Honourable Ministers

Secretary General Utsumi

Members of the e-Africa Commission

Your Excellencies Ambassadors and High Commissioners

Leaders of Delegation

Representatives of Not-for-Profit Organisations

Ladies and Gentlemen

The Youth Representatives of our Continent

AFRICA
A brief history of where we come from, where we are and wherethe future might take us is necessary. When in 1995 former President Nelson Mandela invited the ITU to organize Africa TELECOM 98 in South Africa we may not have realised the importance that these events would have on the development of the ICT sector on our continent.

The 1998 Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the Pan-African (PATU) which took place in Lusaka adopted the African Connection as its strategic plan for 1998-2002.

The seeds for that ambitious programme were planted during the preparatory meeting for Africa TELECOM 98 held in Cape Town in February of that year. At that meeting, Ministers and Senior Officials from the different African countries took the decision that the reform of PATU needed to be accelerated. In the words of the Deputy Minister of Ethiopia “ if PATU is very sick, we must put it in ICU and give it good medication. If it is dead we must accept that and give it a decent burial”.

During Africa TELECOM 98 the Ministers and Senior Officials again held several meetings aimed at addressing the challenges on our continent. This was over and above the normal scheduled programme of the Exhibition and Forum. Those meetings led to the adoption of the African Connection as a working programme.

The African Connection was subsequently adopted by the PATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries in August of that year as the Unions’ Strategic Plan. The Conference also recognised that there was a need for more regular formal policy development meetings of the African Ministers of communication in between Conferences. Accordingly the Conference established the Ministerial Oversight Committee (MOC) and tasked South Africa represented by the then Minister, Mr. Jay Naidoo to act as chairperson of the MOC.

It is with a sense pride that, as Chairperson, I can place on record that the MOC has not failed to live up to the expectations of our continent. During its meetings, which take place twice a year, the MOC has engaged all the major policy processes that have taken place in the past two years such as:

• The G8 Okinawa Charter on Information Society and its DOT Force
• The UN ECOSOC Ministerial Declaration
• The Cairo Declaration of the European Union and Africa

Most significantly, the MOC recommended that the Summit of Heads of State and Government consider adopting a Declaration prioritising ICTs on the continental agenda. 

In addition the MOC recommended the establishment of the e-Africa Commission whose members I announced last night and which is chaired by President Konare of Mali.

In listing the members of the e-Africa Commission last night, the name of Mr. Shola Taylor from Nigeria was inadvertently omitted. I wish to apologise for that. 

As decided by the 1998 PATU Conference, an extra-ordinary Conference of PATU Plenipotentiaries took place in December 1999 in Cape Town. At this conference our new Union the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) was born and the new Secretary General Mr. Jan Mutai was elected.

There is no doubt that, inspite of resource limitations, Mr. Mutai and his team of highly dedicated Africans have taken our Union to new heights. 

I wish to take this opportunity to thank them for their tireless efforts and to re-iterate our confidence in their ability to meet the ever-increasing challenges of our sector.

In implementing our Strategic Plan, the MOC established the African Connection Centre for Strategic Planning headed by Ms. Mavis Ampah Sintim-Misa of Ghana. In addition to the ATU-related work, the Centre is now ready to take on the huge task of supporting the e-Africa Commission.

I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate Ms. Ampah Sintim-Misa for being a recipient of the Black ICT Achievers Award the day before yesterday.

As a now established practice, the MOC will meet during this ITU TELECOM to discuss the new challenges facing us as a continent.

In conducting the work of the MOC, I have been ably guided by two colleagues whose contribution to the development of our sector on the continent I would like to officially recognise and thank their governments for making them available. These are Minister Nassasira from Uganda and Deputy Minister Ayenew Bitewelign of Ethiopia. The passion, enthusiasm and dedication of these Ministers have indeed been an inspiration to me.

In its short history the MOC has been able to achieve important milestones thanks to the invaluable support that it has received from the African Group of Experts on ICTs (AAG-ICT) . This group, made up of experts in our sector has shown unwavering commitment to the development of our continent by making themselves available, without remuneration, to serve the continent. 

Chairperson,
In our sub-region of Southern Africa we have also had important developments. Under the leadership of Minister Tomaz Augusto Sa lomao of Mozambique, the chairperson of the Southern African Transport and Communications Commission, SATCC, we have made great strides.

The last meeting of the SADC Heads of State adopted a Declaration on ICTs. This undertaking at the highest level of governments in our region to prioritise ICTs and make SADC e-ready is a challenge to both the public and private sector in this region to double up our efforts. It is also a challenge to the ITU.

E-readiness is a new policy issue in our sector which will have a major impact in the economic ratings of countries. It is for this reason that the concept has been given particular attention by the Ministers in SADC who accordingly established the SADC e-readiness Task Force with a specific mandate and time-frames. The Task Force has established a partnership with the World Economic Forum whose main purpose is to cooperate in making SADC e-ready.

We are proud of the work that is being done by our regulators, in particular through their regional association, the Telecommunications Regulators Association of Southern Africa, TRASA. The challenge before TRASA is the development of a regulatory one-stop shop for our region. This is imperative for the advancement of the economic integration programme of SADC. We call on the ITU Development Bureau to assist us in this important task. 

SOUTH AFRICA –TWO NATIONS
Chairperson, had President Mbeki addressed us last night, he would not have failed to point out the economic divide that still exists in our country. He would have invited us to take a walk just around the corner from the world-class complex of Gallagher Estate where we are, to see the other side of our beautiful South Africa.

The reality of our country is that we have two worlds in one. A first world and a world typical of what the United Nations would categorise as an LDC. This constitutes the basis of our challenge with respect to bridging the digital divide in South Africa. 

Since the establishment of a democratic South Africa in 1994 we have tried to address this divide as swiftly as possible. We have succeeded in many areas but still have a very long way to go. 

We have recently gazetted New Policy Directions which aim to further liberalise our telecommunications market, speed up the introduction of computers in schools through a special e-rate, and create an enabling environment for Small Medium and Micro Enterprises - especially for blacks, women and the disabled.

One of the biggest obstacles that we face is the lack of a coordinated and coherent and comprehensive ICT strategy that applies to all government departments. 

It is in view of this realisation and in recognition of the need to accelerate our efforts in this area that during his State of the Nation Address President Mbeki established the Presidential National Commission on the Information Society and Development.

I am pleased to announce that this Commission, which will be chaired by Ms. Lyndall Shope-Mafole will have the following as its members.
1. Andile Ngcaba ( alternate chairperson)

The following serve as Deputy Chairpersons for policy, content, applications, technology and human resources, respectively

 

Other members of the Commission will be the following:

Mr. T. Gcabashe CEO – Eskom

Mr. P. Matlare CEO – SABC

Mr. M. Manyatshe CEO – SAPO

Dr. Mokone – Matabane CEO – Sentech

Mr. C. van Schaalkwyk CEO – SITA

Mr. S. Nxasana CEO – Telkom

Mr. X. Socikwa CEO – Transtel

Mr. A. Knott – Craig CEO – Vodacom

Mr. J. Odd CEO - Didata

Mr. P. Watt CEO – P.Q. Africa

Mr. L. Zim CEO – MTN

Mr. J. Tsotetsi CEO – Motswedi

Dr. S. Gulube Chairperson – MRC

Dr. R. Mokate CEO – Central Energy Fund

A representative of SANGONET

Dr. N. Mzamane DACST

Adv. K. Moroka Moroka & Partners

Mrs. A. Venter - Lecturer-University of Pretoria

Ms. P. Serote Centre for Gender Education Training Network at UWC

Mr. Malele CEO - Arriva.com

We have made the necessary small steps to take us to our destination but we have not yet taken sufficient steps. The challenge is to keep the vision and final destination constantly in mind as we carve a road to reach that goal.
I firmly believe that working together in a co-ordinated manner, we shall overcome obstacles and Africa shall succeed.

I thank you.