Niger will hold its first ever exhibition on New Information and Communication Technologies (NICT) on October 17-20.

    The exhibition, which will be held in the Nigerien capital of Niamey, is mainly aimed at promoting the development of NICT in the country.

    In January 2004, Niger adopted a national development program with NICT being the main driving force for poverty reduction.

    "The exhibition will accord everyone the opportunity to sharpen their ICT skills," Abdoulkarim Soumaila, director of posts and telecommunications and new technologies of the Nigerien Communication Ministry, said.

    "Since the technological revolution that saw the creation of the computer, ICT has risen in stature to become an indispensable tool for all countries that aspire to achieve acceptable development levels," Soumaila said.