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Addis Ababa, September 16 2003: A Euro 2.48 million ($US 2.6 million) partnership deal between the Development Information Services Division (DISD) of the Economic Commission for Africa and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland was sealed at a signing ceremony on Monday, October 20 2003. Gracing the occasion were senior members staff from ECA and the Finnish Government, including the ECA Executive Secretary, K Y Amoako, the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Finland in Addis Ababa, Mr. Kari Toiviainen.
The 4-year funding cooperation between ECA and Finland on ICT development for Africa is set against a backdrop of the urgency needed to improve the quality of life of the urban and rural population in Africa through improved information and communication infrastructure applications and services. The funds will support DISD's information and policy development, a programme area that focuses on e-strategies, National Information and Communication Infrastructure (NICI) plans, Telecom Regulation issues as well as SCAN-ICT, a project which builds the capacity of African stakeholders to collect and manage key information to support the growing investment in ICTs.
ECA through its African Information Society Initiative (AISI) has spearheaded awareness raising on the importance of ICTs for development, in particular, supporting member States to develop a policy environment and regulatory frameworks conducive to ICT development. This funding will go a long way to support active participation of the broader African civil society and social groups in building and implementing NICI plans.
It is the expectation of both institutions that the availability of ICT services will contribute to the achievement of both the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the objectives stipulated in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) which are among others, poverty reduction, solving environmental challenges, and enhancing social equality, democracy and human rights.
For more information on details of the funds, please contact:
Aida Opoku-Mensah
Team Leader, ICTs for Development
Development Information Services Division
Economic Commission for Africa
P.O Box 3001,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel: +251-1-443562
Email:aopoku-mensah@uneca.org
Http://www.uneca.org/aisi
Pictures from the signing ceremony
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