Africa Telecom 1998 to take place in South Africa

Geneva, 3 October 1995 — South African President Nelson Mandela today invited the International Telecommunication Union to organize its next Africa TELECOM in South Africa.

The invitation was made during President Mandela's keynote speech at the Opening Ceremony of TELECOM 95 in Geneva, Switzerland. Addressing a gathering of 4000 international VIPs, distinguished guests and key media, the President said "The ITU is a body of crucial importance for South Africa and indeed the entire African continent. We need a vast expansion of our communication and information network. The ITU, as the principle driving force behind international policy, technological development, co-operation and skills transfer is an indispensable agent in this regard."

He went on to discuss the importance of communication and access to information to human beings around the world, and stressed the need to work towards eliminating the divide between information rich and information poor countries.

The ITU has accepted the invitation to host Africa TELECOM 98 in South Africa and wishes to announce that in Spring of 1998, Africa TELECOM 98 will, in principle, and subject to the successful completion of the necessary agreements and contracts, take place in South Africa.

The announcement is the culmination of numerous ITU missions to a number of African countries in order to identify the most appropriate venue for Africa TELECOM 98. Since 1994, missions to and negotiations in South Africa have also taken place, and excellent relations have been established with the South African administration, industry and operators.

Previous Africa TELECOMS have taken place in Cairo, Egypt in 1994, Harare, Zimbabwe in 1990, and Nairobi, Kenya in 1986.

World TELECOM, currently taking place in Geneva, is the 7th World event, and this year will host more than 1050 exhibitors from some 52 countries, and attract crowds of more than 133 000 visitors. The next regional TELECOM will take place in 1996 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 10-15 June 1996.

The regional events, which include Americas, Africa and Asia TELECOMs, were initiated in 1985 in order to address the specific issues of individual regions. They continue to grow in size and prestige, and are now the most respected and authoritative telecommunications events in the world.

TELECOM Exhibitions and Forums are organized by the International Telecommunication Union, the United Nations specialist agency for telecommunications. The exhibitions are a showcase for the latest advances in communications technologies, while the Forums are an important meeting place for governments, administrations, operators, industry and service providers, as well as for the media and for users. The events are held in four-year cycles so that adequate global coverage is achieved across all 184 Member countries of the ITU.