8. UNIVERSAL ACCESS 8.1 INTRODUCTION The Government is committed to ensuring that ICT services are available throughout the country and will support the universal service availability and the widest access to such services. By the year 2003, 90 percent of the population had access to public free-to-air radio broadcasting services and 50 percent had access to free-to-air television broadcasting services. The total teledensity stood at 8 telephones per 100 inhabitants. There were 920 post office outlets in the country giving a ratio of one post office for every 36,000 inhabitants against the Universal Postal Union target of 6,000 inhabitants for every post office. In order to increase the level of access to ICTs, the Government will provide the enabling environment for the private sector to play a complementary role towards achieving universal access targets. 8.2 POLICY OBJECTIVES The universal access policy objectives are: a) ensuring that all citizens have access to ICT services; b) ensuring that basic ICT services are made available at an affordable price; c) promoting the availability of widespread access to internet services; and d) ensuring that relevant education and training programmes allow everyone to maximize the opportunities afforded by ICT technologies to improve the quality of their lives and to enhance their work prospects. 44