IDG News Service —
The Communications Authority of Zambia (CAZ) held the First National ICT Research Symposium in Lusaka from Oct. 22 to Oct. 23.
"The CAZ, through its initiative of hosting a research symposium for the ICT sector, is to accentuate the benefits of a well-regulated ICT sector by promoting an open and competitive digital economy," said CAZ acting CEO Richard Mwanza at the symposium's opening.
The event also aimed to forge relations between the CAZ and Zambian researchers, thereby catalyzing research capacity within the authority and higher learning institutions in order to aid in the ICT sector's sustainable development, Mwanza said.
ICT has become vital in attaining the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goals, he noted, which aim to reduce poverty and improve education and health care in developing countries.
Zambia's ICT sector currently contributes to one-fifth of the country's GDP, added Minister of Communications and Transport Dora Siliya, and the government hopes to see this contribution increase significantly.


