The Ministry of Post, Telecom and Technology (MPTT) has launched the National Coordination Committee (NCC) on the implementation of the ICT Policy and Strategy that was approved by the Cabinet.
The NCC consisting of representatives from the federal ministries of Posts & Telecom (Chair); Planning; Finance; Interior and Federal Affairs; Information; Central Bank; National Communications Authority; and Office of Prime Minister; was set up to assist in the successful implementation of the Policy that is aimed at advancing the use of ICT as a social and economic development tool.
Ministry representatives highlighted the importance of the Policy for the socio-economic development goals of Somalia. They also noted that after the inaugural meeting, the NCC would develop a work plan that can be implemented despite the COVID-19 lockdown. The Committee has finally approved their terms of reference.
H. E. Abdi Ashur Hassan, Minister for Post, Telecom and Technology, urged the Committee members to take this responsibility seriously and work hard to coordinate the initiatives of all stakeholders, both in the public and private sectors, to help our country move fast in ICT.
"One of the lessons COVID-19 taught us is to use ICT more than ever before. We were forced to use virtual meetings and learning to help life continue smoothly. It is expected this trend will be maintained to some extent even if the negative impact of the pandemic is overcome,” said the minister adding that "the plans outlined in the Policy, such as e-health, e-education, and e-government are more important today than they were when we developed the Policy in 2019”.
The Policy implementation comes at a time when every sector is trying to automate to maintain social distancing. The Policy’s main areas of priority include: e-health, e-education, e-skills, e-agriculture, e-commerce, digital transformation in government, and local content development.