Ministers of communications & digital technologies and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) member states convened this week in Cape Town for the Ministerial Forum on Building a Future-Orientated, Intelligent Digital Infrastructure for Africa.
The forum was co-organised by the ATU and South Africa’s department of communications & digital technologies with the aim of advancing the digital transformation agenda in Africa. The event concluded with the signing of a joint communique underlining the importance of collaboration between all stakeholders in building a future-orientated digital infrastructure for Africa.
Taking place alongside AfricaCom, the continent’s premier ICT conference and exhibition, the forum provided a platform for dialogue and an exchange of views on the development of a future-orientated intelligent digital infrastructure in Africa, which is essential for achieving the socioeconomic development goals of the continent.
The event comes at a time when the development of the global digital economy has brought focus on the need for Africa to strengthen the construction of high-speed networks (4G, 5G and fibre) and high-performance cloud computing capabilities.
“In the space in which this forum operates, we have the ability to create consensus on which way to go in building future-orientated digital infrastructure for Africa,” said ATU secretary-general John Omo. “We know the place of digital infrastructure in the global arithmetic that defines the compass of progress. We also know that to find our bearing on this compass, we must be deliberate about the actions we take to protect the future of Africa.
“I must note that it is also through the synergy of governments, private-sector entities, research institutions and international organisations that we can realise the full potential of our collective efforts,” he added. “What this means is that inclusivity should be a guiding principle as we shape the future of digital infrastructure. We must ensure that the benefits of technological advancements reach every corner of society, leaving no one behind.”
South African deputy minister of communications & digital technologies Philly Mapulane concurred with the need for collaboration by players across the sector.
“This gathering marks a significant milestone in our collective pursuit of a digitally empowered Africa,” he said. “We are here not merely as representatives of our respective nations and organisations, but we are here as architects of a shared vision — one that envisions an Africa propelled into a future where the possibilities of connectivity are boundless.
“Today, we are not just building a digital infrastructure; we are laying the foundation for the socioeconomic emancipation of our continent,” he added. “Let us envision a future where our digital infrastructure is seamless, intelligent and accessible to all.”
Leo Chen, president of Huawei sub-Saharan Africa, underlined how much progress the continent has made when it comes to building the digital infrastructure it needs while also outlining the areas that still need improvement. These improvements, he said, are best achieved through the One Network, One Cloud approach advocated by Huawei.
“To build One Network, countries should continue to build national broadband backbone networks to serve as the arteries of national network connectivity,” he said. “In addition, such backbone networks should be extensible across multiple domains.
“This means they should be able to connect to different metropolitan area networks and campus networks,” he added. “Similar to a highly developed neural network, they will connect the last mile of connectivity to meet the needs of different scenarios.”
According to Chen, the benefits of such a network are considerable. Among the benefits he listed were increased GDPs for countries across the region, enhanced government service delivery and improved connectivity for individual households. He also mentioned that due to the coverage gap on the continent, it is still important to cover more people through wireless connectivity technologies, such as 4G and 5G, and through rural connectivity solutions, such as Huawei’s RuralStar.
In dissecting the “One Cloud” segment of the approach, Chen outlined how important cloud technologies have become at a nation-state level.
“The national cloud platform can serve as the foundation for a country’s advanced technological innovation, and can greatly improve the capabilities of governments and enterprises to adopt new technologies,” he said.
“With the national cloud platform and cloud infrastructure, African countries can also unlock huge potential in the ‘e-government’ cloud,” he added. “One example from China can represent a future trend. In Shenzhen, where Huawei is headquartered, citizens can complete almost all of the government service items with at most one visit to the service office, or without even making a physical visit at all.”
One Network, One Cloud
According to Chen, “to implement One Network, One Cloud and ensure its steady progress, the governments of all countries should provide strategic guidance and support through specific policies”.
“As we continue our digital transformation journeys, it is important that we share our collective wisdom, vision and resolve,” Chen concluded. “It is very important that we share different experiences and best practices across the continent when building the ‘One Network and One Cloud’.”
Other dignitaries echoed the importance of collaboration for the future of African digital infrastructure.
“It’s key that we work collaboratively to ensure that connection costs don’t become a barrier to connectivity for our citizens,” said Thulagano Merafe Segokgo, Botswana’s minister of communications, knowledge and technology. “If we are going to achieve connectivity at the level our citizenries deserve, we must work together.”
“Collaborating is an important aspect if we want to achieve our goals,” said Tanzania’s ICT minister Nape Moses Nnauye. “Let’s see how we can work together and face the challenges together.”
“We need greater collaboration,” said Zimbabwean minister of ICT, postal and courier services TA Mavetera. He added that this collaboration should extend beyond digital infrastructure and include things such as skills transfer and policy formulation.
The communique, issued at the end of the gathering, committed the African countries present to “collaborating and alignig our policies and strategies to promote the development of digital infrastructure in Africa, in line with the African Union Agenda 2063, the ATU Strategic Plan 2020-2024 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals”, among other things.
In an example of the collaboration called for, the event also saw the presentation of the South African Fibre Broadband Development Initiative, a partnership between the department of communications, the Digital Council Africa and Africa Analysis on a position paper titled Towards a Gigabit Society in South Africa. The paper analyses the positive impact that increased fixed broadband adoption will have in South Africa from a social and economic perspective. It outlines the current status and challenges, and proposes recommendations on strategy and policy interventions to turn South Africa into a gigabit society.
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