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How ICTs Can Fast Forward Progress On SDGs

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Information and communication technologies (ICTs) now form the backbone of today’s digital economy. They also have enormous potential to fast forward progress on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve people’s lives in fundamental ways.

Building the next generation of ICT infrastructure will power the evolution of smart, sustainable cities and communities worldwide. Making modern ICT access more widely available will also foster the local innovation needed to spur domestic economic growth.

As the UN’s specialized agency for ICTs, ITU has a crucial role to play in making sure this critical infrastructure is built in a globally harmonized way that speeds connectivity worldwide – and positions ICTs to accelerate all 17 of the SDGs.

Building Out From SDG 9
For us, it starts with SDG 9, which is a key focus for ITU as we leverage our core competencies in ICT infrastructure to maximize our unique contribution to the UN’s efforts to achieve the SDGs.

ITU’s mission is to connect the world, and with more than 150 years of experience in harmonizing spectrum, international communication technical standards and policies, ITU is well positioned to help build this ICT foundation for modern development.

As demand for data on wireless devices skyrockets worldwide, ITU’s role in brokering the critical international agreements that guide the cooperative use of radiofrequency spectrum is now more vital than ever. In addition, the globally harmonized technical standards we produce help lower the costs of ICT infrastructure deployment, encouraging the significant investments required for improved connectivity worldwide.

While we still have a long way to go – some 3.9 billion people are still unconnected to the Internet – we have made great strides. For instance, ITU’s G. fast technical standard has emerged as an important “bridge” technology, allowing countries across the world to better connect their citizens to high-speed networks at lower cost using existing copper infrastructure. ITU also provided the older xDSL technical standards that still enable over half of all Internet connections in developing countries.

The Importance of Partnerships – SDG 17
With ITU’s broad membership base of government, private sector and academia, ITU will be collaborating and cooperating with many other organisations to ensure the transformative impacts of ICTs are maximised.

The UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, ITU’s Connect 2020, the Alliance for Affordable Internet, the Global e-Sustainability Initiative and the Partnership for Sustainable Development Data are just a few examples of existing collaborations that show SDG 17 in action.

ICTs are widely recognised as the cross-cutting transformative potential for all SDGs.

Scalable Solutions To Speed Progress
Below are examples of ITU and ICT contributions to the other SDGs that will be reviewed at the HLPF:

SDG 1 There are still more than 2 billion “unbanked” people in the world. Access to financial services has proven to be a pivotal step in helping lead people out of poverty, and thanks to digital financial services, many are now participating in the digital economy for the first time. ITU has produced several reports providing guidance on implementing digital financial services.

SDG 2 To feed a growing world population, agriculture is increasingly knowledge-intensive. ITU and FAO are working with countries to set up and implement initiatives to fast forward e-agriculture.

SDG 3 Direct patient interaction, health informatics and telemedicine can all be improved through better connectivity. One small example is the ITU and World Health Organization’s Be He@lthy, Be Mobile initiative.

SDG 5 There are more than 250 million fewer women online than men. To close the digital gender gap ITU Members organizes International Girls in ICT Day, and a partnership with UN Women for Gender Equality in the Digital Age.

SDG 14 Enabled by ITU’s international satellite regulatory framework, satellite observations and monitoring increases scientific knowledge of the oceans and marine life.

The new digital economy, and its increasing reliance on the transformative impact of Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is essential to eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development.

For this reason, ITU will continue to work to connect the unconnected, in partnership with all stakeholders to maximize the impact of ICTs in contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.

Houlin Zhao is the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The article first appeared in ITUNews.

 


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WIOCC’s Strategic Role in Addressing Subsea Cable Outages

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WIOCC, Africa’s digital backbone, is leading the continent’s response to the cable cuts currently affecting the WACS, ACE, Main One and SAT3 subsea systems on Africa’s western seaboard.

WIOCC’s highly resilient network, with hyperscale capacity on every major system is the largest in Africa and ideally placed to swiftly deliver restoration solutions to hyperscalers, fixed and mobile carriers, internet service providers and other clients, enabling them to quickly re-establish key traffic routes into, within and out of Africa, thereby minimising performance degradation for their end-customers.

According to Chris Wood, Group CEO of WIOCC, “Immediately the four subsea cables were severed off the coast of Cote d‘Ivoire our engineering, operations and field teams swung into action.

“They have been working tirelessly for the last 48 hours with our strategic network partners and equipment suppliers and will, within the next 24 hours, have activated an unprecedented additional 2 Terabits per second (Tbps) of capacity across the unaffected cables in our network to support the capacity needs of other network operators and hyperscalers.

“Our clients connected directly at Open Access Data Centres (OADC) data centres in South Africa and Nigeria are already protected from the impact of the subsea outages due to the unique levels of redundancy and scale of the WIOCC core backbone.

“In Lagos, the Equiano cable, in which WIOCC owns a fibre pair, has not been affected by the incident off Cote d‘Ivoire. WIOCC lands the cable directly into the OADC data centre, establishing the most resilient digital ecosystem hub in Lagos and offering the most direct connectivity to Europe and South Africa.

“As a result, OADC’s data centres and WIOCC’s hyperscale network are playing a key role in restoring services to other facilities and operators currently suffering outages in Lagos and elsewhere on the continent.”

“Our priority is to ensure minimal disruption and maximum resilience for our clients,” added Ryan Sher, Group Chief Operating Officer at WIOCC.

“We have invested heavily in deploying diverse, highly-scalable national and international connectivity to support the uptime requirements of our wholesale client base. Investing at scale means that we consistently carry extra capacity, ensuring we are able to rapidly turn up or re-route capacity to address unexpected network disruptions.

“It also enables us to deploy short-term restoration solutions for other operators on a case-by-case basis. Any service provider affected by these outages, whether an existing WIOCC client or not, is encouraged to contact us to explore options.”

WIOCC’s policy of strategic deployment of converged, open-access digital infrastructure at a hyperscale level and delivery of unrivalled resiliency, enables it to meet and anticipate the needs of Africa’s wholesale community with sufficient scale and network diversity to address even the most challenging situations.


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Voice, Data Services Affected by Undersea Cable Cuts Restored – NCC

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has announced that the recent Undersea Cable Cuts that affected Voice, Data Services have now been restored.

The commission in a statement released on Monday and signed by Reuben Muoka, Director, Public Affairs, said that services have now been restored to approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities.

According to him, “following the disruption on March 14, 2024, which affected data and voice services due to cuts in undersea fibre optics along the coasts of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, we are pleased to announce that services have now been restored to approximately 90% of their peak utilization capacities.

“All operators who were impacted by the cuts have taken recovery capacity from submarine cables which were not impacted by the cuts, and have thus recovered approximately 90% of their peak utilisation capacities.

“Mobile Network Operators have assured the Commission that data and voice services would operate optimally pending full repairs of the undersea cables as they have managed to activate alternative connectivities to bring back the situation to normalcy.

“We extend our appreciation to telecom consumers for their patience and understanding during the downtime caused by the undersea fibre cuts,” he concluded.


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IIM United Kingdom Inducts new Members, Highlights the Power of Intelligent Technologies

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Institute of Information Management (IIM) United Kingdom successfully hosted its highly anticipated Annual Convention and 47th Induction/Investiture ceremony on March 9, 2024, at the Wesley London Euston.

Dr. Oyedokun Oyewole, president/chairman-Governing Council, Institute of Information Management (IIM) Africa

The event, held under the theme “AI Renaissance: Unleashing the Power of Intelligent Technologies,” brought together distinguished professionals, thought leaders, and industry experts from various sectors.

The convention commenced with a thought-provoking Welcome Address and Keynote Speech delivered by Amb. (Dr) Oyedokun Ayodeji Oyewole FIIM, ERMS, RMEMS, FIRMS, the esteemed international President of the Institute of Information Management (IIM) Africa. His address set the tone for insightful discussions and collaborative engagements throughout the event.

Among the notable highlights was the Inauguration and Taking of Oath of Office by Acting Vice President of IIM United Kingdom Chapter, Prof. Rotimi Jaiyesimi, FIIM, who assumed the role in an acting capacity following his recent appointment by the IIM Africa Board.

A significant announcement was made during the convention regarding the launch of a single global annual Convention starting in 2025. 

“This groundbreaking initiative”, according to Dr. Oyedokun Oyewole, president/chairman-Governing Council, Institute of Information Management (IIM) Africa, “will unite all IIM Africa Global Chapters for the Convention, induction, and investiture, streamlining the event into a singular, impactful gathering. The announcement, made by Aisha Dania Ogieriakhi, FIIM, Director of IIM United Kingdom Chapter, marks a new era of collaboration and cohesion within the IIM community”.

The convention attracted a diverse array of attendees, including dignitaries, traditional rulers, captains of industry, and professionals from various backgrounds. Notable guests included Chief Bimbo Roberts Folayan, FIIM – Former Chairman (2011-2015) Central Association of Nigeria in the United Kingdom (CANUK), Cllr. Sunny Lambe, FIIM – Southwark Labour and Cooperative Councilor, Michaelene Holder-March, FIIM – Managing Director of MHM Health Consultancy Ltd, His Highness Papa Paul Jones Eganda, FIIM – Founder and the President of AIDO Network International, Chief (Dr) Richmond Macgrey, FIIM – Representative & Public Relations Minister of His Royal Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, (Olu of Warri) in the Diaspora and others.

Throughout the event, discussions revolved around key themes such as the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, the ethical implications of intelligent technologies, and the role of information management in shaping the future.

A highlight of the convention was the induction of new members into the Honorary Fellowship Grade and Professional Fellowship Grade, recognizing their exemplary contributions to the field of data and information management. Additionally, the collaboration between IIM and the International University of Information Management (IUIM) resulted in the conferment of Honorary Doctorate Degree Awards to deserving professionals and achievers in society, adding a prestigious dimension to the event. 

Both sessions were anchored by the duo of Antoinette R. Okoye and Olufemi Ibiwoye, a fixed specialist at BT Enterprises PLC London, England, United Kingdom.

One memorable moment came from Julliet Makhapila, a Community Transformer, Changemaker, Innovator, and Social Impactor from the United Kingdom, who volunteered to extend the IIM Africa initiative to her home country of Kenya, further expanding the institute’s reach and impact.

The convention provided ample networking opportunities and special activities for attendees, fostering meaningful connections and collaborations among participants.

Co-hosted by IIM Africa and the International University of Information Management (IUIM), the 2024 Annual Convention epitomized the mission and goals of the Institute of Information Management, serving as a platform for knowledge sharing, professional development, data leadership development and overall community building leveraging on access to quality data for effective decision making in both public and private establishments.

As the convention concluded, the main takeaways included maintaining a vibrant community of professionals, sharing best practices, and nurturing collaborative efforts to advance the field of data and information management.


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