The Nigerian Post and Telecommunications has been chosen as one of the champions in the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in the 7th annual WSIS prizes contest.

The contest is a global initiative that recognises Innovative projects using Information and Communication Technology to bring global positive revolution.

The NIPOST Digital Address Verification System (AVS) is adjudged as one of the selected 5 CHAMPIONS of the 2018 7th annual WSIS Prizes contest.

The annual WSIS Forum is a global multi-stakeholder platform facilitating the implementation of the WSIS Action Lines for advancing sustainable development. The Forum is co-organised by International Telecommunication Union (ITU), UNESCO, UNDP and UNCTAD, in close collaboration with all WSIS Action Line co-facilitators and other UN organisations.

The event provides an opportunity for information exchange, knowledge creation and sharing of best practices, while identifying emerging trends and fostering partnerships, taking into account the evolving Information and Knowledge Societies.

According to its promoters, the WSIS 2018 represents the world’s largest annual gathering of the ICT for international development.

NIPOST has emerged the over-all winner in the contested category, a feat linked to its Address Verification System (AVS), which seeks to create a centralised and up-to-date database of physical addresses and details of their occupants all over Nigeria.

The Post Master-General of the federation, Adebisi Adebgulyi, was said to have embarked on a serious restructuring exercise and turn-around.

His main target when he took over in August 2016 was to raise the performance index and image of NIPOST as a 21st century global-best national postal, logistics and micro financial-intermediation institution.

The WSIS 2018 award, according to the management, would ginger his performance spirit that would lift NIPOST from the faltering abyss of the past to a dignified heroism in the comity of world telecommunications services.

In follow up to the outcomes of the UN General Assembly Overall Review of the Implementation of WSIS Outcomes (Res. A/70/125) and with the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Res. A/70/1), the WSIS Forum is constantly evolving and strengthening the alignment between the WSIS Action Lines and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The WSIS Forum will therefore serve as a key forum for discussing the role of ICTs as a means of implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, with due regard to the global mechanism for follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The WSIS is a unique two-phase United Nations (UN) summit that was initiated in order to create an evolving multi-stakeholder platform aimed at addressing the issues raised by information and communication technologies (ICTs) through a structured and inclusive approach at the national, regional and international levels.

The goal of WSIS is to achieve a common vision, desire and commitment to build a people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society where everyone can create, access, utilise and share information. The UN General Assembly Resolution 56/183 (21 December 2001) endorsed the holding of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in two phases.

The first phase took place in Geneva from 10 to 12 December 2003 and the second phase took place in Tunis, from 16 to 18 November 2005. In 2003, the number of participants was 11,000 representing 175 countries and in 2005 the number of participants was more than 19,000 representing 174 countries. Since then, a cluster of WSIS-related events was held on an annual basis. In 2009, the cluster of WSIS-related events was re-branded as WSIS Forum.

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