African countries have been urged to take a more active role in shaping global policies on artificial intelligence (AI), spectrum management, digital identity and other emerging technologies, rather than remaining passive adopters of international frameworks.
The call comes as Africa’s expanding digital economy, rising mobile connectivity and youthful population strengthen the continent’s influence in global digital governance.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, made the call on Thursday at the opening of the 7th Ordinary Session of the Conference Preparatory Committee (CPC-26) of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) in Abuja.
The two-day meeting is aimed at harmonising Africa’s common positions ahead of the ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL-26) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference, scheduled to hold in Doha, Qatar, in November, where key decisions on the future of global telecommunications and the digital economy will be made.
Maida said Africa’s influence in international digital policy would depend not on the size of its delegations but on the quality of its preparations, the strength of its technical contributions and the ability of member states to present unified positions.
He explained that the committee would review the activities of the African Telecommunications Union between 2023 and 2026, assess Africa’s preparations for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference and develop common positions on agenda items, resolutions and recommendations for presentation at continental and global meetings.
Also speaking, Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union, John Omo, described the preparatory committee as a vital stage in the union’s decision-making process, noting that many of the resolutions eventually adopted at the Conference of Plenipotentiaries originate from the committee’s deliberations.
Omo disclosed that the union had expanded its membership over the past four years, increasing from 49 to 52 member states, while associate membership rose from 50 to 56 organisations.
He added that academia had also been introduced as a new membership category, with 18 African academic institutions now participating in the union’s activities.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nadungu Gagare, who represented the Minister, Dr. Bosun Tijani, said the committee’s deliberations would lay the groundwork for key decisions to be taken at the ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries.
