s. Accelerate the creation and management of the domain name for Liberia. t. Direct the establishment and creation of centralized and integrated database systems for law enforcement units, national security agencies and the courts. u. Encourage GoL’s employees to have access to real-time information. v. Promote domestic production of ICT (computers & accessories) equipment and the availability of software, network components and spare parts; and ensure that there are reasonable tax incentives for the importation of computers into the country. w. Establish an ICT Governing Board to oversee, monitor and evaluate ICT projects and programs; x. Provide government agencies, individuals, and civil society organizations with the resources and tools needed to participate in the World Summit on Information Society. y. Channel delivery of ICT services and applications so as to achieve national development goals such as food security, public safety, poverty reduction, a healthy population, build a strong and common cultural identity and promote a stable democracy. z. Put in place safeguards to prevent cybercrime. 1.3 NATIONAL PRIORITIES IN ICT SECTOR As in many developing countries, while there may be a reasonable level of commercial telecom services in cities, in Liberia there is extremely limited telecom service in the counties and also in rural areas – no fixed line service, minimal but growing mobile service, and virtually no internet access. The real impact of this lack of rural service is the inability of businesses to thrive in rural areas, lack of farmer information about weather or prices they can sell their crops at, so they obtain poor prices, are unable to contact relatives (such as children attending school, or husbands working) in Monrovia or nearby countries via email or VoIP; and the lack of emergency services. The unemployed rural workers therefore migrate to Monrovia, compounding poverty and crime problems there. The lack of telecom services in most part of rural Liberia also make remittances from urban relatives more difficult, exacerbating rural poverty. Therefore, bridging the urban / rural telecom divide is critical to planning and poverty reduction. There is a critical need for high capacity broadband links to access international internet in order to support business, education, e-Government, and access the information society. A secure intergovernmental network among ministries will be less useful if the ministries and agencies do not have access to international internet. All non – broadband global connections are very expensive and therefore provide limited capacity to users. Government shall continue to explore every means of building a terrestrial fiber optic network as its national backbone. It shall also continue to pursue other options to access marine fiber optic links as a point for global connectivity to provide a long term solution to its infrastructure challenge. GoL will also seek to focus investment in telecommunications and ICT infrastructure along development corridors within the country, in order to leverage investment in other infrastructure to provide a greater impact on Liberian citizens and their access to ICT. This policy also recognizes that the lack of a functional electrical grid and roads in Liberia are substantial 7