5.12.1 E-Commerce Electronic commerce (e-commerce) offers tremendous growth opportunities for businesses in Liberia. ECommerce enables local businesses to access potential markets throughout the world. It also provides information about regulatory procedures and government requirements for local and international businesses, thereby lowering overhead and marketing costs and reducing barriers to entry for commercial organizations. The e-commerce strategy is designed to: a. Review and when necessary develop new laws and regulations to govern e-commerce and trade at national, regional and international levels; b. Cultivate a culture of e-commerce in the country, which supports e-business transactions; c. Promote affordable access to ICT products and services; d. Educate all stakeholders about the benefits and risks associated with e-commerce; e. Encourage and support the creation of a national association of e-commerce users. 5.12.2 E-Health A healthy and well-developed human resources base is important to the success of the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). The equitable distribution of health resources and strengthening of health institutions ensures efficient and effective service delivery. The GoL is committed to e-health strategies that will save lives, strengthen health institutions, improve access to health facilities and reduce the cost of health care services. The e-health strategy is formulated to achieve the following: a. Provide an effective and cost-efficient means for distributing health and disease prevention information to the public; b. Build a health network that enables institutions and individuals to exchange electronic records, share information and deliver quality services in both urban and rural areas; c. Assist health care workers by improving health care administration and management; d. Improve the performance of health care facilities through the deployment of Health Management Systems; e. Use electronic systems to ensure an efficient and standardized process for recording patient information; f. Improve accessibility to medical research, information sharing and training through on-line educational programs and applications; g. Incorporate ICT training as part of the core curricula for health care professionals; h. Promote the development of telemedicine applications so as to improve accessibility and reduce the cost of health care delivery and services in the country. 5.12.3 E-Agriculture The GoL has identified agricultural productivity and food security as one of the major pillars of the National Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS). In this connection the GoL recognizes that ICTs have the potential to revolutionize the management of the agriculture sector and improve food security. As such, the GoL is committed to improving information sharing flows between farmers, consumers, and agriculturists, which will lead to higher crop yields; production that is more responsive to consumer needs; and greater market access. ICTs can also be used to improve crop planning as well as the 38