National ICT Policy Botswana

The overall objectives of the ICT Policy are to assist with three specific outcomes:

- Creation of an enabling environment for the growth of an ICT industry in the country;

- Provision of universal service and access to information and communication facilities in the country; and

- Making Botswana a Regional ICT Hub so as to make the country's ICT sector globally competitive.

To manage its complexity, the National ICT Policy is developed in the following key areas:

- Establishing the National ICT Vision, Goals and Objectives -to identify what the desired end-state looks like

- E-Readiness and Benchmarking - to establish the current level of ICT diffusion

- National ICT Policy - to identify and explain the key programmes and projects that are required to achieve the National ICT Vision, Goals and Objectives

- National ICT Master Plan - to define the various programmes and projects in greater detail, identifying the project deliverables, timelines, resources, programme dependencies and preliminary cost estimates

- An ICT Monitoring and Evaluation Programme - to measure progress and benefits achieved

National ICT Vision

Botswana will be a globally competitive, knowledge and information society where lasting improvement in social, economic and cultural development is achieved through effective use of ICT.

Objectives

1. A culture of lifelong learning that maximizes the potential within all citizens and accelerates innovation to develop knowledge based system.

2. Government services available electronically.

3. Increased economic diversification and foreign investment, including ICT enabled services based in Botswana.

4. Access to relevant, localized and understandable information for all citizens.

5. An ICT access point in every village.

6. Enhanced disease control and health care Programme.

7. An efficient and cost-effective ICT infrastructure in place.

8. A clear ICT legal framework in place.

Policy Recommendations

Key programs have been designed to guide the national ICT policy by providing a framework of how the recommendations would be implemented. The recommendations are, Connecting Communities, Government-On-Line, Thuto Net, e-Health, ICT and Economic Diversification, Connecting Botswana,

ICT Regulatory Framework

Botswana Telecommunications Authority was set up as a regulatory body to monitor and regulate telecommunications services in Botswana. As a regulatory authority, BTA is expected through its regulations, to promote competition, enhance availability of a wider range of services and ensure customer's interest are protected and upheld [BTC Annual Report 2007]. Essentially regulations take the form of license conditions and directives issued to all operators by BTA [BTA Annual Report 2007].