By Mercy Wambui, 10 March 2006

The Economic Commission for Africa will be hosting a forum on Information and Communication Technologies and their impact on Trade and Economic Growth next week under the auspices of the African Node of the Global ePolicy Resource Network (ePol-NET) supported by the Government of Canada . Approximately 100 delegates working in the field of ICTs and Trade are expected to attend.

The meeting, to be held from 14-16 March, in the UN Conference Centre, Addis Ababa will generate debates on the economic significance of ICTs (particularly, IT and telecommunications) and determine the nature of expected economic effects on African countries.

Discussions and debates will be centred on how the digital economy is radically changing international trade, affecting business practices and introducing new business intermediaries, and how Africa can participate in the emerging global digital economy. Critical to the debates is how governments play a strong role in the creation of an enabling policy environment to support digital economy activities.

The diffusion of ICTs and the intensification of information activities do not necessarily lead to economic growth, unless countries and indeed, businesses determine the kind of changes needed in their mode of operation and the delivery of services. To this end, there will be an assessment on how to map, through research, the impact of ICTs on macro-economic growth in Africa.

A significant aspect of the Forum will be to examine best practices and case studies across the continent as well as develop strategies to create the enabling environment as well as the development of the requisite skills base within countries to fully utilise ICTs to improve economic performance and growth and build competitiveness in both traditional and emerging sectors.

There are a number of fronts that need to be addressed for African countries to fully benefit from the positive impacts of digital economy. ECA has been supporting its member states in formulating national, regional, and sectoral policies and strategies under the framework of the African Information Society Initiative (AISI). An important component of this kind of ICT policy support would be geared towards creating the appropriate enabling environment.

This will be the basis for launching the African ICTs, Trade and Economic Growth Initiative.
For more information visit the e-Forum website at http://www.uneca.org/e-trade or contact:

Mercy Wambui, Communication Officer, UNECA
Tel: +251 - 115 445112
Email: mwambui@uneca.org

Issued by the ECA Communication Team
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa Ethiopia
Tel: +251-115-44-58-26
Fax: +251-115-51-03-65
Email: ecainfo@uneca.org
Web: www.uneca.org