Kenya has agreed to host the Connected Africa Secretariat which is expected to enhance collaborations among African countries and accelerate digital integration.
In a communique read by Information and Communication and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, ICT minister from several counties attending this year’s Connected Africa Summit approved Kenya as the inaugural chair of the secretariat which will also be rotational to signatories.
“The secretariat shall support the work of the Summit including the preparation and transmission of communiques and engagements with continental institutions, while the coordination of the implementation of resolutions adopted by this summit shall be undertaken by the African Union working through the AU Commission, the Specialized Technical Committee on Communication and ICT and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, the regional economic communities, the Smart Africa Alliance and other continental intuitions,” said Kabogo.
Now in its 15th year, the connected summit has been lauded as a starting of some of the gains in the ICT sector among others, skills development through mentorships, deployment of critical infrastructure and services and enhanced collaboration with the private sector.
Kenya and its partners are also keen on recognition of the platform where African countries are able to form a single ICT market supported by seamless cross border payments, identification and deployment of critical infrastructure.
According to Mordor Intelligence, Africa Digital Transformation Market size is projected to reach $35 billion this year and hit $72 billion by 2031 with a annual growth rate averaging 16pc.
“We request the AU Commission to recognize the Connected Africa Summit as a continental ministerial platform feeding into the relevant organs of the AU,” said Kabogo.
With constrained infrastructure funding, the partners have also committed to mobilize resources to deliver universal, affordable and good quality broadband and digital infrastructure across the continent through the coordinate use of existing instruments such as the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa Priority Action Plan 2 by AU.
At the summit, delegates urged African countries to address key bottlenecks which have hinder faster rollout of communication infrastructure such as insecurity and laying of fibre optic where securing wayleaves and permits have become too costly for investors.
“We have seen projects move hundreds of kilometres inside then stop at the final kilometre at the border. We are not failing, not the cable failing and it’s not even the financing failing, it’s the systems failing,” said Mercie Mulumba, Nearfibre.
The countries also agreed to scale artificial intelligence technology using continental platforms to develop African languages and data sets.
