BETTER LIFE IN RURAL COMMUNITIES WITH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES By Adoba Echono   Today is World Telecommunication and Information Society Day. The day is celebrated each year to remind the world of the need to build a people-centred, inclusive and development oriented information society based on fundamental human rights.   The UN General Assembly adopted the day in a resolution in March 2006, with the first World Information Society Day observed on Wednesday, May 17, 2006.  The main objective of the day is to raise global awareness of societal changes brought about by the internet and new technologies which aim to reduce the digital divide and spread access to the internet in the developing world. This year, the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, has as its theme ‘Better Life in Rural Communities with Information Communication Technologies ICT’s’. Information Communication Technologies are increasingly in demand to meet the Millennium Development Goals hence the need to include rural communities in its plans. In the rural context, ICTs provide enhanced opportunities to generate income, combat poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy.    Half of the world’s population resides in rural communities. To bridge the global digital divide separating rich countries from the poor, access to the internet has to be increased, particularly in the developing world. Rural communities are the least connected to benefit from ICTs.  As the world marks yet another World Information Telecommunication Society Day, the leading specialized agency of the United Nations for ICTs, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), urges its members to raise awareness by creating fresh opportunities through ICT for a better life, especially for those in the rural areas. ICTs have increasingly dictated lifestyle behaviour patterns and the growth of trade and commerce in the world today.  In the quest for development through ICT, rural communities must not be allowed to lag behind the cities in connectivity. Broadband connectivity is essential to establish the information and communication highway that will feed both urban centres and rural communities with the means to meet their development goals and aspirations. Stakeholders, including policy makers, regulators, operators and the industry should promote the adoption of policies and strategies that will promote ICTs in rural areas by developing infrastructure, and allowing access and knowledge through capacity building. When this is done, it will encourage e-government, e-business, e-learning, e-health care services and e-agriculture to ensure food sufficiency in developing countries. ICTs could surely open doors to myriad solutions in the quest for a more productive and better life in the rural communities. As a result of the advantages of ICTs, African countries need to key into it urgently and vigorously pursue the development of ICT infrastructure, especially in the rural areas. Nigeria should serve as a catalyst for the rest of Africa in the bid to connect the rural populace to the rest of the world through its rural telephony project. The process has to be fast tracked to avoid being stale and obsolete since information is on the fast lane with innovations coming up daily.     Broadcast on Tuesday May 17, 2011