Juba lauds efforts of private sector in development
November 3, 2010, (JUBA) — The government of the semi-autonomous region of south Sudan on Tuesday commended participation of the private sector in the regional development
Madut Biar Yel, Minister of Telecommunications and Postal services, made the comments after a two hour meeting with visiting chief executive officers from Zain and MTN in Sudan.
He told the press that all telecommunication operators should effectively embrace the private-public-partnerships (PPPs) concept and share infrastructure to further the spread of information communication technology (ICTs) region.
“The government south Sudan is committed to promoting and encouraging complementary roles between itself and the private sector through PPPs. This is the commitment of the government and even interested in minimizing its participation in ICT to pave way for private sector participation,” said minister Yel.
He said the private sector must become the engine of growth to drive the economy and create wealth and job opportunities for South Sudan and that his government would continue with its role of creating an enabling environment and provide basic infrastructure to enhance private sector participation.
The government expects the private sector in the ICT industry to have greater network capacity, high quality services and efficient delivery of affordable services.
He said the government also expects equitable distribution of services, diverse and rich data applications from efficient providers of ICT services.
The minister further revealed that his ministry would make an ICT Act in order to create a better experience for all ICT consumers by providing guidelines for the delivery of high quality of service, traffic regulation and handling consumer complaints.
He said the law would be useful in enhancing the regulatory framework in the ICT sector including the revolution of the licensing structure.
He commended MTN Group’s vision for being one of the leading telecommunications providers in emerging markets.
The official said the government was commitment to the vision by the MTN group to enhance further the availability of telecommunication services to all areas countrywide through the synergistic relationship of the MTN Business division and MTN Sudan.
He urged firms to invest in the ICT sector since the country is a key emerging market in the Southern Africa Development Community.
Hassan Yousif Dafallah, MTN Business country manager said the company will focus on providing and delivering a standardized service and seamless integration for customers.
(ST)