BUJUMBURA, October 28th (ABP) – The assistant to the Minister of Communication, Information Technology and Media, Thierry Kitamoya, opened a national workshop on Friday, October 25, 2024 in Bujumbura to validate the study on indicators of universal access to the internet in Burundi. This workshop was organized by the Ministry responsible for Communication in collaboration with UNESCO and the Telecommunications Regulation and Control Authority (ARCT) with the aim of examining and validating the conclusions of that study, with a view to contributing to strengthening universal access to the internet in Burundi.
In his speech, Kitamoya indicated that Burundi has embarked on the path of digitizing all public services. To achieve this goal, it is imperative that citizens can access the internet, from urban centers to underserved areas. He added that the validation of this study will shed more light on the real needs in terms of internet access in Burundi, and will serve as a strategic reference to guide future actions and direct public policies in favor of digital inclusion.
In addition, he justified, this validated document constitutes a strategic advocacy tool to address the challenges identified in the field of internet access.
He thanked all stakeholders who contributed to this study because their involvement demonstrates the importance of this initiative for Burundi.
For his part, the UNESCO delegate, Serge Banyimbe, recalled that the study on indicators of universal access to the internet launched in December 2023 aimed to provide Burundi with a set of three essential elements. This is a comprehensive and substantial presentation of the understanding of the environment and national policy on the Internet, an assessment of the alignment of the Internet in Burundi with the principles of human rights, openness, accessibility and multi-stakeholder participation of UNESCO as well as its contribution to sustainable development; a collection of policy recommendations that should enable the country to improve the national Internet ecosystem as cutting-edge ICTs evolve.
According to him, this study is designed to address a scientific assessment of the situation in a given country in order to have data to recommend specific changes to solve problems and exploit opportunities.
During his presentation, the UNESCO consultant, Dr. Fiacre Muhimpundu, who spoke on the report in relation to the indicators of universal access to the Internet in Burundi, first noted that Burundi has demonstrated its commitment to accelerate the process of establishing a digital ecosystem favorable to the development of the Internet. It also highlights the need to develop more proactive strategies in terms of accessibility and to ensure the strengthening of gains in terms of freedom of the press.
During the discussions, the participants validated the report. They also recommended that the Ministry in charge of communication set up a standard software development platform for all requests for government services. They also recommended accelerating the project to set up a national cyber-security strategy in the sense of protecting online commerce, data protection, consumer rights and electronic signatures as well as encouraging the production of data and their access for the promotion of open content.
It is worthy to note that Burundi is the third country in southern Africa that had the opportunity to present the study on indicators of universal access to the Internet.