NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenya is set to benefit from a significant boost in its digital infrastructure, thanks to a new $16.2 million budget for Africa’s National Broadband Mapping Systems project.
Announced during the Global Symposium for Regulators (GSR-24) in Kampala, Uganda, this initiative promises to drive investment and digital transformation across the continent.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in collaboration with the European Commission, is spearheading the broadband mapping project.
This initiative aims to establish robust broadband mapping systems in 11 African countries, including Kenya, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The project will utilize data from these mapping systems to pinpoint gaps in internet connectivity, coverage, quality, and affordability.
The goal is to provide actionable insights that will foster data-driven decision-making for investments in digital infrastructure.
In a statement, the ITU emphasized that this approach will “foster investment and digital transformation in Africa.”
In conjunction with the broadband mapping announcement, African regulators at the symposium endorsed a set of guidelines designed to maximize the benefits of transformative information and communication technologies (ICTs).
The “GSR-24 Best Practice Guidelines” offer a series of considerations for balancing innovation with regulation, ensuring that emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) have a positive impact on societies and economies.
“With one-third of humanity still offline and women and other vulnerable groups on the wrong side of the globe’s digital divides, GSR-24 and the Best Practice Guidelines highlight the innovation, trust, and inclusivity that we need in the policy and regulatory environment,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin.
The GSR-24 symposium, organized by the ITU, the UN agency for digital technologies, brought together over 600 participants.
These included ministers, heads of regulatory authorities, industry executives, and academics, all discussing pressing regulatory issues and the future of ICT in Africa.
This collaborative effort underscores the critical role of strategic planning and investment in advancing digital connectivity and inclusion across the continent.
