The Mozambican government has signed an agreement with the Southern Africa Telecommunication Association (SATA) to host SATA’s headquarters, making the country the center of telecommunication in the region.
The agreement also means that Mozambique will become the center of decision-making on investment opportunities in the telecom sector in the Southern Africa Development Community region.
Mozambican Minister of Transport and Communication Paulo Zucula told IDG News Service that Mozambique is now prepared to contribute actively to regional integration in the telecom sector, which will eventually result in economic development.
The association was established in 2002, following the abolition of the Southern African Transport and Communications Commission, which operated from Gaberone, Botswana. For six years, SATA has temporarily been operating in Maputo, Mozambique, and it has now chosen Maputo as its permanent home.
“The signing of the agreement, therefore, means that the association will have its own headquarters and will enjoy rights and have obligation towards the Mozambican government as a collective entity,” Zucula said.
He added that the association aims to aid in the development of ICTs and to address the issue of e-commerce, currently proving to be a challenge due to dilapidated infrastructure.
SATA, which is comprised of private and public telecom companies, coordinates the operations of its members in order to improve efficiency and productivity in the growing telecom sector. Membership includes Zambia, Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia.
Frank Nwalla
