National ICT Policies and Plans towards Poverty Reduction: Emerging Trends and Issues

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) launched the African Information Society Initiative (AISI) in May 1996, which serves as a guiding framework for building the information and communication infrastructure in Africa. Since the launch of AISI, ECA has been supporting member States to embark on the development of NICI (National Information and Communication Infrastructure) policies, plans and strategies which are instrumental to materialize the visions enshrined in the AISI at national level and to create conducive environment for ICT development. Thus far over 30 countries in the continent have embarked, in one form or the other, on the development of national ICT strategies and more countries have expressed interests to initiate national ICT policies. Accordingly, ECA came forward to assist the Department of State for Communication, Information and Technology (DOSCIT), Government of The Gambia to elaborate a national ICT policy, plan and strategy and put in place a guiding framework for the diffusion and utilization of ICT applications to accelerate the attainment of national development goals. This paper presents the basic aspects of a PRSP as illustrated by The Gambia’s Second Strategy for Poverty Alleviation (SPA-II) and its synthesis with the country’s NICI Policy. The process and its evolved mechanism might serve as a model for ICT policy developers, planners and all stakeholders in general working in the area of ICT for development (ICT4D). The paper also draws upon the issues discussed under the pre-conference workshop on “ICT and Poverty Reduction” during the Accra Regional Preparatory Conference for World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) held on 29th January 2005.