Regional ministers of information and communications technology gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, to examine the status of infrastructure development projects.
Eliud Owalo, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and Digital Economy, invited the gathering.
Dr Chris Baryomunsi, Rwanda’s ICT minister, his South Sudanese counterpart Michael Makuei Lueth, and Gordon Kalema, Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation’s Director General, Digital Transformation, also participated.
Dr. Amina Zawedde, permanent secretary of Uganda’s ICT ministry and technical head of the ICT infrastructure development cluster, presided over the meeting.
The Northern Corridor Integration Projects ministers assessed progress on regional infrastructure projects such as cross-border payment systems, roaming rate harmonization, the launch of a digital market across the region, and innovative digital platforms to boost trade among partner states.
Uganda’s group included Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Richard Kabonero, National Coordinator of Northern Projects, and Amb. Evans P. Aryabaha, Acting Head of Ugathenda High Commission in Nairobi.
The ministers acknowledged their achievements in a joint communique read by Minister Baryomunsi, including the operationalization of One Network Area (ONA) for voice, data, and SMS, which has resulted in a 900-fold increase in traffic among the Partner States, as well as cross-border national backbone connections.
The Ministers decided to expedite the establishment of a Regional Owned Satellite for communication, which would provide high-quality, dependable broadband internet services as well as broadcasting capabilities.
The Ministers urged the Technical team to hasten the execution of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cyber Security in order to confront new cyber threats and emerging technologies through coordinated efforts.
The Ministers resolved to expedite the formation of an East African Single Digital Market to maximize technological efficiency among Partner States by encouraging and supporting start-ups, providing shared access to capital financing, co-funding research, and other initiatives. The Ministers were aware that this (EAC block of around 174 million people) would provide a negotiating platform with foreign technology corporations like as Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.
They applauded the Region’s success in implementing e-services, including a data exchange framework, complete integration of mobile financial services, and mutual access to safe and trustworthy information.
The Ministers urged for policy actions to enhance smart device affordability.
The Ministers also advocated for a more coordinated approach to rules that allow data storage and management.
The Ministers also praised the progress made in cross-border broadband interconnectivity, which allows land-linked nations to connect to underwater cables.
The Ministers thanked the Republic of Kenya for hosting the Joint Ministerial Meeting on ICT Infrastructure Development and expressed thanks for the warm greeting and hospitality extended to them and their delegations during their visit. They also congratulated the Republic of Uganda on its role as Chair and Coordinator of the ICT Infrastructure Development Cluster.
The Ministers decided that the Republic of South Sudan will host the next Joint Ministerial Meeting of the ICT Infrastructure Development Cluster at a later date to be announced.
