African countries have been urged to move beyond being passive adopters of global technology policies and instead take a leading role in shaping the rules governing artificial intelligence (AI) spectrum management, digital identity and other emerging technologies.
The call comes as the continent’s rapidly expanding digital economy, growing mobile connectivity and youthful population continue to strengthen its influence on the future of global digital governance, making it imperative for Africa to help shape international policies rather than merely respond to them.
This was noted yesterday by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Dr Aminu Maida, at the opening of the 7th Ordinary Session of the Conference Preparatory Committee (CPC-26) of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) in Abuja.
The two-day meeting is expected to harmonize Africa’s common positions ahead of the ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-26) and the International Telecommunication union (ITU).
Plenipotentiary Conference scheduled to hold in Doha, Qatar, in November, where critical decisions on the future of global telecommunications and the digital economy will be taken.
Maida said Africa’s influence in international digital policy discussions would not be determined by the size of its delegations but by the quality of its preparations, the strength of its technical contributions and the ability of member states to present unified positions.
Maida noted that the committee would review the activities of the African Telecommunications Union between 2023 and 2026, consider reports on Africa’s preparations for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and develop common positions on agenda items, resolutions and recommendations to be presented at both continental and global meetings.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union, John Omo, described the preparatory committee as a critical stage in the union’s decision-making process, saying much of the work that would eventually be adopted at the Conference of Plenipotentiaries begins at the committee level.
Omo disclosed that the union had expanded its membership over the past four years, growing from 49 to 52 member states, while associate membership increased from 50 to 56 organizations. He added that academia had also been admitted as a new membership category, with 18 African academic institutions now participating in the union’s activities.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nadungu Gagare, who represented the Minister, Dr Bosun Tijani, said the committee’s deliberations would provide the foundation for decisions to be taken at the ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries.