 Chairperson, Secretary-General of the ITU, Honourable Ministers and Heads of Delegations, Distinguished Delegates, Development Partners, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, all protocols Julie observed. I'm delivering this statement on behalf of Honourable Minister Silla of the Gambia. At the onset, I thank and congratulate the ITU for organizing and hosting the sixth wall telecommunication ICT Policy Forum. The importance and timing of this policy dialogue cannot be overemphasized. The forum is being held at a time when it is quite apparent that with the right policies, regulations and investments, ICTs have a huge potential of enhancing the socioeconomic status of our people while bridging the economic divide between developed and developing countries. Chairperson, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, innovation and advances in digitalization and emerging technologies have an impactful effect on the way trade and productions are conducted, efficiency of supply chains, efficient delivery of healthcare, broader access to quality education and learning engagements, efficiency, accountability, transparency of government, and delivery of services to broader citizens. Speedy development of digitalization, anchored on and driven by dynamic growth in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, 3D printing and nanotechnologies provide the means for increasing digitalization of economies. The result of such emerging technologies is that digital data flows have grown both in terms of speed and volume. Traditional ways of manufacturing and producing goods and services, learning engagements and access to quality content for knowledge acquisition, creation and sharing have changed as a result and we have seen significant improvements in productivity and efficiency. Furthermore, we have witnessed an increase in manufacturing opportunities and specialization within and between neighboring countries. Regional and sub-regional value chains supported by digital technologies and cross-border data flows are expanding due to advances in digital infrastructure and new enabling technologies. We are of the view that robust, resilient and affordable broadband connectivity and data infrastructure must be core and critical priority infrastructure for our countries. The rise of economies is providing opportunities for newer business models and a diversity of digital platforms and services to usher in the digital platform and services economy which our countries are still behind. Rapid and swift expansion of the digital economy is facilitating and driving digital trade, consequently developing greater opportunities to expand intra and extra trade among regional member states and others. Against the backdrop of all these shift and dynamic occurrences with emerging technologies and the changing dynamics of getting things done is the fact that available evidence demonstrates that the impact of digitalization is uneven across countries and sectors. Ladies and gentlemen and Madam Chairperson, the government of the Gambia consists of the potential of ICTs in enhancing the country's socioeconomic development initiatives has in the past decade worked towards the establishment of landmark and game-changing projects in the Gambia's ICT sector as enshrined in critical enable of five of our national development plan 2018 to 2021. The Gambia's national development plan seeks to transform the country into a digital nation and create a modern information society. The sector has registered remarkable growth in terms of access and quality service delivery since the rollout of the national fiber backbone and the landing of a submarine cable in 2012. These landmark achievements have also enriched the spirit of competition in the ICT telecom sector and help ensure that services become more competitive and affordable to the average Gambian end user. Additionally, the national information communication infrastructure policy adopted in 2005 and the ICT for development policy 2018 to 2028 provides strategic direction for the attainment of the ICT development vision of the government of the Gambia. The MICI policy was anchored on building and sustaining partnerships with the private sector on donors providing an effective information and communication infrastructure enabling countrywide connectivity and achieving a liberalized and competitive ICT market that offers consumer choice through affordability and quality of service delivery. Both these policies also enable prioritization of critical socioeconomic issues such as the proliferation of ICT driven socioeconomic solutions in education and most importantly in public health delivery. Chairperson distinguished guests, it is important to note that to bridge the digital divide in our case for digital transformation anchored with a sustainable and agile digital infrastructure, our policy and direction as guided by ICT for development policy 2018 to 2028. The ICT sector's current blueprint strongly focuses on internet resilience, governance, universal access to broadband connectivity with affordability for our citizens. This is further reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic which has without doubt evidence that the fact that the use of online digital technologies and services for our day to day work is not a luxury but a necessity for all irrespective of where you live and your social status. As part of strategies put in place to ensure internet resilience, governance and affordability, my ministry is keenly looking into achieving last mile affordable connectivity, reviewing the broadband value chain and tackling existing bottlenecks. Moreover, to support achievement of the country's digital agenda, our government has identified the landing of a second submarine cable as a priority for redundancy purposes. To this end, plans are in place to include the country in the America Capital Submarine Cable project of ECOWAS while other avenues are being explored with the World Bank and other partners. Furthermore, to ensure digital inclusion, the government of the Gambia is putting in place necessary measures for the implementation of a universal access regime. The universal access service is earmarked to support the provision of last mile access to affordable broadband services. To ensure the existence of robust laws, regulations and policy regimes to address the current and future needs of the sector, given its dynamic nature, I wish to inform excellencies and colleagues that the Gambia is currently reviewing the Information and Communication Act 2009, which is the law governing the ICT sector. Similarly, in partnership with the sector regulator Pura, the licensing regimes and accompanying regulations are being reviewed with a view to further encourage more private sector participation and optimal use of existing ICT infrastructure. The optic of digital services is dependent on the rate of digital literacy in the Gambia. So the government is putting in place the requisite policy space and regulatory measures to support the rollout of digital literacy programs and digital learning technologies, platforms and services. This is given the fact that we have a bubbling and growing youth population and stepped up interests of women and girls in building their capabilities in ICTs and digitalization. Thus, we are obliged to provide modern stepped up skills and competencies required to develop and advance a more ICT population that are participants as producers, actors and agents across the value chains. The process is informed by a feasibility study conducted by the ministry with support from the African Development Bank. Chairperson, distinguished guests, what we do realize against the backdrop of all these swift and dynamic occurrences with emerging technologies and the changing dynamics of doing things is the evidence that the impact of digitalization is uneven across countries and sectors. Thus, we are mindful that the potentially positive effects of digital transformation in the Gambia can be hindered severely by lack of technological diffusion, structural barriers to the use of new technologies, lack of availability of or access to affordable broadband connectivity, digital and data infrastructure and appropriate skills and competency gaps. On a similar note, it is also critical to note that security is also a key issue in our digital transformation and cast to establish and deploy data infrastructure. To this effect, to help address cybersecurity and cybercrime related issues and strengthen the country's international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime, a holistic policy and strategy on cybersecurity has been formulated with the cybercrime and data protection and privacy bills are expected to be tabled before Parliament by the first quarter of 2022. The Gambia is part of many global cybercrime alliances, bodies and signatories to conventions including GFCE, OCD, RW and is the process of domesticating the replicating progress. Thank you very much. As part of this effort towards pouring research and development, increasing innovation in our economy and solving the unemployment problem, the government of the Gambia is working on mobilizing the requisite funds for the establishment of a national technology pack and rural information and innovation hopes. In conclusion, please allow me to reiterate our sincerest commendation to the ITU for the support over the years and as well expressed on behalf of the government of the Gambia. Our renewed commitment to support and continued collaboration with the ITU. We look forward to a very successful ITE plan of a potential conference in 2022. We thank you.