s.
Accelerate the creation and management of the domain name for Liberia.
t.
Direct the establishment and creation of centralized and integrated database systems for law
enforcement units, national security agencies and the courts.
u.
Encourage GoL’s employees to have access to real-time information.
v.
Promote domestic production of ICT (computers & accessories) equipment and the availability
of software, network components and spare parts; and ensure that there are reasonable tax
incentives for the importation of computers into the country.
w.
Establish an ICT Governing Board to oversee, monitor and evaluate ICT projects and programs;
x.
Provide government agencies, individuals, and civil society organizations with the resources and
tools needed to participate in the World Summit on Information Society.
y.
Channel delivery of ICT services and applications so as to achieve national development goals
such as food security, public safety, poverty reduction, a healthy population, build a strong and
common cultural identity and promote a stable democracy.
z.
Put in place safeguards to prevent cybercrime.
1.3 NATIONAL PRIORITIES IN ICT SECTOR
As in many developing countries, while there may be a reasonable level of commercial telecom services
in cities, in Liberia there is extremely limited telecom service in the counties and also in rural areas – no
fixed line service, minimal but growing mobile service, and virtually no internet access. The real impact
of this lack of rural service is the inability of businesses to thrive in rural areas, lack of farmer
information about weather or prices they can sell their crops at, so they obtain poor prices, are unable to
contact relatives (such as children attending school, or husbands working) in Monrovia or nearby
countries via email or VoIP; and the lack of emergency services. The unemployed rural workers therefore
migrate to Monrovia, compounding poverty and crime problems there. The lack of telecom services in
most part of rural Liberia also make remittances from urban relatives more difficult, exacerbating rural
poverty. Therefore, bridging the urban / rural telecom divide is critical to planning and poverty
reduction.
There is a critical need for high capacity broadband links to access international internet in order to
support business, education, e-Government, and access the information society. A secure intergovernmental network among ministries will be less useful if the ministries and agencies do not have
access to international internet. All non – broadband global connections are very expensive and therefore
provide limited capacity to users.
Government shall continue to explore every means of building a terrestrial fiber optic network as its
national backbone. It shall also continue to pursue other options to access marine fiber optic links as a
point for global connectivity to provide a long term solution to its infrastructure challenge.
GoL will also seek to focus investment in telecommunications and ICT infrastructure along development
corridors within the country, in order to leverage investment in other infrastructure to provide a greater
impact on Liberian citizens and their access to ICT.
This policy also recognizes that the lack of a functional electrical grid and roads in Liberia are substantial
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