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With the support of the European Union (EU), ITU is
conducting work on harmonizing policy and regulations
for information and communication technologies
(ICT) across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Building on the success of a joint project conducted
in West Africa in 2003–2005 by ITU and the EU, a
new initiative called Harmonization of the ICT Policies
in Sub-Saharan Africa (or HIPSSA) was launched in
December 2008 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will
last to the end of 2011. The intention is to create
a harmonized regulatory environment that should
greatly encourage investment in ICT infrastructure
and services, thus stimulating economic and social
development.
The HIPSSA project will benefit 43 African countries.
Its purpose is to help Regional Economic
Communities and individual countries to develop
harmonized policies and regulatory frameworks for
each subregion’s ICT market, with the possibility of
expanding this to a pan-African context. Also, the
project will help to improve institutional capacity and
train people in relevant skills.
Recommendations and guidelines will be developed
by a team of experts, and validated by national
staff at workshops in particular countries. The material
will then be transferred to regional organizations
with a view to joint adoption at the technical level,
and the development of directives to which countries
can choose to commit at the political level. Courses
will be offered to regional and national trainers, who
will use their expertise to enhance the required skills
of target groups of personnel.
HIPSSA is one of three programmes being
jointly conducted by ITU and the European Union
to promote harmonized policies for ICT markets
in a range of developing countries. The other two
are “Enhancing Competitiveness in the Caribbean
through the Harmonization of ICT Policies, Legislation
and Regulatory Procedures (HIPCAR)” and “Capacity
Building and ICT Policy, Regulatory and Legislative
Frameworks Support for Pacific Island States
(ICB4PIS)”. The EU is contributing a total of EUR
8 million for all three projects, and ITU will provide
USD 500 000.
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