Sierra Leone delegation inspired by CTO Forum

A group led by Sierra Leone's information and communication minister, Alhaji Ibrahim Ben Kargbo, returned from the Sixth Annual Commonwealth Telecommunication Organisation (CTO) Forum in Abuja, Nigeria, with high hopes of revamping Sierra Leone's telecom industry, Kargbo said Tuesday.

"The Sierra Leonean delegation has learnt something of value from the meeting of commonwealth African and Caribbean countries who met in Abuja to deliberate on the future of telecommunications within commonwealth countries," he said to journalists.

Kargbo praised Nigeria for its highly developed telecom industry, noting that the meeting inspired a new telecommunications strategy for Sierra Leone for the betterment of the nation.

The meeting, themed "Ensuring Effective Connectivity for a Socially Inclusive and a Commercially Vibrant Africa," focused on strengthening the participation of rural people in the telecom industry, particularly in regards to the use of the Internet and mobile phones for effective communication.

The minister expressed hope that the telecom industry, as envisaged by the forum's organizers, would also aid in a poverty reduction strategy for Sierra Leone.

The delegation at the CTO Forum included Bash Kamara, executive secretary of the National Telecommunications Commission; Mohammed Alie Bah of the Ministry of Information and Communication; and Veronica Sesay, chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Information.