I.B. Kargbo Addresses Information Highway Construction Seminar in Beijing

Freetown — His Excellency the Deputy Ambassador of the Republic of Sierra Leone to China, Deputy Minister of Industry and Information Research, the Deputy Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, staff of the Academy for International Business Officials, representatives of the Chinese Embassies in all the participating African countries, Senior Government officials from Africa, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of my colleagues present here today, please allow me to preface this statement by paying tribute to the leadership of the People's Republic of China, especially the Government of President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. I as well want to congratulate the organizers of this workshop at a time when more than anytime earlier the need for effective Sino-African collaboration in the promotion of Science and Research must be seen as a matter of priority. It permanently gives me great pleasure to make a statement on behalf of my colleague Ministers from all the 13(thirteen) African countries, especially since we have been invited to be part of this seminar on Information Highway Construction for Developing Countries. Although my statement will be tilted towards outlining the status of the information and communication landscape in my country, there are strengths and weaknesses that are common to all countries that have bilateral relations with the People's Republic of China.

The challenges of being effective participants in information and communication innovation cut across the African continent, and my colleagues will agree with me as I speak on their behalf this morning that there is great need and urgency for the individual Governments to modernize their various countries through information communication innovation.

The African people

The African people, including reputable African politicians and technicians are aware of the great strides the Chinese people have made over a short period and we believe that with continuous collaboration between the two peoples, Africa will as well attain respectable standards in research which the Chinese people continue to attain.

The relationship between China and individual countries for the moment has been excellent and continues to grow from strength to strength, now we are however more thrilled by the emphasis placed by the Chinese Government to treat and relate with the people of the African continent in its entirety on the basis of equality, although, the Chinese Government as well places a lot of emphasis on the area of technological development in Africa especially the development of the telecommunications sector.

May I furthermore state Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen that one major area which can be effectively utilized to encourage African countries to better relate and communicate with each other is by modernizing the telecommunications sector and by extension providing a vehicle for Africa to relate and communicate with the rest of the world, including China. It has become obvious that priority placed on telecommunications development by various African countries as well poses two main challenges; accessing the innovation itself and together providing the funding for the installation of the innovation. Many of my colleagues would agree with me that the urgency of putting in place the structures for effective telecommunications development and in an effort to improve domestic and continental connectivity are priorities which each Government perceives as in the extreme important.

Mr. Chairman, many of us in Africa need scientific help, and in many cases many African countries which have undertaken massive telecommunications projects as well require the necessary funding and the scientific training of their citizens to actualize the dreams of these Governments and this is where be believe that the Chinese Government can continue to provide the necessary help in an effort to modernize the telecommunications landscape in Africa.

Furthermore, Mr. Chairman ladies and gentlemen inasmuch as telecommunications has been emphasized in the area of mobile telephony in the urban centers of many countries, many of our Governments in an effort to improve telecommunications have as well placed a lot of emphasis on rural telecommunications. As well, in an effort to pursue the concept of modern telecommunications, and to improve the social status of the citizens, including those in the rural areas, telecommunications connectivity in all the sectors i.e. voice and data as well pre-suppose that not only should the individual countries thrive towards internal connectivity, however also connectivity should be extended on sub regional phases, to allow the sub regions of West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa and North Africa to interconnect within their sub regions, which should be seen as the final step of continental connectivity. One important phase to ease challenges related to connectivity and to

Cheap means of communication within

provide a cheap means of communication within and among African countries is the utilization of the submarine fibre. Again, we expect collaboration between Africa and China in achieving this goal aimed at modernizing the telecommunications landscape.

Many industrious Africans who have developed great faith in the sense of industry of China and who as well believe that China however stands out as the effective partner of Africa with no strings attached, have but asked the question- why is Africa not utilizing in an effective manner the present digital television research to provide a continental -wide television system that would serve to promote continental cohesiveness and to portray the excellent attributes of Africa.

As I speak to you, China is currently Africa's second largest business partner afterwards the United States of America. This explains why in October 2000 an official platform was created known as the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation to strengthen the relationship between the two continents. I am sure it is pursuant to this agreement the umbrella of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation that all 13(thirteen) participants from Africa are assembled in this room today.

My Ministry, the Ministry of Information and Communication has benefitted a lot from the collaboration with the Chinese Government and in fact Chinese Companies involved with telecommunications. To elaborate on the extent of this collaboration, I will take you back to the history of communication in my country and highlight the current trend to enable you see obviously why I am here as Minister of Information and Communication of Sierra Leone.