House adopts Information Communications Technology policy

15 August, 2007 in Botswana, Technology

source: BOPA
15 August, 2007

PARLIAMENT – Parliament has adopted the draft national Information Communications Technology (ICT) Policy after two weeks of debate.

Supporting the policy before it went through the final stages on Monday, Maun West MP, Mr Ronald Ridge, said the policy would need certain support structures such as relevant legislation for it to be implemented.

He said a cyber crime law should be put in place as the policy was extensive and touched on new technologies.

Mr Ridge said policy implementation should not wait for electricity in villages. He called for use of solar energy, as computers did not use a lot of power.

You should also look at the digital divide and see how it could be overcome between urban and rural areas, he added.

Mr Ridge said he feared that once the policy was implemented, foreigners might come in and set up here without imparting skills to Batswana.

Thus, he called on government to re-direct the careers of the youth towards ICT.

Mr Akanyang Magama, the MP for Gaborone South, supported the policy and said to use ICT, one needed to have a certain level of education as well as understanding of English.

He said only 10 per cent of people in the rural areas spoke the language.

Mr Magama also welcomed the move to computerise primary schools.

ICT should also have been incorporated in [continue reading]