Definition of Data

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Main Focus of Document

Developing the Gambian information economy and society

Target Beneficiaries or Sector

citizens

Key Elements

The policy has several pillars for the development of The Gambian economy and society, including in relation to e-government, ensuring ICT in education and communities, electronic health, building a legal and regulatory framework and ICT infrastructure development. Key elements of the Plan include:

The Human Resource Development  (HRD) Action Plan 
The HRD Action Plan contains targeted initiatives, programmes and projects aimed at: (i) assessing the human resource landscape and needs of the country; (ii) putting in place special ICT promotion packages and incentives to encourage private and public sector organizations to invest in the development of human resources to meet the needs of the economy; (iii) implementing a number of HRD initiatives on a national level to boost ICT skills and other skill areas in the country; (iv) developing the nation’s human resource needs in critical skill areas in all key sectors of the economy; (v)  developing the requisite pool of knowledgeable ICT workers in critical skill areas and professions needed to support the development of The Gambia’s information and knowledge economy; (vi) developing the human resource development capacity of the nation’s universities and colleges; (vi) mobilizing and deploying the necessary financial and technological resources to facilitate the implementation of HRD programmes and initiatives; (viii) developing the necessary standards, best practices and guidelines to guide the process of HRD in key all sectors of the economy; and (ix) providing the necessary and institutional support for facilitating HRD on a national basis. The broad objectives of the HRD Action Plan are to put in place and implement a number of programmes aimed at assessing the human resource needs of the economy and, on the basis of this, put in place assessments and implement initiatives and measures to develop and deploy the needed skills and manpower critical for driving and facilitating the developmental goals of the country in order to develop and transform The Gambian economy into a middle-income information and knowledge based economy and society.
 
The ICTs-in-Education Action Plan
The E-education (ICT-in-Education) Action Plan targets initiatives, programmes and projects aimed at: (i) implementing a number of national ICT applications relevant to the various levels of The Gambian educational system; (ii) mobilizing and deploying the necessary financial and technological resources for implementing the requisite educational programmes and specific ICT programmes and initiatives targeted at improving the educational delivery system; (iii) computerization of the operations of the two Departments of State for Education and their respective organs; (iv) developing the necessary standards, curriculum, best practices and guidelines to guide and support the deployment, and the exploitation of ICTs in schools, colleges and universities; and (v) providing the necessary institutional set-up to support ICT exploitation and development within the educational system, the ICT training provision sector and the research institutions. The broad objectives of this Action Plan are to: facilitate the deployment and the utilization of ICTs to improve and widen access to educational resources, delivery systems and opportunities within The Gambian educational system from primary school up to tertiary institutions. 

The ICTs-in-Communities Action Plan
The ICTs-in-Communities Action Plan targets initiatives, programmes and projects aimed at: (i) promoting equal and universal access to ICT services and resources to all communities including rural and under-served communities; (ii) encouraging and speeding-up  the diffusion of ICT within society and the economy; (iii) supporting access to e-government, e-health, e-learning and e-commerce services via community access points and facilities like telecenters and other types of multi-purpose community access facilities; and (iv) implementing community-based national ICT programmes and initiatives including telemedicine, multi-purpose community telecenters, teleducation and schoolnets initiatives. The broad objectives of this sub-plan is to promote, support and facilitate the deployment and exploitation of ICT within the wider community to improve access to these technologies, their resources and services like the internet, e-government, e-education, e-commerce, e-health services, among others. The focus is on popularizing the use of ICT in all sections of The Gambian society in both rural and urban areas.  
The programmes of this sub-plan are in-line with the vision to transform The Gambia into an ICT literate nation with its citizen having basic ICT literacy and able to access e-government, e-health, e-education and e-agriculture systems using the tools and resources provided by ICTs. 
 

Policy/Regulation Mirrors

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