Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), will participate in the 18th session of the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) Administrative Council that will be held on May 3-5 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

The meeting will discuss a number of topics including reviewing the action plan for the past year and assessing the commitment of Member States to the agreements reached at the 17th Session of the Council, hosted in Cairo in May 2016. The meeting also targets to address obstacles and challenges facing Member States to improve their telecommunications sector and see how cooperation among members could be established for the overall advancement of the sector. This is in addition to agreeing on setting several objectives for the development of the sector in Member States and establishing a mechanism for achieving them over the next year. The meeting will also discuss reviewing the ITU budget and evaluate the performance of the Secretariat in carrying out its tasks as agreed in last year's plan.

Egypt chairs the current session of the Administrative Council and has a distinct and prestigious position within ATU as one of the founding members of the Union. MCIT is keen to participate in ITU meetings and activities to emphasize Egypt’s role at ATU and the African Continent, in general.

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 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 relevant international gatherings.