Oghenevwede Ohworiole in Abuja
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has lauded the decision of the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) to speak with one voice on continental telecommunications and global issues.
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC), NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, gave the commendation on Monday at the ongoing ATU conference Abuja 2026, where the Director, Internal Audit at NCC, Stella Erebor, emerged as the chairperson of the Conference of Plenipotentaires of the 7th Ordinary Session of the conference of Plenipotentaires in Nigeria.
“Nigeria is proud to host this gathering and proud of what it represents. Africa’s determination to prepare together and to speak with greater coherence on the issues shaping the future of telecommunications and the digital economy.
“Africa must prepare together, work together between meetings, and arrive at global forums with positions that are both coherent and technically compelling, a conference preparatory committee can easily sound like the work that takes place before the important work. In reality, it is where much of the important work is done.
“Over the next two days, this committee will consider the activities of the African Telecommunications Union from 2023 to 2026, and prepare the agenda, resolutions, decisions and recommendations to be taken forward to the ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL 26). The committee will also consider the report on African preparation for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference PP26, which will convene in Doha this November.
“These are related but distinct processes. CPL. 26 will determine the direction and priorities of our continental union. ITUPP 26 will determine the direction, leadership and priorities of the global union.
“Our work here must serve both purposes clearly, strengthening the 80 ATU as Africa’s coordinating institution, while ensuring that Africa is well prepared to participate effectively at the ITU,” Maida said.
According to him, “The issues before us are increasingly complex and interconnected — Spectrum harmonisation across borders, the governance of artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, data protection frameworks that can support African digital trade, universal access in communities where commercial investment alone may not be sufficient, and cybersecurity threats that cross national boundaries.
“No administration can address these challenges effectively in isolation. Our regulatory approach, or rather, our regulatory cooperation, must therefore become more continuous, more technical, and more institutionalised.”
