Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, Park Geun-hye, President of the Republic of Korea; and Carlos Slim, Chairman, Grupo Carso and President of the Carlos Slim Foundation, are the winners of the2014 World Telecommunication and Information Society Award, announced the ITU Secretary-General, Hamadoun I. Toure.

The awards are in acknowledgment of their leadership and dedication towards supporting ICT development and broadband connectivity as a means of attaining sustainable development.

President Kagame, Chairman of the UN Secretary General’s Advisory Group on UN MDG Advocacy Group,  is recognized for his flagship role  in the advancement of education and the prospect of ICT as a dynamic industry as well as an his being an enabler for Africa’s socio-economic transformation.

President Park’s Government has recently revealed a set of long-term plans that foster creative talent, a move that establishes a new paradigm towards building a vibrant national economy in a digital environment; and the Republic of Korea has consistently topped ITU’s ICT Index for Measuring the Information Society.

Carlos Slim heads a very diverse collection of business portfolios within the Grupo Carso, with América Móvil a foremost supplier of telecommunication services. He has been dedicated to the advancement of technologies for development and his philanthropic activities have contributed to social and cultural development.

President Kagame and Slim co-Chair the ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission for Digital Development.

 

 

Odunayo Eweniyi Author

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