Three African trading blocs look to joint ICT governance

Three African trading blocs have agreed to merge into the African Economic Community (AEC) and put ICT issues at the top of its infrastructure development agenda.

The East African Community, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Southern African Development Community have agreed to a free trade area, which will give way to a customs union.

The tripartite summit of the three organizations, which took place in Kampala this week, directed the policy-making arms of all three groups to establish a joint program for the implementation of an accelerated, seamless, inter-regional ICT broadband infrastructure network within one year.

The summit also called for a joint program for implementing a harmonized policy and regulatory framework that will govern ICT and infrastructure development across 26 member states.

Despite infrastructure challenges plaguing these nations, many member states will benefit from the undersea fiber-optic projects that are in different stages of implementation on Africa's east coast.

Besides these private initiatives, African governments are set to develop a US$2 billion undersea and terrestrial cable under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) e-Africa Commission. Upon completion, the NEPAD cable will serve the entire continent, including all members of the planned AEC.

On the regulatory front in Uganda's case, a new Ministry of ICT is in place and has been spearheading policy work, including a national broadband infrastructure strategy, a business process outsourcing strategy and an IT policy.

It is such policies that are expected to be harmonized under the AEC.