November 2011, United States
Dr Hamadoun Touré was one of the key speakers at the prestigious Techonomy 2011 conference in Tucson, Arizona. A high-level event for the global leaders community, Techonomy aims to help them formulate appropriate new strategies for communication and innovation in a fast-changing world.
This year’s conference, which focused on the theme Revolutions in Progress, looked at the growing mismatch between the desires and capabilities of technology-empowered individuals and the habits and practices of the institutions, corporations and governments that serve them.
Interviewed before an audience of 300 invited guests by Randall Lane, Editor of Forbes magazine, Dr Touré spoke eloquently on a wide range of topics, from the role of social media in the Arab Spring to his championing of global broadband connectivity for all and the need for more effective international cybersecurity strategies.
Dr Touré stressed the importance of universal broadband access as a crucial step to achieving the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. “You will not be able to meet the Millennium Development goals in health without e-health, in education without e-education, and government services will not be able to be provided without e-government services,” said Touré.
The key to achieving global broadband access will be public-private partnership, he added. “Telcos will invest in a good idea if they can do it profitably.”
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