Aja Isatou Njie Saidy is expected to open the ministers’ meeting, while the country’s Information and Communication Infrastructure Minister Nana Grey Johnson will preside over the experts’ meeting.
