A former member of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Dr. Jacob Kassam, a resource person and a paper presenter at the ECOWAS Parliament delocalised meeting of the Joint Committee in Conakry, the Republic of Guinea, stressed the critical role of ICTs in promoting Education and Health Services in ECOWAS region.
Speaking on the topic “Role of Telecommunications and Information Technologies in promoting Education and Health Services in ECOWAS region, Dr. Kassam noted that within the past few years, telemedicine research outputs have surged because of the Covid-19 epidemic.
As a result, Dr. Kassam revealed that in 2021, Health-tech startups raised 81% more money than they did in 2020. He further stated that in 2022, investors invested 170 million US dollars in African Health Technology, according to Salient Advisory.
He also stressed that the impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs) is being felt in many parts of the sub-sahara region; Southern, Eastern, and Western Africa.
He, however, recognised that many African countries may be lagging behind the rest of the globe in terms of technology, but he recognised the fact that sub-sahara Africa is one of the regions in the globe with the greatest growth in technology infrastructure and the largest amount of ICT in Education initiatives.
His paper examines the extent to which Telecommunications and Information Technology have influenced health education and services in the West African region.
One of the expected outcomes, according to the paper presenter, is that ECOWAS Parliamentarians and other stakeholders should be able to have the overview of the gaps identified and be able to develop practicable measures vis a vis legislative instruments that are capable of strengthening the existing frameworks.
He further noted that it will ensure that a comprehensive joint plan of action is formulated, while advocating for the robust application of Telecommunications and Information Technology in enhancing health education and services within the West African sub region.
Dr. Kassam explained that based on his paper, the term Information Technology encompasses systems of information, Internet, information, and communication related technologies, and their infrastructure, including computer software, networks, and hardware, which processes or transmit information to enhance the effectiveness of individuals and organisations.
The paper also noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) health promotion glossary describes health education as not limited to the dissemination of health-related information but also ” fostering the motivation, skills and confidence (self efficacy) necessary to take action to improve health “.
The term he also noted is used for a vast range of information-transmitting technologies, such as mobile phones, landlines, VoIP, and broadcast networks.
He further stressed that information and communication technologies offers unprecedented opportunities to help children and young people develop the knowledge, attitudes, values, and skills they needed to grow up healthy and become proactive contributors to a more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, sustainable and secure world.
Dr. Kassam, also in his paper, gave an overview of Telecommunications and Information Technologies in promoting health education and services in Africa. The paper also stressed the AU continental strategy on education for the health and well-being of young people in Africa.
Accordingly, the paper noted that the strategy aims to enhance the physical, mental, and reproductive health of young people while contributing to the achievement of education goals.
It further noted that by recognising the profound connection between health and education, this strategy provides a solid framework for African nations.
According to the paper, the West African Telecommunication Regulators Association (WATRA) has identified the following challenges facing ICT regulation in the region as being: Harmonizing existing national ict policies, including regional spectrum, licensing, etc; Evolving common principles for interconnection, universal access; Establishing common responsibilities for National Regulators Association (NRAs).
Some of the issues and challenges identified by the paper include: Formulation and implementation of a collective digital framework across West African region as compared to other regions in Africa. This in turn has led to a weak growth of digital societies for the promotion of enhanced health education in West Africa vis a vis the lack of affordable and reliable Internet connections in rural populations and at peripheral health facilities, thereby leading to a slow health education gap in most vulnerable population.
The paper also made some findings that through the application of Telecommunications and Information Technology, health education possess the skills, values and attitudes that enable people to live healthy and fulfilled lives, make informed decisions and respond to local and global challenges.
Again, it will seem that countries in West Africa sub-region are not adequately captured and this could be attributed to the inadequacy of a thorough research in order to understand the extent of the impact.
In conclusion, the paper stressed that recognising the profound connection between Telecommunications and Information Technology in promoting health education in West Africa sub-region.
This the paper presenter noted, will ensure that not just young people, but the entire citizens of the region acquire life skills, values, attitudes, and agency necessary for improved health, well-being, and learning.
Some of the recommendations made by the paper include: Reviewing the existing e-health strategies of other African countries, in order to align with the overall goals of West Africa’s subregional Telecommunications and Information Technology Strategy.
Another, recommendation, is conducting robust country readiness or optimal implementation assessments along the West African sub-region under different scenarios of implementation in order to promote a decentralised system of implementation sensitive to infrastructural. Cultural, and financial feasibility of the individual States in West Africa.
