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| Lusaka Zambia |
Government has
challenged the Zambia Information and Communications
Technology Authority (ZICTA) to strengthen laws pertaining to
the use of various forms of technology such as internet in the country.
Information
and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary, Amos Malupenga said ZICTA should come up with other
appropriate laws that would deal with abuse of internet.
Mr
Malupenga said
ZICTA being the overall institution mandated with Information and Communication
Technologies (ICTs), should immediately consider revising its laws to protect
the use of technologies.
He said in
Lusaka yesterday that ZICTA should identify weaknesses on its laws and ensure
that Zambia was protected against abuse of technologies by sealing off
loopholes that tend to violate the internet.
"Zambia's
advancement in technologies has not come without challenges. It is not a
deniable fact that technology like internet has been abused. Let's use internet
to build the nation and not destroying it.
"We
are challenging ZICTA to look at ways of strengthening laws to protect
technologies. ZICTA should immediately revise laws to protect not only the
country but victims who have been abused," he said.
Mr
Malupenga, who is in-coming chairperson of national Information For All
Programme (IFAP) committee, was speaking during IFAD workshop aimed at preparing
a strategic plan and launch of its website.
The four-day
workshop which drew participants from various sectors was aimed at providing
strategic direction to IFAD as well as achievable and measurable targets for
the coming years.
Mr
Malupenga said the Government had adopted United Nations Educational and
Scientific Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) initiative dubbed IFAD to enhance
access to information for every citizen.
The
initiative was spearheaded by Zambia National Commission for UNESCO which received
both financial and technical support from UNESCO Paris office as well as the
cluster office in Zimbabwe.
Mr Malupenga
said the objective of the programme was aimed at promoting international
reflection and debate on ethical, legal and societal challenges of information
society.
It would
also promote and widen the access to information in the public domain through organization,
digitalization and preservation of information. "I
observe with delight that the said objectives are in line with Government's
policy to ensure public access to information for a well-informed
society," he said.
He said the
objectives were in tandem with the digital migration agenda which Government
had embarked upon as prescribed by the United
Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
He said the
establishment of a multi-stakeholder national committee to spearhead
implementation of IFAD activities had come at a better time when Government had
placed public access to information high on its development agenda.
Mr Malupenga
was confident that IFAD would go a long way in enhancing capacity to process
and disseminate information necessary for stimulating social and economic
development.
As an
incoming chairperson of IFAD, Mr Malupenga pledged the ministry's commitment to
working with all stakeholders in ensuring the success of the programme.
He hailed
UNESCO for embarking on capacity building projects of five community radio
stations which include Isoka in Muchinga Province, Lyambai FM in Mongu and
Zambezi FM in Livingstone.
Others were
Breeze FM radio station in Chipata and Mku shi FM in Central Province. He said
the Government was happy the project would focus on staff training on the radio
stations.
Earlier,
ZICTA director general Margret Mudenda said the institute had embarked on
connecting various learning institutions such as University of Zambia,
Copperbelt and Mulungusihi universities with ICT facilities.
She said
about 50 more colleges had been identified by ZICTA to have effective access to
ICTs while the programme of installing communication towers in various parts of
the country was progressing well.
Times of Zambia