July 26, 2019
Director- General NATCOM, Maxwell Massaquoi
The National Telecommunications Commission (NATCOM) will host the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organization (CTO) conference on the theme “Broadband for Inclusive Digital Transformation” on the 30th July to 2nd August 2019 at the Bintumani International Conference Centre Freetown.
The event is expected to attract Heads of Telecoms Regulators, Private Sector Investors, the Media and Civil Society Organizations, to engage with local policy makers and enhance developmental opportunities that can be harnessed through the use of ICT.
The conference will focus on the following thematic areas: Rural Connectivity, Analogue to Digital Broadcasting, Big data, Youth and ICT, Data protection, Broadband and Infrastructure sharing. Experts will discuss and share their experiences on how to improve internet connectivity and broad access to quality ICT services.
According to the Director-General of the NATCOM, Maxwell Massaquoi, hosting the international conference of such magnitude is quite essential, pointing at ICT being prioritised by President Dr. Julius Maada Bio as part of his governance agenda.
“We are proud as a nation and a regulator to host this international conference and hope to share our experiences with our friends across the world all in the spirit of exploring partnerships to solve our common challenges in providing effective and efficient ICT solutions to build our respective countries,” the DG stated.
The DG further stated that the event will showcase investment opportunities as well as address some of the ICT challenges the country is experiencing, especially in the area of the provision of rural broad band connectivity.
A member of NATCOM Event Management Committee, Hannah Bangura said all necessary arrangements have been put in place to host this international conference. She further lauded the collaborative effort and support given to NATCOM by other MDAs and mobile phone operators to promote this international event.
“We are excited to receive over fifty international delegates and to use the conference as a platform to market our beautiful country, Sierra Leone,” Mrs Bangura concluded.
It could be recalled that the CTO is the largest and oldest Commonwealth membership organisation committed to using information and communication technologies (ICTs) appropriately and effectively for development (ICT4D). The CTO seeks to work collaboratively with other Commonwealth bodies to build mutually beneficial synergies in the interests of its members. The CTO has a key role to play in leading ICT4D initiatives across the Commonwealth, and it is committed to working together with other Commonwealth entities to reduce overlap and replication of activities.
The CTO is an organization that is renowned for its involvement in providing ICT support to countries in the Commonwealth nations. Sierra Leone through NATCOM in 2013 benefitted with support from CTO, five multi-Purpose ICT centres in the towns of Kambia, Pujehun, Makeni, Mile 91 and Lungi.