ITU tasks African governments on adoption of future technologies

THE International Telecommunications Union (ITU) has com- mended Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, Egypt and other African countries for the dynamism the region has brought to global technology adoption. For emphasis, the ITU Secretary-general, Zhao Houlin, at the opening press conference of the on-going ITU Telecom World 2017 in Busan, South Korea, yesterday, declared that in the last one year, the African continent has been very dynamic in ICT development, stressing that the region’s growth has been phenomenal com- pared to others.

He, however, tasked governments in the region on quick adoption of future technologies including 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT), Broadband deployment, among others.

According to him, as the world enters the Fourth Industrial Revolution, both the public and private sectors should expedite preparations for the changes future technologies would bring.

The ITU Secretary-general noted that there is no doubt technologies such as AI and machine learning have great potential to change and improve lives across the world, ‘’but societies and citizens must be prepared for the changes that will come and for the new skills that will be required.’’ Houlin disclosed that given the pace at which technology is advancing, governments, international organisations and the private sector would need to start working together now to help steer the right course through the Fourth Indus- trial Revolution. Houlin lamented that even as at today, more than half of the world’s population is still offline, stressing that about 3.9 billion people are unable to benefit from the positive impact that ICT could have on their lives. He informed that the ITU together with its members and partners, are committed to leaving no one offline.

In Nigeria, some 200 communities, which house about 40 million Nigerians do not have access to any telecommunications services, but the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said it is working to bridge the gap.

...DAY 1261 OUR GIRLS STILL MISSING