Official Form for Written Submissions
Title: Dr
First name: Jimson Last name: Olufuye
Name of Organization: Africa ICT Alliance – AfICTA
Stakeholder Type: Private Sector
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To what extent has progress been made on the vision of the people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society in the ten years since the WSIS?
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest and 1 lowest, the vision of the people-centered, inclusive and development oriented information Society in the ten years since the WSIS from AfICTA's perspective is in the range of 5 & 7 depending on the region or nation in focus. It is clear that tremendous progress has been made globally not least in Africa where teledensity, Internet penetration and access to information has increased significantly thereby boosting availability of opportunities, wealth creation and improvement in living standard of the African people.
What are the challenges to the implementation of WSIS outcomes? A number of challenges were faced in the implementation of WSIS. These are:
Lack of buy-in by some governments. In some cases, governments in Africa established WSIS follow up Committees and did not empower them to undertake the necessary work. As a result, many countries were unable to submit annual WSIS progress reports since 2006.
Lack of inter-agency cooperation and coordination. In many instances and at the national level government agencies do not collaborate on WSIS targets implementation. Agencies within countries still work at cross purposes thereby inhibiting the power of synergy.
Bureaucracy. The slow pace of government processes and half-hearted support for the multi-stakeholder approach for policy formulation and implementation remain major issues in some nations.
Security challenges and destruction of ICT infrastructure, both due to man made strife and natural disasters. In north eastern Nigeria for example, base stations were bombed, thereby slowing progress for an inclusive Information Society. And in other countries, natural disasters, such as hurricanes, tsumanis, earthquakes, mudslides, tornadoes - have claimed lives, destroyed infrastructure and are adding to the cost burdens in countries.
Ideological constraints. Ideological constraints that hinder women from entering the workforce, or bar girls from receiving education or prescribe what kinds of professions that women can enter is a continued restraint to the overall achievement of an inclusive, people-centred Information Society. All countries need their resources - both human and natural resources -- to be contributing to the well-being and social and economic growth in order to achieve the Information society. To limit the contribution of so much of a population has long and short term consequences that also limit the success of countries in competitiveness, and innovation.
What should be the priorities in seeking to achieve WSIS outcomes and progress towards the Information Society, taking into account emerging trends?
The following should be the priority:
Increased international collaboration involving all relevant stakeholders on an equal footing is a priority.
Improved policy development process and coordination through bottom-up consensus driven multi-stakeholder approach is crucial for success.
WSIS follow up and implementation National committees, that are inclusive and broadly inclusive of stakeholders should be revived as catalysts to a more result oriented and measurable WSIS outcome in the post 2015 period.
e-Government adoption should be sustained, and in many areas, accelerated to make governance more transparent and accountable and to improve the deliver of services to citizens, even in the most remote of locations.
Progress measuring system should be utilized to enable all stakeholders review their performance from time to time.
What are general expectations from the WSIS + 10 High Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly?
Our general expectations are:
Activation of WSIS 2.0 Agenda for sustainable development.
Institutionalization of the bottom-up multistakeholder approach at the national and the global level to policy development and implementation. We expect and call for the renewal of the IGF mandate for another 5 years and the adoption of the other remediation measures stated above.
While differences continue in the views on how to fully address enhanced cooperation, AfiCTA recommends that continued examination and discussion continue at the Commission on Science and Technology for Development/UNCTAD on further ways and means to address enhancing cooperation between governments and with all stakeholders.
AfICTA also expects and calls for more inclusion of the voice of businesses from developing countries.
What shape should the outcome document take?
AfICTA would be comfortable with a document shaped in tandem with the Tunis Agenda document framework outlining key expectations for the next 10 years with all stakeholders playing their own roles and fulfilling their responsibilities.
AfiCTA supports the continued evolution and enhancement of stakeholder engagement at all levels, including in intergovernmental organizations, in international organizations, and in national initiatives.
