BUJUMBURA June 14th (ABP) – Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are a real tool that allows the elderly to improve their living conditions with a view to aging in good health, press, on Friday June 10, 2022, the Director of ICT within the Ministry of Communication, Information Technologies and the Media, Mrs. Rosine Guilaine Gatoni, on the sidelines of the celebration of the world day dedicated to telecoms and society some information.
In her presentation on the history and significance of this day, Mrs. Gatoni said that World Telecommunication and Information Society Day marks the anniversary of the signing of the first international telegraph convention and the establishment of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The event began in 1969 and the day was celebrated as World Telecommunication Day to commemorate the establishment of ITU on May 17, 1865, she clarified.
According to Ms. Gatoni, this year’s theme emphasizes the importance of using telecommunications and ICTs to keep older people healthy, connected and physically, emotionally and financially independent. That global theme highlights the transversality of the information technology sector in all socio-economic aspects and also aligns with the national ICT development policy that was adopted in 2011, where the sixth axis talks about ICT and social development, she added.
The Director of ICT indicated that the activities organized on Friday, June 10, 2022 constitute a framework for reflection with digital actors in order to reflect, to introspect, to self-evaluate and to develop initiatives that can be taken and companies in the context of improving the living conditions of the elderly through digital technologies or digital service.
On the physical level, it concerns the digitization of public health services or other tools that are put in place to improve the health of the elderly, access to information, research on special needs relating to the health of the elderly, in particular their diet, their physical well-being, as well as other resources which are made available to the population for the improvement of the living and health conditions of the elderly, Ms. Gatoni explained.
On the psychological level, the director of ICT pointed out that these allow the elderly to reach where they cannot reach physically, through communication, telephone calls, the circulation of information where the elderly can be comforted by their families who are geographically distant from them.
At the financial level, the elderly need the material support that can reach them in a short time via digital services, in particular money transfer systems, underlined Mrs. Gatoni, adding that ICT is a tool that can be integrated into all aspects in order to allow the elderly to be in good conditions and to age in good health.
Given that ICTs are evolving at cruising speed in the world, Ms. Gatoni said that the President of the Republic, Mr. Evariste Ndayishimiye, has already called for the digitalization of all government services. Burundi will be able to achieve this because, she said, it has infrastructure and potential that must be exploited, in this case fiber optics and the four entry points for internet connectivity. She added that it only takes the combined efforts of all digital players and beneficiaries for this race towards digitalization which impacts all sectors of life.