Ambassadors and delegates of the African Union and the European Union visited ITU's Headquarters for a meeting on digital cooperation.
Keynote addresses were provided by H.E. Ms Lotte Knudsen, Permanent Observer, European Union; H.E. Mr Ramses Joseph Cleland, Permanent Representative, Ghana; H.E. Ms Marie Chantal Rwakazina, Permanent Representative, Rwanda; and Ms Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau, ITU.
Representatives from both the African and European regions presented details on important initiatives underway to expand meaningful connectivity and digitalization in Africa.
Ms Bogdan-Martin expressed her hope that the session would enable delegates to support their administrations to better leverage their ITU membership, and get more involved in ITU's mission to 'connect the world', especially ''at a time when the importance of connectivity has never been so evident, nor the need to bridge the digital divide, so urgent.''
She explained that ITU's Development Sector helps countries optimize digital regulatory frameworks to attract investment; empower populations through digital literacy; and reach out to communities in the world's hard-to-connect areas with technical resources, and multistakeholder partnerships.
To further the connectivity agenda, she noted that ''long-term successful alliances between committed partners, such as our collaboration with the European Commission and the African Union, are absolutely instrumental.''
