Durban’s hosting of the influential International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Telecom World conference from 10 to 13 September – the first time on the African continent – will go a long way towards profiling the province of KwaZulu-Natal as a suitable location for mega events, investment and tourism.
This is the upbeat assessment of KZN MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Sihle Zikalala, ahead of the three-day conference taking place at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre to, among other things, discuss investment opportunities for socio-economic development through information and communication technologies.
Zikalala, who is also the leader of government business in provincial government said the city was ready to host more than 9,000 delegates who were expected to grace the 2018 chapter of ITU Telecom World.
“The Province of KwaZulu-Natal is known the world over for successfully hosting major events and we are excited that this massive gathering of high profile delegates will, among other things, focus on the appetite for ICT in Africa as a driver of economic development. We will participate fully as the provincial government so that we can learn how to bolster our programme of using ICT for innovation and development,” added Zikalala.
He added that the conference served as a rendezvous for global citizens to share ideas on how the world can equitably leverage knowledge and experiences on advancing technological capacities to grapple with the changing socio-industrial world order.
“The digital age is influencing every facet of our lives. There is no doubt that the technological revolution has become an infection that no nation with ambition to improve the lives of its citizens could ignore. Our view is developing nations would need support to bolster their programmes of infusing digital development and application of technological solutions to their economies and social systems.”
