Tuesday November 22, 2022 - Conference Centre - Bintumani Hotel, Aberdeen
By: Mohamed Sannoh - Strategic Communications Unit - MIC
Sierra Leone's Minister of Information and Communications, Hon. Mohamed Rahman Swarray has graced and opened a National Consultative Meeting on the Draft New Legal and Regulatory Framework to Govern the Digital Economy in West Africa. The ceremony attracted a host of participants from various other ministries, departments and agencies including a representative from the ECOWAS Commission.
Mr. Swarray said that the Government of President Bio places high premium on digital rights and that they see same as a pivotal driver of economies, the world over. He said that the priority which ECOWAS has placed on the digital ecosystem is welcoming, noting that there is every need to have standardized and harmonized regulatory instruments for West Africa's digital economy.
He said that with over 1.2 Billion Africans, it is prudent for Sierra Leone to value its relationship with the ECOWAS Commission. Minister Swarray added that with an EU funded project to train Judges and other Law Enforcement Officers, it is not surprising that Sierra Leone has domesticated all ECOWAS laws and protocols.
The ECOWAS Commission representative who happens to be the Director of Information, Communication Technology (ICT) stated that the commission is poised to ensuring a standardized Telecom Network and Services across the broad. He said that Regulators and Policy Makers therefore need to work hand in hand to realize such an enviable aspiration. He spoke about the Global Data Consumption rate which he said standing somewhere around 2gigabytes in 2010 to an estimated 100gigabytes in 2025. He added that an enabling environment which protects consumers is also very needed and to see that the ICT landscape is transformed into a digital system and economy.
The session was moderated by the Director of Communication at the Ministry of Information and Communications, Mohamed Moumini Jalloh