WTO : Japan commits $300m to ICT in developing countries

By Adeola Tukuru

Abuja

Japan has pledged to support Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure in developing countries with the sum of $300 million.
According to a statement yesterday by Strategy and Communications Adviser to the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, the country and some 69 other countries adopted a joint statement on Electronic Commerce at the meeting on 11th e-commerce World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She explained that the Joint Statement provides a channel for countries to begin exploratory work e-commerce issues, dealing with both the challenges and opportunities
According to her, it also potentially paves the way in future, for negotiations at the WTO on trade matters relating to e-commerce
“During the meeting in Buenos Aires, the 70 countries that have adopted the Joint Statement called for other WTO nations to sign up. They promised to be inclusive and transparent in the discussions.
“Some of the countries that have adopted the statement are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Ukraine, United States of America, Uruguay, New Zealand, Moldova, Liechtenstein, European Union, Colombia, etc
“The Joint Statement goes thus: “We share the goal of advancing electronic commerce work in the WTO in order to better harness these opportunities.
“We recognize the particular opportunities and challenges faced by developing countries, especially LDCs, as well as by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, in relation to electronic commerce.

Leave a Reply