In his opening remarks at the Commonwealth ICT Summit in Abuja this week, Nigerian President Alhaji Umara Musa Yar'Adua tasked Commonwealth ministers of ICT with lessening the digital divide.

Represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, Yar’Adua said he is hopeful that the ministers will use the summit as a platform to lay the foundation for effectively transforming Africa’s digital deficit into a digital opportunity.

The conference comes at a critical time, he said, when the imperatives of globalization dictate the vital need for more effective ICT to enhance market-driven opportunities for economic growth.

The theme of the sixth annual conference, “Ensuring Effective Connectivity for a Socially Inclusive and a Commercially Vibrant Africa,” affords the ministers an opportunity to focus on the continent’s quest to face up to the challenges of globalization, the president added.

“Given the antecedents of the CTO [Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation] and the caliber of participants at this forum, I am confident that you will emerge with a definitive road map to affect the bridging of the digital divide that exists between Africa and the rest of the world," he said.

With about 60 percent coverage and quantum investments of US$11 billion in telecommunications, Nigeria was recognized by Yar'Adua for its monumental growth over the past five years.

However, he said, the ICT sector is still faced with very real challenges, necessitating his administration's holistic commitment to physical infrastructure development.

From a global perspective, Yar’Adua said, Nigeria is driven by strong democratic structures and a formidable regulatory environment. What remains is to develop and drive a strong policy framework for forming global, regional and national collaborative alliances, he added.

“We look forward to this forum for strategic options for an integrated ICT development agenda of social inclusiveness via connectivity that will stand the test of time for the African continent,” he said.

The IDG News Service is a Network World affiliate.