Today the minister of telecommunications and postal services, Dr Siyabonga Cwele, delivered his keynote address at the 16th Ordinary Session of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Administrative Council sitting at the Durban Hilton Hotel South Africa. ATU is a leading continental organisation fostering developments of information and communications technologies infrastructure and services.
South Africa is charged with championing the implementation of ATU new strategic plan 2015 - 2018, which will focus on the following issues, building institutional capacity, creating strategic partnerships, e-skills development programme and the development of information content and applications.
ATU member states unanimously chose South Africa to chair the Administrative Council Bureau, and to lead the council for 12 months. The bureau comprises South Africa as chair, Egypt as deputy chair, and Cote de'Ivoire and Zimbabwe as rapporteurs of the bureau. The ATU administrative council is a high-level strategic platform where member states send experts to represent their plenipotentiary diplomats.
Cwele welcomed the 23 member state delegates of the ATU to the warm city of Durban.
The minister expressed appreciation to the ATU and reiterated that the ATU must coordinate its efforts and ensure that African interests are served in all of the world platforms. The minister challenged the meeting of experts to engage on a number of issues including localisation of ICTs and manufacturing which will enhance industrialisation and economic growth in the continent.
The council meeting comes two days after South Africa successfully hosted the 25th AU Summit in Johannesburg under the theme "2015 Year of Empowerment and Development towards Africa's Agenda 2063".
Cwele said "The agenda 2063 advocates for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena".
"The AU summit welcomed the Tripartite free trade agreement as the first phase of the continental free trade area. This brings enormous opportunities for the ICTs to invest, spur growth, promote local content, applications development and manufacturing of electronics in our continent," the minister continued.
Cwele urged member states to focus on the rolling out of broadband infrastructure, as this will promote affordable and accessible services to broader citizens. In South Africa alone last year there was proof enough that there is a strong uptake of mobile broadband as the country consumed about 82% of broadband on smart phones, including tablets.
The council was urged by the minister to ensure that Africa drives the developmental agenda of the continent, and considers engagements on the use of Internet in Africa.
ICT plays a critical role as a game changer, in economic development and focus has to be given to remote rural areas to enhance small business, by making it easy for them to do business, and connect globally.
The minister was moved by two young South Africans and said "I am compelled to share the story of young black South African youth from a rural community in the Eastern Cape South Africa, a young African woman, Thuli Volwana and her business partner Sabelo Sibanda, who have developed the Vula, a low-cost, solar powered Android tablet. This is one of many examples of innovation and entrepreneurship that has been enabled by the limited broadband infrastructure that is available in rural areas. I believe that as we deploy scalable broadband infrastructure, initiatives like this must be harnessed and supported by both government and industry as they stimulate demand which is crucial for sustainability and affordability".
The minister closed by urging member states to cooperate and share lessons that will ensure that the Africa Super Highway is realised. He also emphasised that this can only be done if there is integration of broadband connectivity throughout the continent thereby prevent duplication.
The Hilton ATU sitting will conclude its business on the 19 June 2015, where resolutions will be taken to change the landscape of telecommunications in Africa.
Members of ATU further congratulated other member states who have been elected into the International Telecommunications Union Council (ITU), where all regions are represented proportionally.
ATU was founded in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo in 1977 under the auspices of the then Organisation of African Unity, now the African Union. The vision of ATU is that of making Africa an equal and active participant in global information society. The Secretary General is an elected official by member states for a four-year period.
ATU is also a continental chapter the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). The Union plans to use ICT's to leapfrog Africa's economic development by working hard to improve ICT infrastructure, innovation, enhance private investment and encourage entrepreneurship in the sector. The critical task of ensuring that the ICT sector is regulated, and allows investors to do business in Africa.
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