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ICT POLICY IN CAMEROON

 

"Our country needs generalised internet access ... to be better placed to enter the third millennium.” 

- H.E. Paul BIYA, President of the Republic of Cameroon

 

Today, there is consensus on the fact that the information society, in which ICTs constitute one of the most powerful vectors, opens entirely new opportunities for reaching higher levels of development. In fact, the capacity of ICTs to reduce a good number of traditional obstacles, especially those of time and distance, for the first time in history makes it possible to use the potential of these technologies for the benefit of millions of peoples in all corners of the world.

It has thus given individuals, communities, corporate bodies and the nation at large the possibility of creating, accessing, utilising and sharing information and knowledge in a bid to achieve full potential in obtaining sustainable social and economic growth.

Developed countries are rich in information and as such can quickly adapt to changing social and economic environments, and subsequently can find opportunities to overcome social and economic challenges such as poverty and lack of adequate infrastructure.

The absence of the right policy environment for ICT development in less developed countries including Cameroon has resulted in the widening of the development and information gap between developed and underdeveloped countries, as well as between urban and rural communities in developing countries.

Information and Communication Technology is not an end in itself for Cameroon, but a powerful tool to help increase productivity, competitiveness, stimulate growth, create employment opportunities and as such improve the wellbeing of Cameroonians.

Cameroon intends to use ICTs to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented information society, where its citizens can create, access, utilise and share information and knowledge in a bid to achieve sustainable social and economic growth, which is one of the preconditions for poverty reduction and hence improvement of the quality of life of Cameroonians.

You can read the full report on The National Policy for the Development of Information and Communication Technologies for Cameroon, which was published by the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies in September 2007.

Please note: ICT is at a particularly dynamic stage in Africa, which means that there are new developments and announcements happening on a daily basis somewhere on the continent. Therefore, this report should be seen as a “snapshot” that was current at the time it was taken; it is expected that certain facts and figures presented in this report may have become dated very quickly.