NASSCOM and Telecom Equipment & Services Export Promotion Council Collaborate to Organise Indo- Africa ICT EXPO 2015

The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) along with Telecom Equipment & Services Export Promotion Council (TEPC) and Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India today announced their collaboration to host a two day conference and exhibition to be held on September 28^th and 29^th, 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya – The Indo - Africa ICT Summit 2015 and will be aimed at evangelizing trade relations between India and African countries. The announcement was made in the presence of Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Hon’ble Minister of Communications & IT, Mr. H.E Fred O. Matiang’I, Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Kenya, Mr. R K Pathak, DDG(IC), DoT &   Secretary, TEPC and Mr. Shivendra Singh, Vice President, Global Trade Development, NASSCOM.

The exhibition at the Indo - Africa ICT Summit 2015 will provide a platform to showcase products and services in IT and the Telecom domain, focusing on how African countries can use Indian IT’s domain knowledge to build an inclusive IT ecosystem. The summit will highlight the benefits African counties and India can reap through the partnership; which includes, process maturity and best practices of Indian companies, access to global footprint of the Indian companies, opportunities in India and access to large pool of specialist manpower at the mid management level. The summit will also focus on the IT industry’s resilience to reiterate ICT as an enabler across verticals.

Mr. Shivendra Singh, VP, Global Trade Development, NASSCOM while talking about the Indo-Africa ICT Summit said, “Africa is among the fastest growing markets worldwide with improved macro-economic indicators, favorable business environment, and a population comprising of a rising middle class. NASSCOM is confident that this partnership will help companies garner a source of capital along with an enabler of job creation, skills development, technology sharing and infrastructure development”.

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Communications and IT, Government of India said, “With this initiative we are reinforcing the bond between India and Africa. We in India do not treat ICT as an enabled service, but we believe that it is an enabler of a digital society. But any concept of a digital society will remain incomplete unless it focuses on digital inclusion, today the time has come the world over, when the power of ICT is reshaping the entire world and at a touch of a button information is available to everyone. Both our countries have a great fancy for technology, it’s in our DNA and it is a sign of empowerment. I wish great success to the India- Africa ICT Expo 2015 and promise that a great delegation of representatives will be part of the program in September.”

India and Africa have emerged as prominent trade partners and both the regions have shown willingness for business to grow and have been proactive in leveraging IT across business verticals. IT and Telecom form the backbone for the growth of any country and Africa has been one of the fastest growing markets worldwide in ICT adoption and communication technology. Countries in East Africa including Kenya are now known for their rapidly expanding internet base and broadband connectivity, fast track mobility market and plethora of e-Governance and citizen-centric projects.

About NASSCOM

NASSCOM® is the premier trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-BPM industries in India. NASSCOM is a global trade body with more than 1800 members, which include both Indian and multinational companies that have a presence in India. NASSCOM's member and associate member companies are broadly in the business of software development, software services, software products, consulting services, BPO services, e-commerce & web services, engineering services off-shoring and animation and gaming. NASSCOM’s membership base constitutes over 95% of the industry revenues in India and employs over 3.1 million professionals.