The Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM) for Africa was held
from ended Wednesday December 8, in Kigali, Rwandan capital, reports ITRealms.
Participants at the meeting assessed the ongoing
implementation of the Dubai Action Plan adopted at ITU's last World
Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC-14) and started discussions on
the Regional Initiatives for the Africa region for the years 2018-2021.
The Regional Preparatory Meeting was the second of a series
of regional preparatory meetings that will take place across the world to help
identify priorities in each region in preparation for WTDC-17. The first RPM
was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic from 9 to 11 November 2016.
WTDC-17, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from
9 to 20 October 2017, will forge a global plan for telecommunication and ICT
development over the next four years.
"The Regional Preparatory Meeting helps to achieve
regional coordination in preparation for WTDC-17 and identify issues at the
regional level that need to be addressed, taking into account the most pressing
needs faced by the Member States and Sector Members of the region," said
ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao. "At WTDC-17, we will define the way
forward and elaborate innovative ways to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals."
Jean Philbert Nsengimana, Minister of Youth and ICT of
Rwanda, said, "Every time we have an opportunity to meet as leaders from
the public and private sectors, academia and civil society in ICT, we must use
it to advance the role that new technologies are playing and can play in making
this world, and our continent, a better place."
"We are building blocks towards a successful
WTDC-17," said Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU's Telecommunication
Development Bureau. "We have had very interesting discussions and had the
pleasure to hear from ITU membership about the needs and opportunities of the
region for the future. ICTs have revolutionized communications in Africa and
are empowering people everywhere on the continent, promoting entrepreneurship,
innovation, generating income and setting a path towards the attainment of the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development."
Patrick Nyirishema, Director General of the Rwanda Utilities
Regulatory Authority (RURA) and Chairman of the RPM, presented the final draft
report. The report recognizes that the Regional Initiatives constitute an
effective mechanism for fostering the implementation of the outcomes of the
World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, including achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
In discussing the Regional Initiatives for the Africa region
for the years 2018-2021, meeting participants made several proposals all
centered on the recognition that ICTs are ultimately about people. Participants
acknowledged that the ICT sector is fast-developing and there is a need to take
a paradigm shift in approaches for the region to benefit from these changes.
"The Regional Preparatory Meeting is an important
platform that allows us to get together and discuss our common goals in a fast
changing ICT landscape," said Nyirishema. "The dialogue we have
started here will continue and will forge a common vision for Africa region for
WTDC-17."
The RPM for Africa was preceded by the Regional Development
Forum. Speakers at the opening ceremony included Jean Philbert Nsengimana,
Brahima Sanou and Lamin Maneh, the United Nations' Resident Coordinator/UNDP
Resident Representative in Rwanda.
The Regional Development Forum provided an opportunity to
hear about the status of implementation of the African regional initiatives
approved at WTDC-14 as well as the development of the ICT sector in the
region.
The initiatives approved at WTDC-14 focus on the following
areas: human and institutional capacity building, policy and regulatory
frameworks for the integration of African telecommunications/ICT frameworks,
broadband access and adaptation of broadband, spectrum management and
transition to digital broadcasting, and confidence and security in the use of
telecommunications/ICTs.
The next Regional Preparatory Meeting will be for the Arab
States and will be held in the Republic of Sudan from 30 January to 1 February
2017. It will be preceded by the Regional Development Forum on 29 January 2017.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
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