ICT Development: ITU SG Recommends Regional Cooperation

Houlin Zhao made the recommendation during a stop-over in Douala on Thursday.
The Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union, Houlin Zhao has recommended that central African countries should work together in the development of new technologies of information and communication.
He made the recommendation in a meeting held with the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications at the Sawa hotel in Douala during a technical stopover on his way back from Bangui in the Central African Republic.
Speaking to the press after the meeting which also involved the heads of Camtel, ART, ANTIC and SP’PTIC, the ITU scribe said Cameroon was a leader in the central African
region in terms of economic power and size of the population and should naturally take the lead in the development of ICTs in the sub region.
He remarked that ICT in Cameroon has developed so fast since his first visit to Cameroon in 2001 but however said there was need to improve on power, services and applications of ICT notably with the sub marine cable project underway to link Cameroon to Brazil.
The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Libom Li Likeng said they explored ways of ameliorating the implementation of the ICT strategic development plan, evoking issues related to financing, transformation and cooperation with the ITU and other countries in the sub region.
She said the ITU SG also offered advice on the development of numeric economy in Cameroon promising the cooperation of his organisation. It is worthy to note that ITU is the UN specialised agency for the development of telecommunications and ICTs.
It offers its expertise to nations in terms of regulation, norms and exploitation of telecom services. Cameroon hosts the regional office for central Africa and Madagascar of the organisation. Chinese- born Houlin Zhao was elected Secretary General of the organisation during the 19th plenipotentiary conference in Busan- Korea in 2014 for a mandate of four years.
Fred VUBEM TOH