The Subregional workshop for Portuguese-speaking Africa will be held from 5 to7 November 2025 in São Tomé and will provide an occasion to examine the concept of universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC) and how to streamline it in national digital policies, how to improve the statistical capacity of countries in the region to produce and disseminate relevant statistical data, and how to use the data to identify good practices and policy recommendations.

It is organized in collaboration with the General Regulatory Authority of São Tomé and Príncipe (AGER), with financial support from the European Union.

Target audience

This workshop is addressed to policymakers in charge of national policies and strategies for digital connectivity, and statisticians responsible for the measurement of telecom/ICT development from ministries, national statistics offices (NSOs), regulators, telecom operators, research institutions, and other relevant organizations from the following countries: Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Participants from national statistical offices and other institutions that collect data on ICT are requested to complete the two following free, self-paced courses available through the ITU Academy, prior to the workshop:

Measuring digital development: ICT access and use by households and individuals
Measuring digital development: Telecommunication / ICT indicators

Objectives of the workshop

The workshop will cover the following topics:

Embracing universal and meaningful connectivity: The new policy imperative (day 1)
Data-driven decision making: Enhancing statistician-policymaker collaboration (day 2)
Tracking UMC: Strategies for overcoming measurement challenges (day 3)

Registration to the workshop (info and link to be uploaded in due course)

Registration to the workshop is mandatory for both participants and speakers. Only registered participants and speakers can join the sessions.

Fellowships (deadline for applications: 23 September 2025)

There is no participation fee for this workshop.  However, all expenses related to the travel, accommodation and insurance should be covered by the participants.

To encourage in-person participation from developing countries, up to two full fellowships per country may be granted, which include air ticket (one return economy class ticket by the most direct/economical route from the country of origin to São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe) and appropriate daily subsistence allowance intended to cover accommodation, meals and incidental expenses. One fellowship may be granted to the national statistical office, and another fellowship may be granted to a policymaking institution (ministries or regulators) per country. 

To apply for fellowships, candidates must complete the fellowship application form by 23 September 2025 at the latest, and register to the workshop. Any fellowship application received after this deadline will not be considered. 

Due to limited funding, it might not be possible to accommodate all requests for fellowships. Selections for fellowships are carried out by ITU (BDT). In awarding a fellowship, account shall be taken of the candidate’s professional background; current position and the practical use the beneficiary intends to make of the knowledge and experience to be gained; and significant contributions to the work of the event candidates may make. In line with the relevant provisions of Resolution 213 (Dubai, 2018) of the Plenipotentiary Conference, the fellowship selection shall also consider gender balance and inclusion of persons with disabilities and with specific needs.

Candidates who are granted a fellowship will be contacted separately with further instructions. Candidates who are not selected for a fellowship will also be notified.

Documents

Invitation letter (to be uploaded in due course)
Provisional programme (to be uploaded in due course)

Practical information for participants and speakers

Practical information (to be uploaded in due course)

Presentations

Background of the project

With the financial support from the European Union, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is organising a series of regional and subregional workshops. These workshops will convene policymakers and statisticians to deliberate on metrics for gauging progress towards Universal and Meaningful Connectivity (UMC), analyse the persistent socio-economic and geographical divides, and harness data effectively to refine, monitor, and assess digital policies.

Contacts