 Welcome to the ITU Plenary Potentiary Conference 2018 here in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates where I'm very pleased to be joined in the studio this morning by Nicholas Harry Dousey who is the Minister for Information and Communication Technologies for Malawi. Minister, welcome to the studio. Thank you. I'd like to start off by talking a little bit about there's currently considerable attention being placed on harnessing the power of information and communication technologies for good. What's your personal perspective on this? The personal perspective is that first of all Malawi is a country. We have made an endeavor to make sure that the issue of high-city development is taken to high heights because it's now an economic enabler. It is having the field of health, education, agriculture, and we are also wanting to make sure that in the countryside where most of our people live, they have the basic coverage of internet and broadband. So as a country and as a people, government has made a concerted effort to make sure that high-city development benefits all the people in the country, including those that are in town. Regarding the government institutions, all government institutions now are linked because we are the government-wide area network and we are making endeavors to make sure that there is a development. But with extremely, I would want to point out that ITU has played a pivotal and protracted role in helping Malawi to develop its ICT programs. Now talking about development, this Plenty Potential Conference is the first since the world agreed to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. I wanted to find out what is Malawi doing in terms of ICTs and sustainable development. Indeed, since the United Nations established the Sustainable Development Goals, this is the first Plenty Potential Meeting. And Malawi as a country, what you have done is to, I think three things. The first one is an issue we have established or we have now a broadband internet network and then we also are laying down national fiber backbone. We are also making sure that we have access to internet, access to all schools and that is here, but not only that, we have also a vibrant national network coverage with coordination of network service providers. So this is becoming an enabler. People are able this time around to find out where to sell their mechanized, where to sell their agricultural products. Malawi is by and large an agro-based economy. And in that context then, ICT, an internet provision and the creation and the establishment of broadband and the laying down on national fiber backbone will ease the internet provision of the country. The President of the Republic, Professor Bidam Tariq, has encouraged Malawians to make sure that we have taken care of our infrastructure, but at the same time, we also want to, with the assistance of ITU, we want to establish our cert, so that we have what we call Cyber Security Program and Electronic Transaction Act. We have put down also acts that will help in making sure that internet provision is not only safe, but also confidential and safe for the populace. Now let's talk about the figures that about half the world's population are connected to the internet and half isn't. I wanted to find out, we talked a little bit, a few points there, but I wanted to find out what is Malawi doing to get everyone connected? Malawi is doing to get everyone connected is that we are now erecting towers and with the new Communication Act of 2016, which allows both network providers to use one port. If one has erected a tower, that tower can be used by all internet provision, that is air tower, ten name or another internet provision. And we are, with the establishment of Universal Saves Fund, we want to make sure that non-reachable areas, people are able to assess internet provision and network coverage. But also there are certain areas where things, people have no bank account. Using the money transaction, we are able to reach out to people to enjoy the ICD services or internet services or to enjoy connectivity. So both money transaction to those unbanked people also helps to make sure that we have developed. And as a country and as a people, I think we still have more to go, but we have done and laid the groundwork for people to assess network connectivity, banking activities, e-services, health, education, agriculture, economy and infrastructure development. Now, in a nutshell, what's been your message here to the participants at this planning potential conference? The message from Malawi is simple. Let us, as a world, because it's a global world, let us all coordinate and cooperate. Let's make sure that ICD programs are encouraged within the ITU master plan. Let's encourage those that have been elected, congratulations for the second gen and the entire management. And we think that Malawi is going to benefit from the new executive. They have already done a good work too from Malawi. We, Malawi, as a member states, is proud to be part of ITU and we believe that the second gen and the esteem will continue having Malawi as a developing country and as a developing economy. And we sincerely thank them for their contribution. We look forward to more contribution from both ITU and Malawi as a country. Nicholas Harry-Dellsey, Minister for ICD from Malawi. Thank you very much indeed. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.