African Telecommunications Union

28/08/2026

Earlier this month, we sat down for an engagement with the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO), and explored where our respective mandates can work more closely together. That conversation found an immediate continuation in Mombasa this week, where our Secretary General-Elect Eng. Kezias Kazuba Mwale represented ATU at the 32nd ARSO General Assembly.

Opened by H.E. Prof. Kithure Kindiki, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, the Assembly brought Africa’s standards institutions and partners together around the work of harmonising standards and certification on the continent.

We are keen to take this engagement further and build a substantive working relationship with ARSO around ICT standards, connecting the development of standards more closely with continental alignment and, importantly, their effective implementation in African countries.

27/08/2026

ATU has this week joined African and Chinese officials in Hangzhou for the first Partner Committee meeting of the China-Africa Digital Technology Cooperation Center, ahead of the Center’s formal inauguration on 28th August 2026. Click the link https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/china-hosts-first-partner-committee-ltl8f to read more

The Secretary General of the ATU-African Telecommunications Union, John Omo, was today among the high-level delegates attending the first meeting of the Partner Committee of the China-Africa Digital Technology Cooperation Center (CADTCC) in Hangzhou, China. The Partner Committee forms part of the en

26/08/2026

Abidjan will deliver the last of our four African Preparatory Meetings for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (ITU PP-26), from 15th to 17th September 2026.

The preparatory journey started in Windhoek in July 2024 for our first APM, continued in Victoria Falls in May 2026, and most recently took us to Abuja in July. Our Member States have, at each stage, worked through Africa’s priorities, developed common proposals and moved us closer to the positions we will take to Doha.

With our hosts, the Ministère de la Transition Numérique et de la Digitalisation and ARTCI, we are looking forward to welcoming you to the final round that will conclude that work ahead of the Conference.

24/08/2026

The Advanced Seminar on African Digital Development and Transformation began today in Hangzhou, with ATU Secretary-General John Omo contributing ATU’s perspectives and the priorities of our 52 Member States to the discussions.

The engagements so far have offered a closer look at how research, emerging technologies and industrial applications are being developed and applied in different environments. These are useful points of reference, particularly as we consider where such technologies may connect with the aspirations, capabilities and development realities of our Member States.

There is also some history behind ATU’s participation in these conversations. In 2025, ATU signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, CAICT, on joint research, capacity development, technology transfer and next-generation networks. That agreement now provides a useful foundation for the conversations taking place in Hangzhou.

18/08/2026

Strengthening the way continental ICT standards are developed, aligned and implemented in African countries was at the centre of discussions today between ATU, the Global Partnership for Human-Centric ICT Standardization (GIST) and the African Organisation for Standardisation (ARSO).

Secretary General John Omo and Secretary General-Elect Eng. Kezias Kazuba Mwale, accompanied by Communications & Resources Mobilization Coordinator Dr. Emma Otieno, met the GIST team, led by Senior Standards Expert Mr Matano Ndaro, and the ARSO delegation led by Mr Reuben Gisore, representing the Secretary General.

We explored ways to bring the different roles of our institutions around a more coordinated continental standards agenda, from standards development to their harmonised implementation in African countries.

12/08/2026

In Nairobi, Hon. Ateny Wek Ateny, Minister of Information, Communication Technology and Postal Services of the Republic of South Sudan, spent some time with us at ATU.

He congratulated Secretary General John Omo on eight years of service and Eng. Eng. Kezias Kazuba Mwale on his election as the Union’s next Secretary General.

On behalf of South Sudan, he committed to work with the Union on capacity building and digital infrastructure, and also in creating more opportunities for South Sudanese professionals to participate in ATU’s standardization and development work.

We value that commitment and, as with all our Member States, look forward to even stronger engagement with South Sudan in the work of the Union.

07/08/2026

Secretary General John Omo speaks about the thinking behind the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge, one of our most direct linkages to the youth.

When we started this programme just after COVID-19 struck, our thinking was that young people should have a platform where their ideas could find a real pathway to the right networks, and we have done everything possible to confine each of the past four editions to this purpose.

Journeys like this are never solitary, and we remain deeply grateful for the support we have received over the four editions from the ITU, Huawei Sub-Saharan Africa, Intel, GSMA Africa, AfriLabs, وزارة الاتصالات وتكنولوجيا المعلومات-مصر, Broadband Infraco, Regional Consortium for Development - RCD Africa, the Communications Authority of Kenya and ILabAfrica- Strathmore University .

06/08/2026

Chair of ATU's supreme organ, the Conference of Plenipotentiaries, Hon. Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Nigeria's Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Nigeria, speaks about the cooperation Africa needs to advance its digital development.

A lot to take away, especially on policy coordination, regional investment and stronger local technology ecosystems as Africa works to capitalise economically on the gains of digital growth.

03/08/2026

Cybersecurity remains an important concern for the African Telecommunications Union, especially as Africa grows in its reliance on digital systems.

At the same time, this reliance comes with increased exposure to cyber threats, a reality that received renewed attention this past July following two major cyber incidents within a short period.

The incidents provided a reminder of how quickly cyberattacks can disrupt institutions, services and the digital systems on which economies and societies increasingly depend.

In his latest article, ATU Secretary General John Omo reflects on what these incidents tell us about Africa’s exposure to cyber threats and the need for stronger preparedness and resilience.

Read the full article here:

Two major cybersecurity incidents within the space of two weeks in July 2026 delivered a warning that African governments, companies and internet users cannot afford to ignore. The first was the taking down of mobile services operated by Unitel, Angola’s largest telecommunications Company.

31/07/2026

We have a new Conference of Plenipotentiaries Chair. Honourable Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of the Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, Nigeria, now carries the responsibility on his country’s behalf. Click the link https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/know-your-cpl-chair-honourable-dr-bosun-aca0f to know more about him and the responsibility Nigeria has until 2031.

The close of the Seventh Ordinary Session of the African Telecommunications Union Conference of Plenipotentiaries marked the beginning of Nigeria’s four-year chairmanship of the Conference, the Union’s supreme organ. Honourable Dr.