This is because digital usage has the potential of revolutionising communication activities and media, creating better business opportunities, redefining national values and place Namibia on the map of the digitally compliant world.
Namibia needs to shift gears in order to justify her existence in the changing information sharing environment within the country and to the world at all levels.
I do encourage and support the numerous policies, initiatives and incentives by the government towards the creation of a virile enabling environment for the growth of the local ICT industry.
I implore the government to focus on capa-city building at all levels, policy and regulatory environments, infrastructures, human resources, development of local content and services of digitization.
With the support of all and sundry, government needs to ensure that a working implementation and usage of digitalisation exist at the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC), Hosea Kutako International Airport, Ministry of Home Affairs and Immigration, telecommunication infrastructures, sustainable urban development, health, education, culture, trade, electronic-government, housing and many others.
Entrepreneurs, government officials, academics, students, members of the general public, service providers, private sector, business leaders and o-thers need to understand and engage in forming Namibia of the 21st century into the global digital economy.
Responding to the realities of the digital age carries great urgency because one aspect of technology that has taken the world by storm is digitisation that creates the binary electronic digital systems used in electronics and computing. It is the exchange of information electronically.
Rapid digitisation network technology has turned the world into a global village and made universal communication possible. It has made communication global or universal in that people have access to information instantly.
Digitisation is assisting law enforcement officials in finding and convicting criminals, offering employees the opportunity to work from home, and allowing singles to meet and date online.
The extensive use of digital and network technology has pushed mankind from the industrial era into the information and digital era that has lead to a completely virtual classroom that requires no teacher.
The ethical culture of digital globalisation has provided not only a new space for cultural exchange and integration among nations, but also a new environment for the formation of new global ethical principles and concepts of communication.
New uses for digital technology are being developed every day and the increase in the value and demand for digitisation will put pressure on Namibia to offer more effective services to users.
On a recent trip to South Africa, I discovered that the growth of our economy and the ability of the government to communicate openly with its citizens, residents, investors and others should be made possible through the implementation of a common communications network linking all government ministries.
I will suggest that government adopt an aggressive electronic-government governance processing strategy. It should be committed to providing greater public access to information and more accountability to its citizens and non-Namibians.
The government can also embark on delivering its e-government strategy by harnessing ICT to provide critical government services.
The e-government strategy will benefit not only the entire 2 million population of Namibia but also the diaspora and international community interested in working, living or investing in Namibia.
This common communications network will allow all ministries to communicate with each other and enable government to provide electronic services to its citizens in respect of online tax services, work, student or resident permits, citizenship and passport applications, car re-gistrations, driving licence renewals, land registration and many other services.
Namibian citizens or o-ther nationals will no longer be required to provide individual departments with the same information, as all information will be centralised and shared across all government departments.
Namibia should take advantage of rapid digitisation to offer better services, fresh creations, concepts, breakthroughs and applications as a catalyst for social and economic development of the country and African continent.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): David Adetona
Quelle/Source: Namibia Economist, 10.09.2010
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