African nations to showcase successes at ITU event

Countries from across the African continent will join together in national pavilions to address the overarching theme of bridging the digital divide at ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 (Geneva, 5-9 October). Pavilions representing Burundi, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda and the Africa Lusophone countries will unite a broad range of organizations from the non-profit, private and R&D sectors with the common goal of reasserting their commitment to ICT and digital development.

Professor John Sydney Nkoma, Director General of the Tanzania Communications Regulator Authority (TCRA), said, “Driving towards success, Tanzania has created an environment that is very attractive to investors – built upon innovative policies, and a strong legal and regulatory framework. Now that this framework is in place, we are better equipped to face further challenges and opportunities that will come with the growth of new technologies beyond voice and SMS. TCRA is well placed to address future regulatory challenges and looks forward to discussing these at ITU Telecom World 2009.”

ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009 will be a major milestone in addressing the issue of broadband access, and is seen as an important industry event for the developing world, providing an opportunity to benchmark local ICT sectors in terms of policy, regulation, and infrastructure development. It also enables the showcasing of local ICT, and represents an invaluable opportunity to attract inward investment and seek opportunities to engage with ICT companies from the developed world.