Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama opened the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) World Telecom 2011 Summit this week along side President Ali Bongo of Gabon; Minister of Communications & Mass Media Igor Shchegolev of the Russian Federation; Doris Leuthard, Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Environment, Transport, Energy & Communications; Chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohamed Saud Al-Thani of Qatar Telecom; Chairman Jianzhou Wang of China Mobile; and Dr Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of ITU. The summit, which draws many world leaders in government and business, included participation from heads of state such as Prime Minister Pierre Damien Habumuremyi of Rwanda, President Ali Bongo of Gabon, Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano of Tonga, and President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi; other officials, such as Vice President Mohammed Gharib Bilal of Tanzania and Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, Minister of State Alassane Dialy Ndiaye of Senegal, Cabinet Minister Kapil Sibal of India, Minister of Communications and Information Tifatul Sembiring of Indonesia, and Ambassador Philip L. Verveer of the United States; and top executives from the world’s leading technology companies.
According to Dr Touré, for the first time in ITU Telecom’s 40-year history, tens of thousands of people from around the world joined the event using a full range of connected technologies that enabled them to participate from their homes, offices, schools, and through a network of 100,000 telecentres around the world.
In his address during the opening ceremonies, the Prime Minister shared with the forum the many achievements Fiji has made in the areas of ensuring Fijians have access to information and communications technology (ICT).
“My Government believes that ICT is critical for the future of a modern Fiji,” the Prime Minister said to the audience. “We also understand that we face unique challenges. Our terrain, hundreds of islands, and spread of population over a total area of 1.3 million square kilometers of South Pacific Ocean compels us to develop the best possible solutions. As a result, we look to such advancements as mobile broadband to ensure maximum benefits. A unique challenge. A fitting solution.”
The Prime Minister continued: “It is all about finding solutions — no matter how complex the issues are. It takes collaboration, communication, and most importantly, the administrative and political will.”
His address went on to outline the specific accomplishments seen in Fiji to ensure Fijians have the broadest possible access to ICTs, saying:
“This is why my Government has taken numerous steps to facilitate these objectives, including: the removal of exclusivities; the establishment of an independent regulator; the full implementation of United Nations Convention Against Corruption; the funding of e-government projects; the reduction of import duties for ICT equipment; the implementation of our first national FM and television spectrum plan; the launch of the first national broadband policy in the South Pacific; and the opening of free to use tele-centres.”
As a part of his remarks, the Prime Minister also invited the private sector to help take Fiji farther: “As a government, we look forward to working with companies from all throughout the world on mutually beneficial terms. In fact, I welcome any and every technology company to come to Fiji to see the development and progress we have achieved.”
In closing, the Prime Minister said that everyone has a role to play “in terms of empowering people, in terms of strengthening government processes, in terms of growing economies, in terms of providing for sustained livelihoods — through ICT.”