Called the Programme for Development and Training (PDT), this technical assistance programme is described as the largest ICT knowledge-sharing initiative funded and delivered by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).

Until last year, the initiative was exclusively open to member countries of the British Commonwealth. However, under the CTO's new constitution and the governance structure of the "new" PDT, the technical assistance and capacity-building programme is now open to a wider range of organisations, including governments, regulators, ICT operators and other entities outside the Commonwealth with an interest in ICT.

Delegates to the conference will address practical aspects of the new PDT, including the governance of the programme, the allocation of bilateral programmes, future international events and the initiative's scholarship programme.

"The new PDT's broader remit of membership and programmes reflects the diversity of ICT operators as well as the global agenda on the use of ICT for poverty alleviation," says Ravi Rao, director of programmes at the CTO, who oversees the new PDT.

"New subscribers and users of ICT, especially the Internet and mobile telephony, in developing economies are currently registering the highest growth rates in the world, but this potential is yet to be fully appreciated or exploited," says Rao.

"Our aim is to use the programmes of the PDT to accelerate these changes in order to contribute more effectively to poverty reduction in developing countries. The new PDT, which is far more inclusive and cost-effective, will help all stakeholders to increase their capacity to deal with this fast-paced and rapidly changing sector. The benefits of the PDT will increase as more partners join the programme."

Source: Africapulse.org