The focus of the meeting was the confirmation of the Academy's establishment in Ghana, stationed at the Kofi Annan Center of Excellence. With the use of Information and communication technologies (ICTs), the Academy will act as a system of information sharing across West Africa. E-government uses ICTs to improve governmental operations and services as well as communication between administrative sectors.
These technological tools will improve legislative note taking and information sharing as well as improve the legitimacy of Ghana's electoral system. Most importantly ICTs provide citizens with a means to interact with their governing bodies and provide the public with critical information, insuring the transparency of government. Through this democratization, citizens will have insight to administrative actions and are able to hold officials accountable for their actions.
The Academy's current mission is to focus on researching the means to transmit vital data across the region. Dr. Nana Tanko, Executive Director of OSIWA, instructed the Academy to promote pro-poor initiatives that insure impoverished citizens gain access to critical information. She called for fairness in technology that would transcend both language and geographical barriers. The use of "old mediums" such as billboards, radio and cell phones should be recognized by the Academy to support social inclusion, according to Tanko.
The Minister of Communications, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, addressed the meeting and voiced Ghana's appreciation on the Academy's decision to locate in Ghana, saying the initiative will further benefit efforts of policy makers in West Africa.
"The system will facilitate networking and linkages of all the actors and actions in the area of e-governance in a manner that will help to promote the successful outcomes of government modernization programmes on the continent" he said. When citizens are engaged in policy and decision-making-democracy thrives, said Iddrisu.
According to the World Bank, 86% of e-government programs recorded failures, and as a result Iddrisu encouraged the Academy to partner in research with other governing bodies to ensure successful campaigns throughout the continent. "I am certain that with the transfer of knowledge gained through research the work of policy makers will be shaped to respond more to the needs of citizenry and to increase government efficiency to enhance democratic processes as we aim at building open information societies," said Iddrisu.
Country Director of UNDP, Mr. K.K. Kamaluddeen, articulated on the importance of information and communication technologies in the spread of democracy. He linked the Academy's decision to locate in Ghana and President Barak Obama's visit to the current success of Ghana. The Academy has the large task of reaching the entire West African region, and Kamaluddeen encourages it to seek financial shareholders from all across the region. The initiative needs generous support from investors in order to complete the mission statement they have set out. Diversity of ownership in the Academy along with the mass transfer of knowledge to the public will further strengthen democratic strategies, said Kamaluddeen.
The conference entailed discussions on the Academy's constitution, election of council members and strategy planning for the next year.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Megan Gex
Quelle/Source: AllAfrica, 20.07.2009
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