LUSAKA, March 1 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with the GSMA, a trade body that represents the interests of mobile operators, to foster cyber security and child online protection in the southern African nation.
The signing of the memorandum of understanding was key to the safe use of Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) as it has been noted that children as young as five years were Internet users who require protection from bad vices they may be exposed to while online.
The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the ongoing GMSA Mobile World Congress 2017 in Spain.
Ministry of Transport and Communication Permanent Secretary Misheck Lungu and director-general of the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) Margaret Chalwe-Mudenda signed on behalf of Zambia while GSMA head of sub-Sahara Government and Regulatory Affairs Ankinwale Goodluck signed on behalf of the organization, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Transport and Communication.
The Zambian government is expected to launch a Child Online Protection Strategy in the second quarter of this year.
The strategy will lead to the implementation of measures that will ensure that service providers and equipment manufacturers trading on the Zambia market provide protection for child use of ICTs, the statement added.
Last month, the information and technology regulator said it had almost finalized the development of an online platform meant for reporting Internet-related child abuse.
