The Strategies • Promote and facilitate the development of the private sector to serve as a key driver for the development of the economy • Take steps to address the constraints that inhibit productivity and growth in the services sector and to ensure favourable conditions for innovation and ICT diffusion in this sector removing obstacles to productivity and employment growth, including barriers to entry particularly for SMEs • Promote improvements in the quality of services and products within the services and industrial sector • Encourage technological innovations to support product development and service provision and delivery • Modernize the banking system and promote the use of financial market instruments in business transactions and de-emphasize cash transactions. • Promote and support electronic banking and financial services provision • Promote the development of a globally competitive local ICT industry for the development, production and the sale of information, knowledge, and technology products and services • Encourage and facilitate the use of, open electronic marketplaces, secure e-business solutions, electronic signatures, electronic public procurement and electronic payment systems to support the development of electronic commerce in the country Policy Measures, Instruments and Initiatives To achieve the policy objective of developing a globally competitive value-added services sector, specific policy initiatives and measures shall be targeted at: • promoting the development of the services sector targeting in particular the development of the ICT services sub-sector and industry; • promoting the development of and the use of international standards, and best practices to guide the production and the provisions of services within the economy; • promoting and encouraging both domestic and foreign direct investment targeting the services sector including the ICT service sub-sector; The Key Implementation Agencies, Players and Stakeholders • • • • • • Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning Ministry of Private Sector Development Ministry of Trade and Industry Small and Medium Scale Development Agencies Chamber of Commerce and Industry Private Sector Businesses and Establishments 48