 Mr. Chairman, Secretary-General of the ITU, Heads of Delegations, Distinguished Delegates, Allow me to commence by thanking the Government of Romania, the International Telecommunications Union, for hosting the PP-22 and for the hospitality extended to us. It is indeed an honor and privilege for me on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Namibia to address you. Namibia has made significant progress in the development of its ICT infrastructure with 112% mobile penetration and 74% use of the internet through various technological platforms and services. Namibia has a population coverage of 96% for 2G and 89% for 3G and 85% for 4G. Namibia prioritizes broadband internet connectivity particularly in the country's most remote areas through the implementation of universal services. Last micro-activity will boost rural business, reduce the unemployment rate among the youth and lead to an overall increase in socio-economic development. Accordingly, the broadband policy set clear targets to be achieved to ensure that broadband is accessible and affordable to all. To respond to the most pressing agenda of digital transformation and ensure that Namibia embraces the fourth industrial revolution, His Excellency President Dr. Hage G. Kengov established a fourth industrial revolution task force in July 2021. The task force produced a comprehensive report with recommendations for implementation, thus we endeavor to formulate a national digital strategy which will lead to a process of integrating ICT across sectors with a specific focus on e-business, e-learning, e-health and e-governance. Mr. Chairman and distinguished delegates, the key objectives of digital transformation are digital inclusion, digital infrastructure, digital skills and digital services. These implies that each citizen should have access to high-speed broadband services and be equipped with the right skills to utilize such services in a safe digital environment. The digital ecosystem should above all incorporate rural areas, women and the youth. The provision of ICT services comes with challenges of cybersecurity and increased e-waste. We are in the process of analyzing responsive legal frameworks addressing cybersecurity to ensure safe online services and e-waste management to minimize the impact of e-waste on the environment and human health. Finally allow me to thank the ITU for their continued support in the area of ICT development through your assistance to develop and review the policies and legislation for ICT in Namibia. I wish you all success in these important deliberations and I thank you.