African Telecom Regulators will converge on Abuja August 20-22 for a conference on how to improve connectivity and enhance consumer satisfaction in the telecom industry.
The occasion is the second edition of the Conference of African Telecommunications Regulators on Consumer Affairs, (CATCO) 2019.
The conference was originally the brainchild of IT & Telecom Digest. The first edition of CATCO, with the theme “Harnessing regulatory policies to protect telecom consumers in Africa” took place October 17-18, 2013 at the Eko Hotel, Lagos; it was organised by IT & Telecom Digest and hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
However, a statement in Abuja by the Director, Corporate Affairs of NCC, Dr. Henry Nkemadu, said the theme of the second CATCO is “Empowering the Telecom Consumer in an Era of Technological Evolution.”
Hosted by the NCC, this second edition of CATCO 2019 is a follow up to the one held in Lagos in 2013, the statement affirmed.
”This year’s event is geared towards pursuing a continuous collaboration between African telecommunications regulatory agencies of individual countries and their regional bodies such as West Africa Telecommunication Regulatory Association (WATRA), East African Communications Organisation (EACO), and others,” according to the statement.
The statement also quoted the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the NCC, Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, as saying that the conference would provide the platform for Africans to establish unity, solidarity, collective self-reliance amongst African nations; “thereby building on the principle of pan-Africanism within the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) space; and sustaining a robust collaborative regulatory environment where current and future challenges are addressed.”
The event is slated for Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. Participants are expected to provide varying and fresh perspectives to burning issues affecting telecoms consumers and service delivery in Africa. Vital discussions will focus on the current state of telecom industry in Africa, ways to improve it and how to sustain a healthy telecom industry.
Other areas that will be looked into are; challenges confronting African telecoms regulators, international best practices, emerging technologies and their applications for the benefits of consumers, amongst others.
Stakeholders from various African countries, Legislators and Government officials, Consumer Advocacy Groups, African Telecommunication Regulators and Regional bodies such has West Africa Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (WATRA), Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) and others are expected to be at this year’s event.
The NCC statement affirmed that the first edition “was a huge success,” where “not less than 15 African countries participated in the conference.” The statement added that this year’s conference “will advance on the gains of CATCO 2013 because it has been specially designed and tailored towards improving Africa telecommunications Industry in the 21 century.”