TANZANIA has acquired membership of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU)’s Council for the next four-year term after members of the general meeting unanimously endorsed it; thanks to efforts by Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Honourable Nape Nnauye. Mr Nape engendered the move that enabled the country to secure the position at the sixth General Meeting of the Union held in Algiers, Algeria in July 2022.

“Of the 49 members of African Telecommunications Union (ATU), Tanzania was one of the only 25 nations to earn that status,” the statement released by Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority in July said.

Tanzania will hold the seat effective from 2023 to 2026.

In another development, Kenya national John Omo was endorsed as ATU’s Secretary General for the next four-year term. The Kenyan won the post after in front of Mauritanian, Mohamed Ahmed Ould Abderrahmane.

The General Meeting, which meets every four years in a regular session, is the ATU’s principal body composed of formally authorised representatives including sectoral Ministers of the Member States responsible for communications. In order to achieve the ATU’s objectives, the general meeting establishes, among other things, broad policies that the Union or its members should adopt and implement.

By becoming a member of the Council, it is envisaged that the East African nation will be in a stronger chance of securing a place on ITU's Executive Council at ITU PP-22 in Romania in September 2022.

Tanzania is a member of Group D of the ITU and will seek support from its other members at the Union's conference.

Group D at ITU is comprised of African nations that includes Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Uganda, of which Tanzania, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda are vying for election to the ITU executive council, a key decision-making and operational body.

Tanzania has pledged that it will: Stand actively to ensure ITU achieves its objectives by enhancing cooperation among member states, regional and international organisations; Ensure development of technical standards and allocation of communication scarce resources as per the guidance of the ITU advisory organs and member states resolutions; support joint efforts among member states to promote digital connectivity by ensuring accessibility, availability, and affordability; and Ensure development of technical standards and allocation of communication scarce resources as per the guidance of the ITU advisory organs and member states resolutions.

TCRA is recognised for its significant contribution in promoting ICT and Telco development in the African region, particularly in southern Sahara. It also represents Tanzania at various ICT and Telco institutions around the world and is a co-founder of several regional communication institutions.