State of ICT policy development and linkages with Agriculture in ACP countries by Anju Mangal

1. State of ICT policy development and linkages with
Agriculture in ACP countries
24 – 25 April, 2013
CTA

2. Background
• Communication Action Plan (1999)
• Pacific Islands ICT Policy and Plan (2002)
• Pacific Plan Digital Strategy (2005)
– Further endorsed by Forum ICT Ministers in 2006 :
Wellington Declaration
• Cairns Communique
– Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) commissioned a
review
– SPC led the development of the framework
• Pacific Regional ICT Ministers (2010 Tonga)
– Endorsed the Framework for Action on ICT for
Development for the Pacific

3. Transferring Pacific ICT Outreach functions of SPC
to University of the South Pacific (USP)
• In 2012, the Independent External Review team conducted a review of
SPC. One of their recommendations was to transfer the function of SPC’s
Information and Communication Technology Outreach to the University
of the South Pacific.
• Earlier this year, SPC and USP signed a letter of agreement regarding the
transfer and integration of specific functions of SPC’s work programme
into USP’s. USP has undertaken to develop and strengthen Pacific ICT
Outreach activities, including countries and territories that are not USP
members but are members of SPC, subject to resource availability. USP
will also provide updates through yearly reporting to the USP governing
council and Pacific ministers for communication. The letter of agreement
is consistent with the role of the Council of Regional Organisations of the
Pacific (CROP) and its guiding principles of improving service.

4. USP – lead role
• USP will take a lead role as chair of the ICT working group of the Council of
Regional Organisations in the Pacific, commonly known as CROP agencies.
• This working group spearheads the Framework for Action on ICT for Development
in the Pacific, recognising that ICT plays a critical role in the efforts of countries to
meet the Millennium Development Goals.
• For those countries’ continued development it is critical that vibrant and market-
driven ICT sectors are established. For your information, the Pacific Islands Forum
Secretariat, in collaboration with SPC, commissioned a review of the Pacific digital
strategy early in 2010. This strategy is an initiative under the Pacific Plan to
promote economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and
security in Forum Countries.

5. Development of Framework
PIFS Review
of Digital
Strategy
PIFS Review
of Digital
Strategy
ITU Assessment
of PICs National
ICT Policies
ITU Assessment
of PICs National
ICT Policies
Development
Partners
Development
Partners
CROP ICT WGCROP ICT WG
Feedbacks &
Comments from
PICTs
Feedbacks &
Comments from
PICTs
REGIONAL ICT
FRAMEWORK
REGIONAL ICT
FRAMEWORK

6. Framework
• Vision
– Improved livelihood of Pacific communities through
effective utilization of ICT
• Goals
– Pacific Island nations to recognise and utilise ICT as an
essential tool for socio economic sustainable development,
good governance and security;
– ICT be a national priority
• Outcomes
– Access to affordable ICT
– Efficient and effective utilization of ICT for sustainable
development

7. The status of PICTs is paramount and a
regional framework cannot override
national or territorial decisions. This
framework will be guided by national
policies and implementation plans
The status of PICTs is paramount and a
regional framework cannot override
national or territorial decisions. This
framework will be guided by national
policies and implementation plans

8. Themes
• The successful implementation of the framework is
dependent on the support and commitment of PICTs,
development partners and other stakeholders;
• The themes categorized the ICT priority areas and reflect
commonalities; and
• The themes have been structured so as to provide a rationale,
long-term objectives, key priorities, targets and milestones,
policy objectives and regional strategies for 2011-2015.

9. Themes
For each THEMES:
• Expected Outcome
• Rationale
• Long-term objectives
• Key priorities
• Policy objectives and strategies for 2011-
2015
• Targets and milestones

10. Themes
1. Leadership, governance, coordination and partnerships - strong
leadership and appropriate governance mechanisms are needed to
ensure that the benefits of ICT are fully realised and would
contribute to the livelihood of Pacific Islanders.
2. ICT policy, legislation and regulatory frameworks - the importance
of having a strong and effective policy and regulatory framework to
create an enabling environment that promotes fair competition.
3. ICT Human Capacity Building -the importance of investing in human
resource development in the ICT sector
4. ICT Infrastructure and Access - most PICTs have poor infrastructure,
including in ICT and energy.

11. Themes
5. International Connectivity- high cost of international
capacity continues to be a major issue for PICTs
6. Cyber security and ICT Applications
1. cyber security is essential as nations become more
dependent on ICT and it grows more pervasive in
peoples’ daily lives
2. ICT can promote greater transparency and more
efficient, effective and accessible services
5. Financing, monitoring and evaluation - the importance
of ensuring a coordinated approach to financing the ICT
sector and of having a robust monitoring and evaluation
framework

12. ICT Applications
• ICT can promote greater transparency and more efficient, effective and
accessible services.
– technologies such as mobile phones promote greater transparency
and more efficient, effective and accessible services.
– ICT applications can assist the priority sectors such as health,
agriculture and education through e-learning for affordable
professional development, tele-health for affordable and accessible
health services
– e-Agriculture for affordable access to market and information

13. Status of national ICT policies
Country National ICT policy adopted Communication Market
Adopted Evaluation
(Review)
Draft prepared Open Market Separate
Regulator
Cook Islands  
Fiji   
Kiribati  
RMI 
FSM 
Nauru
Niue
Palau 
PNG   
Samoa   
Solomon Is.  
Timor Leste
Tonga  
Tuvalu
Vanuatu  
Total 6 1 3 7 6

14. Country Sector Ministry Stakeholder
Committee
Other Remarks
Cook Islands  National ICT Committee
Fiji  IT Advisory Council
Kiribati  Ministry of Communications, Transport and Tourism
RMI  Ministry of Transportation and Communication
FSM  Department of Transport, Communications and
Information
Nauru  Department of Transport and Telecommunications
Niue  Niue Island Information, Technology &
Communication and Development Council (NiDC)
Palau  National ICT Policy Task Force
PNG  Interagency ICT Taskforce
Samoa  National ICT Steering Committee
Solomon Is.  ICT Working group
Timor Leste  ARCOM (Sector regulator)
Tonga  Ministry of Information and Communications
Tuvalu  Ministry of Communications Transport and Tourism
Vanuatu  Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Utilities
Total 7 7 1
Institutional arrangements for the development of national ICT policies in the PICs

15. The role of ICT in Agriculture and Rural Development
• When we think of development, we should not only relate it to technology and it should not
just be about information. It should promote a discussion:
– Information and knowledge exchange
– People
– Content
• e-agriculture is "an emerging field” as referred by the United Nations which means we can
still redefine what e-agriculture
• 2 area of focus:
– Practice – how can we use ICT to develop collaborative approaches and implement
activities focusing on good practices and success stories in agriculture and rural
development
– Policy -- how can we have an impact on food security by developing ICT policies and
strategies?

16. Heads of Agriculture and Forestry
• The concept of e-agriculture was explained at the HOAFS meeting but with the
notion that it’s still an evolving field
• In 2010, the officials of the Head of Agriculture and Forestry Services:
– Acknowledged that ICT is an important tool that can contribute to the
development of the Agriculture/Forestry and rural development sector;
– Noted the ‘Framework for Action on ICT for Development in the Pacific in
assisting the agriculture sector’ and SPC LRD ICT initiatives
– Endorsed that the Land Resources Division will need to work with
development partners and key stakeholders to develop a regional ICT for
agriculture, forestry and rural development project

17. ICT for agriculture, forestry and rural
development
• SPC worked on a proposal and submitted it to FAO Pacific
regional office
• Ad hoc activities and worked closely with partners such as
CTA, FAO – Bangkok, EU, UNCTAD, ITC Geneva etc
– Proposal outlined initiatives such as “promote information
sharing through the use of ICTs”
– Promote market information systems --- using sms services
– Create a query based system – LRD helpdesk system
– Develop a website/portal to promote the work of SPC and Land
Resources to stakeholders and development partners
– Youth and ICT in agriculture competitions

18. Country initiatives
• With very little resources, we work with countries like Vanuatu to
advise them on e-agriculture activities. National ICT policy has
incorporated ICT for agriculture
• Unfortunately, there’s not enough funds nor resources to work
with the rest of the countries
• Online consultation
• Difficult to work with national counterparts because of the lack of
coordination between the ministries

19. Next steps?
HOW CAN PARTNERS SUCH AS FAO AND CTA
ASSIST MEMBER COUNTRIES AND REGIONAL
ORGANISATIONS?