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Short term assignment: Afghanistan Ministry of Communications
Hi all
I was forwarded this and thought there may be someone out there who
is interested in the position. Contact details are at the end if you
are interested, or know of someone who is.
Regards
David
Draft Terms of Reference, Adviser to Afghan Ministry for
Communications
I. Introduction
Internews Network, through its leadership of the USAID-funded dot-GOV
program, has been asked to identify and recruit an adviser to work
directly with the Ministry of Communications, Government of
Afghanistan. This position will be for three to six months.
Additional work may be needed, depending upon the political and
economic situation. The need to place an experienced individual with
the Ministry to provide technical assistance to advise the Minister
and his staff is acute. The adviser would receive additional support
through the dot-GOV program in terms of specialized technical
information needed to help the Minister and Ministry.
Current situation. The infrastructure for telecommunications in
Afghanistan is virtually nonexistent on a national basis. There are
currently several thousand analog and Chinese supplied digital phones
in Kabul. Kandahar and Herat have only a few thousand operating
phones. There is great interest in the role of VSATs for network
expansion. Additionally, there are high expectations for a new
mobile cellular. There are plans to develop a microwave long
distance network linking six major metropolitan hubs from which the
network could be gradually expanded to villages and towns.
Development needs. With the need for Afghans to rebuild
infrastructure and restore a knowledge base in all sectors (health,
agriculture, education, industry, finance and banking, the arts,
trade), it is essential that Afghan citizens be provided with
telecommunications access and the physical infrastructure for
development of the Internet, radio and TV. Access to telephones and
the Internet for women are critical factors for stimulating local
markets and alternative educational and health services, and
reintegrating, at their own pace, women back into public life.
Afghans living in remote villages cut off by areas heavily infested
with land mines need to know what is happening in various parts of
the country and have the capacity for two-way communication.
A functional and effective transparent telecommunications system is
fundamental to rebuilding infrastructure in each sector of the
economy and to discouraging consolidation of power over ICT
technologies that limit the use and access to these by the average
citizen.
Market forces. Leaving aside security and military concerns,
international telecommunication firms are currently trying to advise
the Afghan government on which set of systems or alternative
technologies to invest in and which systems and equipment to
purchase. Without a strategic policy framework built by the Ministry
staff and a related legislative framework for telecommunications, the
Afghan government could find itself frozen into inappropriate
technologies and bad system and vendor initial choices. Given the
dire need for reconstruction and development of alternative small and
medium sized economic activities it will not be possible for the
Afghan government to achieve realistic economic development goals and
rebuild civil society without an active and knowledgeable Ministry of
Communications.
II. Illustrative Tasks
This individual will advise the Minister of Communications and his
designates on developing a policy and regulatory environment needed
to build on and evolve an operative telecommunications system in
Afghanistan. Ideally the individual will have experience working in
with the legal, technical, regulatory, and financial areas of
telecommunications. However, what perhaps is equally important is an
adviser who has experience working with governments in transition,
with very poor physical infrastructure, a diverse and geographically
and socially isolated population.
Key to the success of this technical assistance assignment is the
development of:
1. A clear strategic plan that the policy and technical staff of the
Ministry can make operative through various steps (depending upon the
political environment) that will address at the minimum:
… Licensing policy
… Spectrum management
… Interconnection management
… Consumer protection
… The need for a regulatory agency and role of regulation
… Internet issues
2. Intensive follow-on mentoring and advising the Afghans that have
been supported by the US government for short-term training in the
U.S., Afghanistan, and elsewhere.
3. Day-to-day assistance advising on the administrative and
management plans for the Ministry.
4. Supporting the Ministry through active liaison with international
aid agencies and UN organizations for the purpose of implementing a
telecommunications infrastructure, and developing effective
mechanisms for dealing with the private sector telecommunications
industry.
5. Identify additional needs for technical assistance and training in
telecommunications.
6. Any other tasks that will materially assist the Ministry with
progress toward its goal of achieving a critical set of competencies
in telecommunications management and regulation.
III. Deliverables
A set of concrete, realistic deliverables will be formalized within
the first week of the assignment, related to the tasks illustrative
tasks listed above. These will be agreed upon with the Minister of
Communications, the USAID Mission, the dot-GOV CTO, and dot-GOV
technical team.
Please contact any of the following if you have possible candidates:
1. Dr. Sarah J. Tisch, dot-GOV Project Director
202-833-5740, ext. 203
stisch@internews.org
2. Dr. George Sadowsky, dot-GOV Senior Technical Adviser
202-415-1933
george.sadowsky@internews.org
3. Ms. Mariana Ovtcharova, dot-GOV Program Associate
202-833-5740, ext. 206
mariana@internews.org
--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
George Sadowsky, Executive Director 64 Sweet Briar Road
Global Internet Policy Initiative Stamford, CT 06905-1514
Internews, Inc. tel: +1.203.329.3288
1215 17th Street, N.W., 4th floor george.sadowsky@internews.org
Washington, D. C. 20036-3008 http://pws.prserv.net/sadowsky/
tel: +1.202.833.5740, x200 U.S. Cell: +1.203.219.8250
CDT: +1.202.637.9800 Int'l Cell: +1.202.415.1933
http://www.internetpolicy.net/ Voice mail and fax: +1.203.547.6020
INET'02-INTERNET CROSSROADS: WHERE TECHNOLOGY AND POLICY INTERSECT!
Washington, DC June 18-21, 2002 http://www.inet2002.org
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