IPNews-Monrovia,Liberia-20 August 2018:Authorities of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications have validated Liberia’s newly developed five-year information, communication, and technology (ICT) policy.
The policy paper, validated by information officers from government ministries, aims to ensure the expansion of ICT infrastructure across the country, the development of e-Government services and applications, the provision of universal access to voice and internet services in isolated communities.
Cllr. Cooper W. Kruah, Minister of Post and Telecommunications, during the validation workshop on Thursday, August 16, said the ICT sector is one of the many sectors that are always confronted with new challenges.
“These challenges present themselves with the need for a strategic plan that will facilitate the expansion of ICT infrastructure and support the social-economic development of our society. Based on these challenges, the country needs a new ICT policy to focus on core and emerging areas that are critical to the sector’s ecosystem of Liberia. This policy puts in place a framework that secures our cyberspace and the development of ICT skills across the country,” Min. Kruah said.
He added that the new policy was built on the gains made in the 2011 national ICT policy, which included liberalization of the sector with a robust regulatory regime.
“We have committed to building on the gains made from the 2011 policy to make the sector more transparent, viable and to prioritize access to global communication. This new policy takes into consideration that the socioeconomic development of our nation is tied to the building of a vibrant ICT sector,” the minister added.
Meanwhile, Minister Kruah has called on Liberians and foreign residents to make use of the eLiberia website (www.eLiberia.govl.lr), which provides a one-stop shop that facilitates access to government information and services.
He added that the eLiberia website hosts reports about all government ministries and agencies and provide information about their services, such as automated online services as well as providing relevant information during epidemics, disasters and other emergencies.
“By the launch of the portal, we hope to centralize all online government services for our citizens and businesses to communicate and transact with the government. I will like to acknowledge the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Digital Liberia project team for their coordinated support toward the development of the draft of the national ICT policy and the improvement of performances of ministries, agencies, and commissions under the e-Governance program implementation,” Min. Kruah said.
