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Regional Preparatory Meeting (RPM)
for Africa for WTDC-14

Opening Ceremony

Wednesday,2 October 2013
Accra, Ghana

Opening Speech

Houlin Zhao

Deputy Secretary-General,
International Telecommunication Union

Excellencies,
Distinguished colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

  • It is a real pleasure to be here with you today in this wonderful city of Accra for the ITU Africa Regional Preparatory Meeting for next year’s World Telecommunication Development Conference, WTDC-14.
  • On behalf of ITU’s Secretary-General, Dr Hamadoun Touré, Let me express ITU’s profound gratitude to the Government of Ghana for hosting this meeting, as well as yesterday’s Regional Development Forum.
  • I have been informed that yesterday’s Forum was a source of rich and productive deliberations and discussions and I thank you for your active participation and invaluable contributions.

Ladies and gentlemen,

  • I am proud to note the impressive progress achieved in the first twelve years of the new Millennium. By the end of this year there will be almost seven billion mobilecellular subscriptions globally, and mobile penetration in the Africa region will be close to 63.5%.
  • Here in Ghana, mobile-cellular penetration is even higher – according to ITU statistics, it surpassed the 100% threshold by the end of last year.
  • We have seen extraordinary progress in ICT development, but at the same time, we need to recognize the enormous challenges facing the ICT sector today, particularly in an era of rapidly growing data volumes; revenues which are static, or even falling; and of endemic under-investment in ICT infrastructure.
  • The digital divide still exists between developed and developing countries, between cities and countryside, and between citizens at different socio-economic levels.

Distinguished colleagues,

  • We need to further develop telecom/ICT services and we need to encourage further investment. This is why ITU organizedthe World Conference on International Telecommunications, WCIT-12, which took place in Dubai last December – and I am pleased to see the active and continuing involvement of the region’s Members in the WCIT process.
  • The new ITRs which were agreed at WCIT-12 contain a number of important revised and new provisions that represent a major improvement over the 1988 text – including provisions for landlocked developing countries and small island developing states.
  • I would also like to highlight the new Articles 8A, which will help to improve energy efficiency and reduce e-waste, and new Article 8B, which will help bring the benefits of ICTs to the one billion people worldwide who are living with some kind of disability.
  • In this connection, let me draw your attention to the latest report on the issue, entitled ‘The ICT Opportunity for a Disability-Inclusive Development Framework’, which is co-published by ITU, the Broadband Commission and a number of other organizations.

Ladies and gentlemen,

  • I would like to draw attention to the broadband advocacy targets which were established by the Broadband Commission at the end of 2011.
  • The first of these targets aims to help make broadband policy universal by 2015, and we have already seen considerable success in this regard, with 145 governments that have adopted or are planning to adopt a national policy, strategy or plan to promote broadband.
  • We need to take advantage of the infrastructure that has been established under the Connect Africa framework and develop broadband policies and plans that are not only focused on infrastructure but also stimulate demand through the adoption of online services and applications such as e-education, e-health/telemedicine, e-government, e-business, and delivering public services.
  • I believe that during the Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, taking place at the end of this month, African Leaders will have the opportunity to look at this matter in depth; and the ITU will continue to extend technical support to Member States in the development of National Broadband Policy.
  • Let me also draw your attention to concerns of the affordability – or un-affordability – ofbroadband, which today is still the biggest challenge to increased broadband uptake globally.
  • This region has seen a remarkable reduction in the cost of access following the deployment of submarine cables around the continent, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.
  • The ITU/EC HIPSSA project has developed guidelines for access to submarine cables which should help in strengthening the regulatory environment to facilitate the affordabilityof broadband access.
  • The establishment of National, Sub-Regional and Regional IXPswill also contribute to lowering the cost of access, and ITU is working with a number of regional organizations on this matter.
  • It is also very encouraging to hear about new satellite projects that will also further increase capacity and hence competition in Africa, in terms of broadband access.

Distinguished colleagues,

  • Africa is a very dynamic and energetic market, and there have been marvellous developments over the last decade. In some areas, Africanprogress has surpassed our wildest dreams, and some new African developments are particularly admired by the other regions. Of course there are also challenges.
  • This regional preparatory meeting therefore gives us a very welcome opportunity to listen to you, and to hear the issues that you want to see discussed and addressed at WTDC-14 next year.
  • As the BDT Director said, the regional preparatory meetings for the CIS, Asia-Pacific and Americas regions were held earlier this year. The ideas, proposals and suggestions from these regional meetings, concerning their regional priorities, could be useful inputs for our meeting here in Ghana, and let me encourage you to study these reports.
  • Our goal now is to find out what youwant to see in next year’s WTDC and to understand your priorities for the coming years. We are here to listen, to take guidance from you, and to work with you. I am confident that we will leave here with very fruitful results for the conference next year.
  • Let me express my gratitude to the BDT staff and the other ITU colleagues, under the leadership of the Director, Brahima Sanou, for their efforts in preparing for this RPM for Africa. They have all been working hard to ensure the success of this and the other regional preparatory meetings for WTDC-14.
  • I note that in his role as Director of BDT, Mr Sanou has successfully managed BDT, and his efforts come very much appreciated by the Members of ITU-D. While he has done his best for the entire family of ITU, he has never forgotten his own continent. He has managed to keep good contacts with the Members of the region, which both the Secretary-General and myself have very much appreciated.

Distinguished colleagues,

  • In closing therefore let me say once more how happy I am to be here in Ghana, and how grateful we are to the administration for hosting us.
  • I wish you a very useful RPM for Africa.

Thank you.