AFRICAN countries are meeting in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, to craft a position ahead of the world the Second Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2017 World Telecommunications Development Conference (WTDC-17) to be held later this year.

The WTDC-17 is scheduled for Argentina from 9-20 October while next year.
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The preparatory meeting in Victoria Falls is also meant to plan for First Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2018 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (ITU PP-18) for the Africa Region (RPM-AFR) to be held next year in a country to be advised.

More than 170 delegates from 31 countries and 11 organisations are attending the four-day conference which started Monday and ends Thursday at a local hotel.
Member states want to use the particular conference as a springboard for them to prepare for the two world events with a common position, as they seek to identify Information Communication Technologies issues peculiar to the continent.

“Figuratively, ICTs have become the central nervous system for the knowledge based information society of the 21st century.

“ICTs have revolutionized communications in Africa and the world at large and are empowering people everywhere by promoting entrepreneurship and innovation and are setting a path towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals,” said Zimbabwe ICT, Postal and Courier Services Dr Win Mlambo who was guest of honour.
He said Zimbabwe had maximised use of ICT in its economic policy, Zim-Asset and urged the continent to follow suit.

“In this vein, it is therefore, essential that as Africa, we share our experiences and map out coherent and synergised proposals at WTDC-17 and ITU PP-18 for our common good in the spirit of attaining the Sustainable Development Goals.

Secretary general for the African Telecommunications Union Abdoulkarim Soumaila challenged the continent to work together for a common vision that will drive every member state to success through ICT.