The President of Mali visits ITU

World Summit on the Information Society at the centre of talks

(ITU 020028)

(ITU 020029)

(ITU 020031)

A regional preparatory conference for the World Summit on the Information Society, to be held in Bamako (Mali) from 28 to 30 May 2002, was at the centre of the talks which took place at the ITU headquarters on 3 April 2002 between ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi and President Alpha Oumar Konaré of Mali.

Mr Utsumi discussed with the President the role of information and communication technologies (ICT) for development in the light of the Istanbul Declaration and Action Plan adopted on 27 March 2002 by 152 countries at the third ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference in Istanbul, Turkey (see our Special Report). The Istanbul Declaration focuses on new strategies that can be adopted to improve the level of access to telecommunications throughout the developing world.

President Alpha Oumar Konaré Photo: A. de Ferron (ITU 020030)

Both the President and the Secretary-General exchanged views on the need to develop large-scale partnerships, private and public, for the successful implementation of ICT development strategies as well as methods to enhance cooperation with all stakeholders.

Mr Utsumi stressed the need for African participation in the World Summit on the Information Society to be held in Geneva in December of 2003 and in Tunis in 2005 and the importance of the work of President Konaré in assuring that the voice of Africa is heard. The Secretary-General thanked the President for the initiative taken to organize the preparatory meeting in Mali. This meeting is expected to provide critical direction to the regional preparatory work of the World Summit on the Information Society.

During the visit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed that will create a network of multipurpose community telecentres to connect 703 communities of Mali. The MoU foresees the deployment of the required infrastructure, the establishment of telecentres, the training of users and the development of on-line applications and services.

The President was accompanied by Her Excellency Mrs Soumaré Aminata Sidiré, Ambassador of Mali in Berlin, Aboulaye Diop, Diplomatic Representative of the President of Mali, Abdoul Kader Touré, Ambassador and Director of Protocol of the Republic, Abdoulaye Sidiré, Head of Communication of the President, Mamadou Lamine Diallo, chef de mission, Informatics and New Information and Communication Technologies in the President’s Office and Alexandre Davidoff, Consul of Mali in Geneva.

Mali has been a Member of ITU since October 1960.