Gambia hosts ITU-T study group 12 regional meeting

Speaking during the opening ceremony held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre, Yusupha M. Jobe, director general of PURA, emphasised the need to ensure uniformity and high standard of the telecoms service that the consumers experience.

He said that with the crux of the theme in mind, sharing experiences to enhance telecoms network quality for consumers suffices to admit that the meeting is appropriate and relevant in coming up with solutions that stand the test of time by the overwhelming concerns of the end users in the sector.

“The quality of service that they experience should be uniformed and should be highly standardized as obtained in any Western country,” he advised, saying: “PURA as a partner to the ITU equally believes that it is prudent to convene periodically such initiatives in a bid to bolster and reinforce the available opportunities in the industry and to also match the top-notch services that are offered elsewhere in the world.”

He urged the need to leverage the sea of potentials available in the sector and to harness the minds that were in attendance on the way forward.

“As a regulator, we appreciate the ITU’s unreserved conviction and trust for The Gambia to host this critical meeting with a view to harmonizing and proposing smart standards of service for the end user,” he said.

Martin Adolph, Study Group Advisor of ITU, explained: “ITU members work together to connect the world and ensure that our interconnectivity will be meaningful communication between the societies. Meaningful connectivity demands that the sector always performs as expected especially when it is needed the most.”

Mr Adolph underscored that reliable connectivity is key to trust in ICT, stating that reliable ICT has the potential to help everyone to live a better life.

Lamin Camara, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Digital Economy, also reiterated that in a bid to establish, determine and enhance telecommunications network quality for consumers, the consumers are paramount.

He said that in trying to determine the quality of service, feedback from consumers is needed for regulatory action and population performance.

PS Camara added that his ministry is working diligently with the stakeholders to ensure ICT objective of economic transformation is met and attained.

“It is also essential that our operators invest in the latest technologies. That is the only way we can drive this digital economy. A lot has been done when it comes to transmission backbone in the country without which, digital transformation will not take place,” he emphasised.