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09.00-10.00 |
Opening ceremony
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Mr Thari G. Pheko, Chief Executive, Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) - Speech - [biography]
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Mr Brahima Sanou, Director, Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU - Speech - [biography]
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H.E. Mr Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, Minister of Transport and Communications, Botswana - Speech - [biography]
- Guest speaker: H.H. Mr Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi, Vice President of the Republic of Botswana - [biography]
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10.00-10.30 |
Group picture and coffee break |
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10.30-12.00 |
Ministerial Roundtable: Leaving no one behind
The 2015 Agenda for Sustainable Development has pledged that “no one will be left behind”, to ensure that all people equally benefit from the rights and opportunities that the SDGs voice. In terms of ICTs, this means that efforts need to focus on achieving a truly inclusive information society. Those at the “bottom of the pyramid”, including low-income groups, the illiterate, persons with special needs or those living in rural areas, need to equally benefit from high-speed and high-quality Internet connections. These population groups not only run the greatest risk of being left outside but also are those who could benefit the most from the opportunities that ICTs can offer for development. At the same time, policy makers require data to track relevant inequalities.
This Ministerial Roundtable will discuss national initiatives on how to close the digital divide and to ensure an inclusive information society. In particular, the session will address the following questions: -
What are the main challenges and barriers faced by those that are not yet participating in the information society?
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Which information do policy makers require to effectively monitor inequalities in ICT access and use?
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What are innovative technologies and tools to connect the unconnected?
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Which policies and regulatory steps can governments take to drive investment, and to foster public-private partnerships, so as to expand ICT access to all of their citizens, including those at the “bottom of the pyramid”?
Moderator:
Dr Cosmas Zavazava, Chief of Department, Projects and Knowledge Management, ITU - [biography]
Ministers: H.E. Mr Onkokame Kitso Mokaila, Minister of Transport and Communications, Botswana - [ biography] H. E. Mr Vincent F. Byron, Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Legal Affairs and Communications, St. Kitts and Nevis - [ biography] H.E. Dr Rufino Ovono Ondó Engonga, Secretario de Estado encargado de Telecomunicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías, Ministerio de Telecomunicaciones y Nuevas Tecnologías, Equatorial Guinea - [ biography] H.E. Dr Win Busayi Juyana Mlambo, Deputy Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Zimbabwe - [ biography] H.E. Mr Dumisani Ndlangamandla, Minister, Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, Swaziland - [biography]
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12.00-14.00 |
Lunch break |
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14.00-15.30 |
Leaders’ Dialogue: Understanding the structural impact of ICTs
ICTs have spread rapidly over the last decade and profoundly changed the way many people in the world learn, work, live and communicate. Recent debates are increasingly focusing on the impact of ICTs and the structural changes that they are triggering in the society and economy, including in the labour market. Knowledge economies are benefitting from the extensive availability and use of ICTs, through innovation and technical and scientific advances. At the same time, people, businesses and governments need to adapt to those changes in terms of products, markets and skills requirements.
The Leaders’ Dialogue will discuss social and economic changes caused by the spread of ICTs, as well as data requirements needed to understand and address those changes. In particular, the session will address the following questions:
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What are the main structural changes caused by ICTs?
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What is the impact of ICTs on employment and labour markets, and what do businesses, governments, and people need to do to adjust?
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What skills are required for tomorrow’s jobs? Will mass job creation make up for mass job destruction?
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What data are available and needed to understand these issues?
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How do ICTs change societies and create new models of social cohesion?
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What are the changing data needs related to the digital revolution?
Moderator: Oshinka Tsiang, Broadcaster, Motshwarateu Media, Botswana - [biography]
Keynote: Mårten Blix, Digitalization Expert and Former Secretary to the Swedish Prime Minister in the Commission on the Future Challenges of Sweden - Presentation (pdf) - [biography]
Panelists: - Annah Ngalapi Majelantle, Statistician General, Statistics Botswana - [biography]
- Seiji Takagi, Director-General for International Affairs, Global ICT Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan - [biography]
- Maria Harrison, Commissioner, Liberia Telecommunications Authority, Liberia - [biography]
- Pakamile Pongwana, Chief Executive Officer, Independent Communications Authority of South Africa - [biography]
- Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia - [biography]
- Abdoulkarim Soumaila, Secretary General, African Telecommunications Union - [biography]
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| 15.30-16.00 | Coffee break |
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16.00-17.00 |
Special session organized by the Government of Botswana: ICT Development in Botswana over the last 50 years and methods of measurements
The development of Botswana’s telecommunications and ICT market gained traction in 1995 when the Telecommunication Policy was adopted. Prior to 1995, telecommunication services were provided by the government entity and the infrastructure development was channeled through the incumbent operator. In 1998 the market was liberalised with two mobile operators awarded mobile licenses. In 2014, Statistics Botswana conducted its first comprehensive ICT Household Survey with the main objective to measure accessibility and usage of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Botswana. By 2016, Botswana has high usage of ICT services with mobile cellular penetration and mobile-broadband penetration among the highest in Africa.
This session will showcase Botswana’s ICT development over the last 50 years.
Moderator: Itumeleng Batsalelwang, Director, Telecommunications and Postal, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Botswana - [biography] Panelists:
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