LUANDA, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of Angolans subscribing to wireless services has grown to about 74 in every 100 inhabitants, up from one in every 130 in 2002, a government minister has said.
Jose de Lima Massano, minister of state for economic coordination, told a forum on Thursday that the remarkable progress can be attributed to the country's communications expansion and modernization program, which is part of the 2023-2027 National Development Plan, the Angola Press Agency (ANGOP) reported.
The program, the minister said, "promotes a clear digital agenda, expanding connectivity across the entire national territory, modernizing public services, fostering technological entrepreneurship, ensuring cybersecurity and data sovereignty, and preparing future generations for the challenges of the digital economy."
The fifth edition of the Angola International Forum on Information and Communication Technologies kicked off on Thursday in Luanda, the capital, under the theme: "50 years communicating, modernizing and developing Angola."
Mario Oliveira, minister of telecommunications, information technologies and social communication, talked about the creation of telecom infrastructures capable of serving the interests of the economy and the daily lives of citizens.
"This is how we have a network of access to internet banking, telemedicine, tele-education and the strong commitment that the government has made to administrative modernization, for digital transformation and improvement of the conditions of citizens," he said.
Running through Saturday, the forum has brought together representatives from more than 100 companies as well as over 150 startups from across Angola and abroad. The three-day event is expected to attract 20,000 visitors, ANGOP said. Enditem