Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, Secretary of State for Communications, Information and Technology, and a high- powered delegation recently returned home after attending the 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Antalya, Turkey.

The conference saw the election of Secretary General, Deputy Secretary- General, Directors and Council Members, as well as discussing policy and regulation matters in line with ITU global agenda for the sector.

The release stated that SoS MacDouall- Gaye stated that the government of The Gambia recognises the important role of the ITU and would continue to support all its programmes towards creating an all- inclusive information society. She noted that one major disparity being lamented by the African countries is the cost of international bandwidth. SoS MacDouall-Gaye asserted that despite the excess bandwidth in the world, it’s the developed world that is benefiting while the poor countries pay exorbitantly.

SoS MacDouall-Gaye, hailed the dynamism of President Jammeh, whom she described as a man of vision and mission to transform The Gambia into a knowledge-based, technologically-advanced and economically effective nation. She cited the many strides The Gambia, has made in bringing communication services to all her citizens, thereby bridging the gap between the rural and urban areas.

Furthermore, SoS MacDouall-Gaye, held bilateral talks with the newly appointed ITU Secretary- General and the Secretary- General of the Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation and a good number of Communication ministers.

In a similar engagement, SoS MacDouall-Gaye, also attended the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Strategy Conference, held at the United Arab Emirate. Delibrations at the UPU conference focused on the role of postal sectors in the information and communication society. The Strategy Conference also discussed on how far technology has gone in changing the communication market and also its impacts on customer and consumer habits.

Speaking at the Strategy Conference, SoS MacDouall-Gaye urged UPU to assist the least developed member states to meet the new challenges of the sector.

Chairing the African Group meeting, SoS Macdoull-Gaye, called on her colleagues to respond positively to the call of Kenya making the next congress successful and memorable to the credit of Africa. “African Postal Networks need to be strengthened and made more efficient to reflect the global trends”, she concluded.