Accra, Feb. 2, GNA - The Government has developed a Ghana Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Accelerated Development Policy to serve as a roadmap for the development of the country's information society and economy.

President John Agyekum Kufuor, who announced this on Wednesday, said the policy was to be integrated within the Government's three-pronged development strategy for its second term in office. He was addressing the opening session of the three-day Second Africa Regional Preparatory Conference of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Accra.

The theme of the Conference is: "Access - Africa's Key to an Inclusive Information Society", and is being attended by stakeholders, ranging from Government to civil society, private sector, academia, parliamentarians, local authorities, African Regional Institutions, development partners and international organisations. The Conference is to ensure a strategic and inter-dependent digital partnership that would promote growth and human development on the Continent.

It is also to prepare Africa for effective participation in the second phase of the WSIS scheduled for Tunis, Tunisia, in November 2005. The first phase of the WSIS was held in Geneva in December 2003. President Kufuor said the Government's second term revolved around the development and enhancement of the nation's human resource base, the continued revamping of the private sector and the entrenchment of good governance.

"Our belief is that each of these inter-related areas requires a strong reliance on the delivery of and access to ICT."

President Kufuor said the development of the country's human resource base must be at the heart of all that the Government sought to seek.

"The Government is convinced that we can only get a well-educated and skilled population when we embrace ICT. In much the same way the promotion of good governance and sustainable development has been proved to be more easily attainable through ICT application."

President Kufuor called on the participants to ensure that the Conference assisted African Governments to critically assess how their countries were performing and to agree on a clear vision and practical policy options on how the African Continent could take full advantage of the globalisation of ICT.

He opened an exhibition mounted by institutions and organisations in the ICT sector at the forecourt of the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC), venue for the Conference. 02 Feb. 05