The Department of Communications (DOC) is set to take part in meetings which will discuss the harmonisation of ICT policy and regulatory frameworks in Africa.
Deputy communications minister Dina Pule will take part in the bureau and steering committee meetings at the upcoming African Union (AU) Communications Information Technology Ministerial conference.
The meetings will take place from 20 to 21 July, in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, and reports will be sent to the country ministers responsible for ICT.
The meetings will identify priority ICT programmes and projects, which will be harmonised for implementation across the continent. They will also consider recommendations by the AU infrastructure development programme for Africa for ICT and the preparations for the 2010 January summit on ICT.
SA was one of two countries which served on the technical team that reviewed ICT policy and regulatory frameworks for the African continent. These committee meetings will also act as follow-up sessions, which will discuss the programme of action to implement the outcomes and recommendations of the study.
Some of the other countries that will also attend the meetings and participate in the workshop are Kenya, Uganda, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Tunisia.
The deputy minister will also travel with a delegation from the DOC, which includes deputy director-general Dr Keith Shongwe and chief directors Themba Phiri and Nonkqubela Jordan.
Talking it through
Representatives at the meetings will discuss issues relating to the work of the AU Commission. One of the key concerns will be the need to improve AU member states' national telecommunications and ICT policies. The committee will also look at ways of aligning national policies with those proposed by the AU Commission in its reference framework.
Postal policies will also be discussed. Member states and regional economic communities will be required to improve their national postal policy and align them with those proposals made by the African Union Commission. Of urgency will be the establishment of an autonomous regulator that standardises postal services in countries.
The need to mobilise resources to accelerate the implementation of the selected flagship projects will also feature on the agenda. Initiatives, such as the African Regional Action Plan for Knowledge Economy, are considered priority and are seen as key contributors to infrastructure and capacity building. The meeting will also discuss the establishment of an ICT fund to foster the implementation of these flagship projects.
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