Dr Ebot Ebot Enaw, Director General of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technology, ANTIC, explains.
The Head of State has qualified ICTs as fundamental and it is said technological advancements have changed the way things are done. How has this impacted the economy of the country?
Recent studies on the impact of ICT deployment on economic performance in different regions across the world show that ICT is a key enabler of economic growth. One recent study entitled, “Socio-economic Impact of Internet in Emerging and Developing Economies”, estimates that when Internet penetration increases by 10 percent in emerging economies, it correlates with a GDP increase of one to two percent.
In the same light, another study found that the comparative GDP growth rate of a developing country can be boosted by 0.59 percent per annum for every 10 mobile telephones added per 100 inhabitants. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report of 2014, Cameroon’s ICT development statistics stand as follows: mobile subscription 70.39 per cent, fixed telephone subscription 3.59 per cent, fixed broadband deployment rate 0.08 per cent, GSM network coverage 65 per cent and Internet penetration rate 6.4 per cent. From these statistics we can say with every certainty that ICTs have significantly contributed to the economic growth and development of the country.
As the figures indicate, there is most certainly still room for improvement. In terms of opportunities, ICTs provide new avenues for job creation that could help tackle unemployment at the national level. A case in point is the development of the mobile phone applications industry which has created new opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We can therefore say with some degree of assurance that ICT is a key driver of productivity and growth in developing nations, Cameroon included.
Given that youths are the leaders of tomorrow, what are the measures taken by your institution to enable them use the ICT tools positively?
Over the past couple of years, the government has taken a number of measures aimed at promoting the safe use of ICTs as a development tool which helps alleviate poverty and surmount other challenges. In keeping with this drive, ANTIC has attempted to unleash the transformational potential of youths through initiatives such as: The national forum on ICT innovation organised last year which saw the participation of over 100 innovative ICT projects presented by youth across the country.
The idea behind this initiative is to help transform these innovative ideas into finished and marketable products that provide solutions to problems identified in sectors like health, education, security and transport. We strongly belief that through the development of innovative solutions, youths can actively contribute to the creation of jobs as well as the growth of our economy. Obviously issues relating to funding and an enabling environment still need to be tackled for these projects to transition from start-ups to sustainable companies. In the area of creating awareness, ANTIC has embarked on public awareness campaigns on cybersecurity across the national territory in an effort to deter youths and other persons from using ICTs to commit malicious acts known as cybercrimes.
So far, four regions of the country have been covered and at each stop the public is drilled on the legal, institutional and technical aspects of cybersecurity. User guides containing best practices on cyber security are also distributed during the campaigns. Besides these ANTIC-driven measures to encourage youths to use ICTs responsibly and productively, there are also government dispositions that include; an action plan for an information and knowledge-based society piloted by the Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation; the creation of multimedia resource centres in secondary and high schools by the Ministry of Secondary Education; the introduction of compulsory ICT related programme in Primary and Secondary schools and the liberalisation of the audiovisual sector by the Ministry of Communication.
How can youths use ICTs to improve on their well-being as well as boost the country’s socio-economic development?
The instant delivery of information and services electronically to citizens, businesses and other stakeholders in the society makes ICTs key development enablers. The benefits ICTs offer to youths are wide ranging including: instant communication, distant education, employment and job creation. Youths can use ICTs especially the Internet to carry out research and studies on any subject since the Internet prides itself as the largest online library in the world.
Opportunities also include the possibility to use ICT resources to enrol and undertake professional trainings courses online with foreign universities offering courses that may not be available in our country. We hope that through such endeavours our youths will acquire the set of skills and capabilities required to be true innovators. Our ultimate goal is to help bring the benefits of ICTs to all segments of our society in a bid to improve on the living and working conditions of all Cameroonians. In a broader perspective, ICTs have immense potential that can contribute to Cameroon’s socio-economic development and I will like to highlight some visible sectors.
Agriculture: through ICTs, useful information can be delivered to farmers in the form of crop care and animal husbandry, fertilizer and feedstock inputs, drought mitigation, pest control, irrigation, weather forecasting, seed sourcing and market prices. The usage of ICTs can also benefit farmers in enabling them to participate in advocacy and co-operative activities. In the health domain, today, ICTs are being used to facilitate remote consultation, diagnosis and treatment. Public broadcast media such as radio and television as well as mobile phones are effectively facilitating the dissemination of public health information related to disease prevention techniques. The Internet can also be used to improve disease prevention by enabling more effective monitoring and response mechanisms.
As far as education is concerned, with ICTs, students can further their education at a distance, for example, within the framework of the Pan African Project to offer online services, the University of Yaounde I now offers distance learning opportunities in collaboration with some Indian Universities. Under this programme more people are being educated at a reduced cost.
Culture wise, ICTs help rural indigenous and minority communities achieve custodial ownership and rights of interpretation and commercialisation over their own cultural heritage.
In the commercial field, business to business e-commerce offers the greatest opportunities to artisan groups to enhance the service provided to business customers (exporters, importers, alternative trade organisations, wholesale and retail buyers etc). E-Governance is an area in ICTs usage that shows rapidly increasing promise for alleviating the powerlessness, voicelessness, vulnerability and fear dimensions of poverty.
Today, ICTs have become a major instrument for both positive and negative actions from youths. How has ANTIC been working to curb ICTs-aided crimes?
Within the framework of our mission of ensuring the security of Cameroon’s cyberspace as spelled out in law No 2010/012 of 21 December 2010 relative to cyber criminality and cybersecurity, ANTIC has taken measures aimed at curbing ICT-related crime namely: security audit of the information systems of public and private institutions, which seeks to verify the compliance of security solutions deployed, with relevant international norms. Vulnerabilities and security flaws inherent in these systems are also identified and patched before they get exploited by hackers.
A Public Key Infrastructure, PKI, that issues digital certificates used to secure online transactions and interactions in a bid to build trust and confidence in this new form of communication. A Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) which emits security alerts, conducts vulnerability scans, assists law enforcement in digital investigations, assists victims of cybercrimes and monitors critical Internet infrastructures. The imminent installation of two IXPs in Douala and Yaounde which will safeguard and ensure the security of our national content by keeping local Internet traffic within the country.
Ongoing cybersecurity sensitisation seminars which provide information to the public, on how to identify, avert and report cybercrimes.
How successful have your efforts been given the upsurge in cyber crimes in the country?
The level of awareness on cyber criminality has considerably increased over the years. According to results obtained from Security Audit missions and the Computer Incident Response Team, vulnerabilities are discovered and patched on a daily basis leading to a decrease in cyberattacks. Thanks to improved collaboration with law enforcement officers, in the area of digital investigations, more cybercriminals are now tracked, apprehended and prosecuted.
