Zambian President honoured for internet strides

GOVERNMENT

By Edith Mwale, Lusaka, Zambia

Zambian president Michael Sata has been honoured with the 2012 South-South Global Governance leadership Award for improving internet access in Zambia.

The organisers said many countries in Africa, including Zambia, have made strides in improving the social sector and ICTs for the benefit of the people.

South-South general manager for the New York office, Mildred Espinoza, said South-South is happy to associate with countries that have made serious efforts in improving the social sector and ICTs.

South-South Cooperation is a term historically used by policymakers and academics to describe the exchange of resources, technology, and knowledge between developing countries, also known as countries of the global South.

The awards are not really United Nations honours but coordinated by Antigua and Barbuda through its mission to the UN.

South-South News is a digital media platform for the countries of the South that is facilitating, connecting, and publishing news on various efforts in sustainable economic and social development to audiences and multiple constituencies, not only in the South but also around the world.

However, Sata and his ministers have on several occasions ordered the closure of online media organizations for criticising his government’s failure to implement election promises.

The Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) failed to close the online media. Had it donw so, Zambia would have had all its all online media organisations closed.