BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin delivered the keynote address of the African Telecommunication Union's first Preparatory Meeting ahead of the ITU World Telecommunication Development Conference "WTDC-21".
WTDC-21 will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in the last quarter of 2021. The Preparatory Meeting was hosted by the Republic of Sudan, and strived to evaluate the implementation of the WTDC-17 outcomes in Africa and consider their contribution to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) action plans and to the progress of projects launched under BDT's Regional Initiatives.
It also endeavored to start the formulation of African common proposals to the Conference, reflecting the new challenges of ICTs in Africa and the mechanisms that will help accelerate the implementation of Africa's digital transformation strategy and promote sustainable development across the continent. A key objective of the meeting was to agree on the WTDC preparatory process and establish leading committees to develop the African common proposals and positions on WTDC agenda items.
Noting that WTDC-21 will be a landmark conference for digital development, Ms Bogdan-Martin mentioned the important role of the Arusha Conference held on the continent previously, in spurring connectivity for the progress of humanity as a whole. In this vein, she emphasized the need to continue tackling the digital divide, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. She underscored the vital role of connectivity in building Africa's future prosperity.
Encouraged by the fact that more and more governments across the African region are prioritizing digital development, Ms Bogdan-Martin said “Match the incredible potential of affordable, accessible ICTs to the immense drive and energy of a vast and youthful continent like Africa, and almost anything is possible."
Recognizing that challenges persist in connecting a continent as vast and diverse as Africa, she stated that these are by no means insurmountable. The continent possesses largely untapped markets for digital goods and services; a youthful demographic which makes a fertile ground for digital innovation and uptake; new technologies that will help overcome long-standing barriers; and a growing number of governments that are committed to digital as the engine of national development.
Ms Bogdan- Martin noted that “much also remains to be done in terms of stakeholder engagement and partnerships, to ensure that the private sector, civil society, and major funding agencies like regional and national development banks, are empowered to join us constructively on our journey towards Africa's digital transformation."
She called for our collective task at WTDC-21, to unleash the power and potential of digital technologies. These technologies, she said, “are the catalyst that could accelerate progress towards the SDGs, making the African region the digital frontier where the transformational power and potential of connectivity will be realized."
Distinguished participants of the meeting included Dr Elsadig Ga-malel-deen, Director General, Telecommunications and Post, Regulatory Authority of Sudan, Mr John Omo, Secretary-General of the African Telecommunication Union, and Mr Andrew Rugege, ITU Regional Director for Africa.
