The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) has completed a 3-day meeting with the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) delegation in Nairobi. This is part of the implementation of Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2022 by the two organisations. The MoU is geared towards driving digital development and transformation in Africa and the Caribbean.
ATU Secretary-General John Omo described the meeting as “a clear opportunity to coordinate strategies in ways that directly benefit our respective populations,” emphasizing that Africa’s broad push to improve infrastructural development, expand connectivity and harmonize regulations is paramount and could equally benefit from Caribbean experiences. “We do not want this to be a one-off meeting,” he said. “Going forward, our aim is to share practical solutions, align and harmonize policies where possible, and attract investment to broadens Telecommunications/ICTs access for all.”
CTU Secretary-General Mr. Rodney Taylor on his part, stated that the Caribbean similarly grapples with harmonizing regulations across multiple states. “The Caribbean, just like Africa, struggles to unify approaches,” he said. “Learning from each other can unlock greater economies of scale.”
The meeting, which succeeded CTUs visit to the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA), was also attended by officials from the Kenya ICT regulator (Communications Authority of Kenya) and three Sub-Regional regulatory associations in Africa namely; East African Communications Organization (EACO), Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA).
Spectrum management drew considerable attention. EACO observed that licensing and spectrum pricing approaches differ significantly across African nations and that the ongoing work of CTU on developing a harmonized spectrum pricing and licensing model could benefit Africa a lot.
Universal access to services also featured prominently with Kenya’s Communications Authority outlining how the country had dealt with the issue through the effective application of the Universal Service Fund. The meeting heard that the Authority had adopted a phased approach to providing services to underserved areas by leveraging existing power lines for last mile connectivity. Mr. Taylor responded that several Caribbean governments had tied license renewals to minimum rural coverage targets, calling it “a practical way to ensure operators serve all regions, even where profits are limited.”
Participants stressed the importance of driving digital transformation through policy and innovation by creating an ecosystem where technology, governance and creative solutions converge to modernize industries, improve efficiency and foster economic growth. Discussion also focused on how the two regional organisations could support their members in developing regulations on new and emerging technologies such as OTTs, AI, IoTs, blockchain, cloud computing, D2D, internet governance among others for digital transformation and to foster economic development.
CRASA representatives noted that “For years, we’ve discussed bridging the digital divide,” but the real measure of success is whether we see networks built and data costs falling within a realistic timeframe”. Taylor acknowledged that the CTU faces identical pressures, adding, “Our communities demand better services. We should focus on clear deliverables.”
The CTU and ATU teams afterwards undertook a study visit to iLabAfrica, a research and innovation center located at Strathmore University in Nairobi, where they examined research work in data science, cybersecurity, and digital learning. It was acknowledged that this visit reinforced the idea that “universities, other research organizations and private enterprise have to be part and collaborate for solutions.”
Both Omo and Taylor pledged to form joint working groups on financing, policy, and capacity building initiatives. “A united African-Caribbean voice is more influential at global ICT forums,” Omo said.