CTO 2008 Summit Opens with Grandeur in Abuja

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organizations’ (CTO) ICT Summit with the theme: "Ensuring Effective Connectivity for a Socially Inclusive and a Commercially Vibrant Africa;" in which top government officials from more than 58 Commonwealth countries and territories would converge to discuss Africa’s march towards ICT development, will last from 6-8th October, 2008; while the CTO Council Meeting will hold from 9-10th October

Mr. John Odey, minister of Information and Communications, who is the chief host of the event organized by CTO in collaboration with his Ministry and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); said the event will again put Nigeria in the limelight in her latest efforts to fast-track ICT development in Africa.
Mr. Odey expressed satisfaction with the response of the private sector towards the hosting of this year’s forum which he said is in line with the expectations of government for public and private sector collaboration towards transforming ICT in Africa.

Key global telecom and ICT personalities, including Dr. Hamadoun Toure, secretary general of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU); will be at the event which holds at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja and will also feature exhibition of ICT products and services from international operators and equipment vendors. 
Telecom and ICT policy makers, regulators, academics, operators, equipment manufactures and vendors, financiers, technology and software developers, international aid agencies and civil society organizations are expected to converge in Nigeria’s capital city to deliberate at the forum.
The event is also expected to attract stakeholders and ICT enthusiasts who may wish to avail themselves of latest telecom, ICT and financial products and services at the exhibition stands during the summit.
An Inter-Ministerial organizing Committee chaired by Engr. Ernest Ndukwe, executive vice chairman of NCC, also confirmed that arrangements have been concluded for hosting this major event which is considered the biggest ICT summit of the year in the sub-region.
"We are pleased with the overwhelming positive response from the private sector, especially the telecom companies and financial institutions some of whom have taken up sponsorships of several events during the summit," said Ndukwe.
The Forum comes at a time when Nigeria has attained leadership position in Africa as the nation with the highest number of active telephone lines at about 55 million connected and active lines by end of August, 2008. Nigeria was given the hosting right for the summit at the last Council meeting in Jamaica in 2007.
CTO is an international development partnership between Commonwealth and Non-Commonwealth governments as well as civil society organizations with a major objective of providing the international community with effective means to helping bridge the digital divide and achieve social and economic development.

It delivers unique knowledge sharing programmes in the specific areas of telecommunications, information technology, broadcasting and Internet.
At present, 33 countries are full members while 18 countries and territories are represented indirectly.

The work of the CTO goes back to its creation in 1901 as the Pacific Cable Board. Since then, it has been at the centre of continuous and extensive international communications development funding, co-operation and assistance programmes.

Since 1985, the organization has delivered to its recipient members in Europe, the Caribbean, Americas, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions; over 3,500 bilateral and multilateral telecommunications and ICT capacity-building projects in the form of policy, operational and regulatory training and expert assistance.