The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has urged African governments to adopt a unified and technically coordinated position ahead of the 2026 International Telecommunications Union Conference, noting that stronger regional collaboration is essential for the continent to influence global telecommunications and digital economy policies.
The commission’s Executive Vice-Chairman, Dr Aminu Maida, gave the charge on Monday in Abuja in his opening remarks while declaring open the African Telecommunications Union Conference Preparatory Committee meeting.
According to him, Africa must strengthen cooperation to shape global telecommunications and digital economy policies, adding that the two-day meeting is expected to produce greater continental alignment ahead of ITU 2026, establish practical collaboration mechanisms between conferences and sustain Africa’s technical participation in ITU processes.
Maida maintained that preparation remained not just a procedural step but also facilitates coherence of ideas, stressing that “Africa must prepare together, work together and arrive at global forums with solutions that are both coherent and technically compliant.”
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He said the committee would review the ATU’s activities between 2023 and 2026 and prepare agenda items, resolutions, decisions and recommendations for the 18th Conference of the Union.
The industry expert pointed out that while the forthcoming ATU conference would determine the direction of the continental body, said the ITU conference would also help to shape global telecommunications leadership and priorities.
Maida stressed that Africa’s influence at international fora would depend less on the size of its delegations than on the quality of its preparation, the coherence of its positions and consistency in advancing them.
He listed spectrum management, artificial intelligence governance, data protection, universal access, cybersecurity and digital infrastructure development as priority areas requiring stronger collaboration among African countries.
The EVC expatiated: “No administration can address these challenges effectively in isolation. Our regulatory cooperation must therefore become more continuous, more technical and more institutionalized.
“Our objective in Africa is not to resist global standards. It is to help shape standards that are globally sound and sufficiently informed by African realities,” he added.
While commending the leadership of the African Telecommunications Union for strengthening the coordination of Africa’s positions at the ITU and other international platforms, the NCC boss reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to supporting the ITU process through technical expertise, regulatory experience sharing and peer learning among African administrations.
Earlier in his address, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nadungu Gagare, described the meeting as critical to advancing Africa’s digital transformation agenda.
He said the committee’s recommendations would provide the foundation for decisions at the forthcoming ATU Conference and expressed optimismthat the deliberations would strengthen the union’s capacity to promote inclusive and sustainable digital development across the continent.
Gagare said: “As we navigate an era of rapid technological advancement and digital innovation, the importance of collaboration among member states has never been greater.”
The Secretary-General of the ATU, John Omo, explains that the Conference Preparatory Committee plays a vital role in processing documents and proposals ahead of the main conference to enable member states to adopt common positions.
He disclosed that the union’s membership had increased from 49 to 52 countries, while associate membership had risen from 50 to 56, with 18 African academic institutions now participating in its activities.
Omo also noted that the ATU had recorded progress in broadband development, satellite communications, spectrum coordination, internet governance, rural broadband, standardisation and digital infrastructure resilience.
However, he expressed concern over irregular financial contributions by some member states, adding that predictable funding remained essential for implementing the union’s programmes effectively.
He hinted that the forthcoming conference would elect members of the Administrative Council and a Secretary-General for the 2027–2031 tenure.
Omo commended Nigeria for hosting the preparatory meeting, which featured representatives of African countries, academia, sector members and development partners to discuss the continent’s telecommunications and digital future.
