By Aminata Kuyateh
In a significant move aimed at fostering stronger partnership and enhancing the country’s technological landscape, officials from The Gambia Information and Communication Technology Agency (GICTA) recently embarked on a comprehensive familiarization tour to the key ICT service providers within the country.
This initiative underscores GICTA’s commitment to promoting innovation, improving service delivery and supporting the digital transformation agenda of the country.
GICTA’s mandate includes the implementation of the Gambia’s E-government plan, facilitation of a digital economy, provision of high quality IT services to the government, coordinating, promoting and monitoring state-related IT projects while ensuring standardization of IT processes nationwide.
The officials visited Insist Global, Cayorr Technologies, Unique Solutions and Lasting Solutions respectively.
The delegation led by GICTA’s Director general Prof. Abdou Karim Jallow, engaged with industry leaders and stakeholders to gain a deeper understanding of their operations, challenges, and contributions to the national ICT ecosystem.
Prof. Jallow acknowledged those concerns, reiterating GICTA’s dedication to addressing them. He noted that the agency is actively working on initiatives to improve ICT infrastructure, including the deployment of fiber optic networks and the implementation of policies that encourage investment in the sector.
“Our goal is to create an enabling environment where technology can thrive and contribute to the socio-economic development of the Gambia,” he stated.
Director Jallow said this familiarisation tour represents a crucial step in GICTA’s strategic efforts to bridge gaps between the public sector and private ICT enterprises, by fostering closer relationships with service providers.
Director Jallow added that GICTA aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas, promote best practices and ultimately drive the national agenda for digital transformation, additionally In the coming months, GICTA plans to host a series of follow-up meetings to further explore the insights gained from the tour.
“GICTA will hold a sensitisation forums to educate and inform the heads of government institutions on the objectives, powers and function of the agency”, Director Jallow concluded.
Director of project at Unique Solution, Adama Touray emphasized the importance of a robust and reliable internet backbone to support the burgeoning demand for digital services.Additionally , there were calls for more public-private partnerships to drive the growth of the ICT sector.
