1-2 General Purpose The general purpose of this National ICT Policy is to provide best practice guidance in the creation of an enabling environment for ICT development by: 1-3 • Giving guidelines about the evolution of the legal framework to take into account the convergence of sectors and the convergence of technologies. • Defining the role of the national institutions and industry stakeholders in the new environment: policy maker, regulator, National ICT Advisory Council, private sector, Diaspora. • Stimulating a participative approach for the preparation and the implementation of the ICT Policy. • Ensuring a common understanding about the role of each type of stakeholder and key issues raised in the ICT sector. • Developing culturally specific contents and applications and to highlight the importance of local contents and local focus. • Promoting universal access/service. STRUCTURE OF THE POLICY This Policy has been structured into three Sections as follows: 1. Section A -provides the objectives of the policy (2-1 to 2-3), background information (3-1 to 3-5) and the current status of the ICT sector in Sierra Leone (4-1 to 4-6); 2. Section B -summarises the key socio-economic issues identified by the Government and the preferred ICT solutions (see 5-1 to 5-11) as well as deadlines within which to address them (5-12). It also summarises plans for strengthening the key stakeholders tasked with oversight responsibility for the implementation of the policy (6-1 to 6-6) and the supporting legal and security framework required (71 to 7-3); and 3. Section C - details the ten implementation plans required for the carrying out of this policy (8-1 to 8-10) and the summary conclusion (9). Additional annexes are provided for further detail and clarification (A, B, C). ICT Policy of Sierra Leone Page 11 / 63