Addis Ababa — Approximately 1,000 people from the private sector, civil society, media, government and international institutions will meet in Ghana, next month to discuss an "Action Plan on Africa and the Knowledge Economy" (APAKE), for expanding access to - and use of - information and communications technologies in Africa.

According to a press statement of the Economic Commission for Africa the theme of the African Regional Preparatory Conference for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is "Access - Africa's key to an inclusive Information Society." The meeting is scheduled for February 2-4 in the Ghanaian capital, Accra.

The three-day forum will be opened by the President of the Republic of Ghana, John.A. Kufuor and addressed by the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, K.Y. Amoako, among others.

According to a statement by President Kufuor, "the conference mirrors the continent's resolve to totally embrace a common vision and strategy for an information-based society that not only recognizes ICT as a tool for economic innovation, but also as a platform for socio-economic development."

The conference is intended to prepare African countries for the second stage of WSIS, to be held in Tunisia later in the year. The first phase of the Summit took place in Geneva in December 2003.

"We are aiming for very concrete results, based on critical questions, such as the need for a common GSM card for Africa and the removal of regulatory obstacles to facilitate content provision using different technological platforms and media, including the Internet, digital radio and television services." said Aida Opoku-Mensah, Officer-in-charge of ECA's Development Information Services Division (DISD), which is spearheading preparations.

The Action Plan for Africa and the Knowledge Economy will include concrete proposals for facilitating investment in ICTs and recommendations on e-strategies and applications across various sectors, such as education, agriculture and commerce, as well as human resource development.