Egypt will host the 17th African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Administrative Council meeting, on May 7-9, in Cairo. Organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), the meeting is a good opportunity to exchange experts’ views and insights on ATU future plans, serve as a platform to share best practices for the benefit of African nations, and contribute to the continuous development process of the ICT sector.
The Administrative Council is the entity entrusted with adopting and implementing the ATU annual plan, as well as approving the annual budget of the ATU activities. The Administrative Council consists of 23 states representing five geographical regions of Africa.
The Administrative Council meets annually to review the annual plan of the ATU activities and adopt the annual plan of the next year. The ATU Secretariat provides a detailed report on the past year's budget and member states present the latest achievements in this sector.
Organizing and sponsoring the meeting reflects MCIT interest in consolidating cooperation with African countries, organizations and activities that support the relations between Egypt and the African continent at the bilateral and regional level. It emphasizes MCIT efforts and activities to strengthen relations, which is in line with the state trend and policy.
MCIT is keen to maintain Egypt’s seat in the Administrative Council and to participate in the ATU various meetings to emphasize the country’s leading role in the Union and in the African continent in general. It aims to present contributions that Egypt can make to effectively cooperate in the development of the ICT sector in various African countries. It also provides suggestions and views on how to activate the ATU role and efforts to promote this sector at the continent level.
In 2008, Egypt hosted this meeting in its ninth session. Egypt has a distinct and prestigious position within ATU as one of its founding members and one of the countries that ATU Secretariat relies on to lead the African continent in international forums and defend its causes.
ATU was established in 1977 as the leading continental organization fostering the development of ICT infrastructure and services with a current membership of 46 Member States and 17 Associate Members. It aims to encourage cooperation among Member States for the advancement of the ICT sector through exchanging latest findings in this field and discussing how other members can benefit from these experiences. The ATU also assists decision-makers in Member States to develop policies and strategies to improve this sector in their countries.
It also represents the African continent in international forums and defends Member States interests in the relevant international gatherings.
