In its bid to ‘harness the benefits of Information and Communication Technology in all sectors of the economy for equitable development’ as outlined in the recently launched National Development Plan, the Gambia government has expressed commitment to liberalise the country’s international gateway.
“The government of The Gambia is very much committed to the liberalisation of the international voice gateway,” the Minister of Information, Communication and Infrastructure, Demba Ali Jawo, told journalists on Wednesday at a news conference at his office in Kanifing. “As you may be aware, the data gateway is already liberalised,” he said.
The new regime has promised to make the Gambia a digital nation in creating a modern information society. Breaking the monopoly of state-owned enterprises appear to be key for the liberalisation process.
Minister Jawo said the Public Utilities and Regulatory Authority is edging closer to finalising the procurement process for the National and International Gateway Measurement Systems. The new equipment is expected to boost the capacity of the regulatory body to conduct monitoring.
“This system, among other things, is expected to include the following: revenue assurance, anti-fraud management, quality of service and mobile money monitoring,” Mr. Jawo disclosed.
The government’s spokesperson made it clear that the liberalisation will be confined within the country’s existing GSM operators and Internet Service Providers. “We do not definitely intend to extend it to foreign companies,” he said.
Abdoulie John
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