Meeting with the UN and AU consultant for ICT sector in Somalia

On 16th November 2013 ICT Consultant held meeting in Mogadishu Airport ,Two experts of SBRD department invited.

which like any other public services, the ICT sector in Somalia has been destroyed conflicts, in 90’s as a large number of  have left the e, a market gap has been created to communicate with those who left behind.

The private sector have taken up the challenge and set up communication companies to provide this badly needed service.

The general believe is that the private sector has grown as far as it could. they are very much behind in some areas. only 3% of the population in the country has internet access. the much advertised 3G (mobile internet) is way too expensive for anyone to connect.

To provide a good service in this fast growing sector, is absolutely necessary to combine the resources of the private sector,the government and the international partners.

in this friendly group discussion, we will try to analyze the current status of ICT infrastructure and think on the best possible way forward . Our discussion will, among others, include the following points:-

1. Any current or planed national legal and regulatory frameworks in the ICT sector in Somalia.
2. Does Somalia have a national strategy on e-Government (including an implementation plan).
3. Number of operators currently active in the country.
4. Type of service they provide.
5. The quality of the service.
6. Additional services available e.g. mobile money . access to government information, etc.
7. Ongoing projects that may need technical support, investment or partnership.
8. The capacity of the government institutions in the ICT sector.
9. Administrative and Technical capacity available for the sector.
10. The role of the Somali diaspora.
11. The Internet.