Goal of ISA

As institutions that exercise oversight, representative and legislative functions, Parliaments play a key role in promoting enabling frameworks for the development of comprehensive and sustainable ICT policies and national e-strategies.

In order to promote the development of a fair Information Society, “affirmative” attention should be given to the special needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups of society, the “have-nots”, women, and in general the disadvantaged and poorer sections of all societies, both in rural and urban areas.

Against this background, there is a need to coherently address an ample range of issues, such as legal enabling environments, education directly supportive of technology, culture of technology, language of technology, etc. An “access-for-opportunity” vision creating synergies among the many entangled aspects of the Information Society, of which physical infrastructure is a building block, would lead to the formation of positive cycles of technology and knowledge enabling greater economic and social opportunities for all.

Furthermore, the development of the Information Society at national and global levels has raised new questions regarding individual and collective rights.  ICT have also brought about borderless patterns of communication and dissemination of information that demands not only national legal framework but also more importantly international and regional frameworks.

The Information Society in Africa website will provide a platform for Member of Parliaments of African Parliaments to dialogue on legislative issues and priorities that the legislatures have to deal with in the context of the development of an equitable Information Society. More specifically the portal aims to:

• create a common awareness and understanding among African parliaments regarding the strategic issues that deployment of ICT and the development of the Information Society poses to Africa;
• highlight the role that Parliaments are called upon to play as representatives of the economic, social and linguistic diversities of their citizens;
• promote regional and continental harmonisation of ICT legislative frameworks given the unique “borderless” nature of ICT and the unprecedented opportunities for synergies on a regional and continental level;
• encourage on a common agenda for the Pan-African parliamentary initiative meant to provide parliamentarians with analyses, tools and guidelines for the formulation of information society legislative frameworks.