African telecom regulators meet in Abuja to shape agenda

Senior telecommunications officials from across Africa convened in Abuja on Monday for the opening of a preparatory committee meeting, emphasizing the urgent need for a unified continental position ahead of major global technology conferences. The meetings set the stage for a high-level ministerial conference scheduled for later in the week.

The 7th Ordinary Session of the Conference Preparatory Committee (CPC) of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) is reviewing the union's activities from 2023 to 2026 and developing recommendations for the upcoming ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL26), scheduled for July 23-24 in Abuja. The committee is also tasked with harmonizing Africa's position for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (PP26) in Doha later this year.

Dr. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, stressed that Africa's influence in global digital policy will depend on sustained technical collaboration and coherent positions among member states. He argued that Africa must move beyond simply adopting global standards to actively shaping them, particularly in areas like artificial...