Rwanda to Host 2009 CTO Forum

Rwanda will host the 2009 Commonwealth Telecommunication Organization (CTO) e-Government forum, over 24th - 26th March, according to information from the CTO office in London.
The Africa’s leading ICT conference, which attracts key stakeholders in the ICT industry is an avenue for the sharing of views, insights, knowledge, and experiences.
Mani Rai, conference producer said in a statement that this year’s forum being the 3rd edition, will attract ministers of technology, heads of e-government projects, civil society leaders and representatives from IT organizations including mobile operators, infrastructure providers, foundations, development and donor agencies, to discuss current issues and witness success stories on e-government in Africa.
Some of the topics to be discussed include government policy, private sector initiatives, public-private partnerships, funding, infrastructure, technology, capacity building, content, e-readiness, e-health, e-learning, among others.
The conference will also focus on leveraging ICT to reduce cost of public service delivery, streamline bureaucracy, promote democracy, deliver universal access, enhance transparency and eradicate poverty, as well as project the role of e-government and revenue generation as a way of empowering marginalized groups like women, youth and rural communities.
The CTO is an international development partnership among Commonwealth and non-Commonwealth governments, businesses and civil societies. It provides the international community with effective means to bridging the digital divide and achieving social and economic development through unique knowledge-sharing programmes in the areas of telecommunications, broadcasting, Internet, among others.
e-Government is the use of information technology by government agencies to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.