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MINEDAF VII and Other Initiatives
SADC - Southern
African Development Community
Consultative Conference with International Cooperating Partners
(Lusaka, Zambia, 5-12 February 1999)
Conference theme:
"SADC in the Next Millennium: The Challenges and Opportunities of
Information Technology"
Working Group on Infrastructure
for IT Development
The major limitation in the IT
infrastructure of the SADC countries was seen to be the pervasive lack of
low-cost telecommunications and Internet services, especially in the rural
areas. The cost of access was seen as a primary problem linked to the lack
of infrastructure --- if costs were lower, there would be increased demand
for infrastructure and greater traffic, which would in turn lower the unit
cost of delivering the service through the increased economies of scale.
Some of the recommendations of the group were highlighted in
discussions during the Conference of the Council of Ministers.
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