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reliable and affordable information and communications infrastructure is the foundation upon which the Southern African Renaissance can be built and sustained;

RECALLING the priority accorded to the challenge of bridging the digital divide in the Millennium Declaration adopted by the Millennium Assembly and statements made in the G8 Summit in Okinawa and the Southern African Economic Summit, 2001;

NOTING the capacity limitations in the Region, in particular shortage of skilled ICT personnel, high cost of development of ICT infrastructure, slow progress towards the deregulation of the telecommunications sectors leading to monopolies, unaffordability of universal access due to high tariffs and internet charges, lack of economic commerce readiness, reluctance of acceptance for ICT culture and innovations;

CONCERNED about the lack of regional policy and strategy on ICT and the digital divide between and within countries and the Region, which have the potential to widen the socio-economic disparity that exists;
FURTHER NOTING that international experience has shown that ICT, if harnessed, can contribute significantly to the economic development of countries and facilitate the provision of a better life for citizens;
AWARE that the digital divide does not only manifest itself economically or technologically but also culturally, creating a world that is increasingly less representative and reflective of the languages, cultures, ideas and diversity of the peoples of the world;

RECALLING Decision 52/2000 of the SATCC Committee of Ministers which urged Member States to give ICT priority for national and regional socio-economic development and accord such recognition in their national programmes in the effort of turning the Region into an information - based economy;

RECOGNISING that ICT is a fast, reliable, efficient and easy way of communication and information exchange;

ACKNOWLEDGING that effective information communication is best achieved under an environment characterised by:

• policy guidelines
• legislation
• well defined strategy
• telecommunications deregulation
• reliable, efficient and scalable network infrastructure
• human resources development in the area of ICT
• knowledge management
• affordable access to information
• natural way for collaboration and conversation
• seamless integration
• ubiquitous access and
• security

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