A1-7-2 Objectives a. Increase fixed-line penetration and capacity; b. Land fibre optic cable in Sierra Leone; c. Modernize the technology of the national backbone; d. Explore alternative sources of energy; e. Liberalize the provision of International gateway services; f. Encourage the provision of adequate bandwidth and security for e-commerce and related services; g. Make ICT services affordable; h. Government to source funds to develop ICT; i. Create a Technology/Science Park. A1-7-3 Challenges a. Difficulty to attract investment because of the smallness of the Sierra Leonean ICT market; b. Difficulty in raising the buying power of the average Sierra Leonean. A1-7-4 Targets a. Land international fibre in Sierra Leone by mid 2011; b. Build national fibre backbone by end of 2009; c. Establish technical and administrative structure for the Internet Exchange Point by 3rd quarter of 2009; d. Establish a framework for the management of the top level country code .sl domain name by the end of 2009; e. Expedite the licensing process of Service Providers by end 2009; f. Effective regulation of mobile tariffs. A1-8 Good governance A1-8-1 Issues a. Over centralised system of administration and lack of access to basic social services for the majority of the rural populace. b. An overburdened judicial system with outdated laws, inadequate personnel and logistical problems, leading to backlog of cases, delays in proceedings and too many adjournments, making it difficult for the poor to access impartial and equitable justice. c. Poor record of service delivery, especially to the poor, by a civil service plagued with low salaries and poor conditions of service, limited training opportunities. ICT Policy of Sierra Leone Page 54 / 63