AN Information and Communications Technology (ICT) fair designed to facilitate the harmonisation of ICT business within the Economic Community of West African States(ECOWAS) will hold next month in Cotonou, Benin Republic, according to the organisers.
The Ecoticfair fair, which takes place at the Chinese Cultural Center for Economic and Development, Cotonou from July 1-3, 2010, is the first of its kind in the region. Themed “ICT – the heart beat of the society” it hopes to harness the benefits of ICT to facilitate speedy progress towards better governance, controlled population, improved health, more effective conflict resolution, increased competitiveness, e-commerce and most importantly accelerated poverty reduction.
Tagged ‘Ecoticfair 2010’, the three day showpiece is informed by the need for an urgent solution to the slow growth of ICT uptake and usage in the West African sub-region ,a problem ,which has been attributed to limited infrastructure, internet bandwidth, energy, limited technical expertise, low internet usage by government, schools, health and agricultural institutions and as well as income levels.
The coordinator of the fair in Nigeria, Ayo Fajemirokun, who spoke to journalists in Lagos on the fair said the successes recorded in other nations with regards to extensive ICT access stands as a reminder for leaders in both the public and private sectors not to lose focus on ICT as an important enabler of growth and competitiveness in times of crisis.
According to her, with the global focus on ICT, countries have been able to make major and positive impact on their economies and life of the citizenry.
This has catapulted the need for ICT development in most areas of the society. Countries which are yet to embrace the benefits of ICT are obviously left behind
She said the fair, which is aimed at show casing the importance of the ICT technology and advanced ICT solutions /innovations hope to emphasize the benefits of ‘digital cities’ and ‘digital home’ taking advantage of communication infrastructure ; at the same time creating business opportunities for key service providers and solutions vendors.
Fajemirokun said the goal of this fair is to bring ICT alive in a unification of technological, Economic and Societal/Political spheres, reflecting on its struggles and successes with the aim of igniting future possibilities in the West African Region.
IKECHUKWU OSODO in Lagos
