The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams will on Africa Day, Tuesday 25th May 2021, host a virtual roundtable discussion with SADC Ministers and invited experts. They will be discussing key strategic challenges and opportunities facing African countries in the ICT sector, and the related impact on the broader economy. The meeting will also focus on sharing experiences and ideas to strengthen regional development through ICT. Ministers and experts will discuss modern financing mechanisms for broadband rollout, and the role of ICTs in strengthening regional integration. They will also reflect on some of the innovations and achievements emanating from the ICT sector from various countries in the SADC region.

The roundtable, taking place during Africa month, is a continuation of celebrations of World Telecommunications and Information Society Day, observed last week. Ministers that will participate in the virtual roundtable discussions are:

Botswana: Minister of Transport and Communications, Thulangano Segokgo

Namibia: Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofilus

Zimbabwe: Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mustsvagwa

The UN Broadband Commission representative Bocar Ba, African Continental Free Trade Area Secretary-General Wamkele Mene as well as African Telecommunications Union Secretary-General John Omo will also attend the roundtable discussion. This roundtable will be streamed live on the department’s Facebook page and Twitter account.

Source: Government of South Africa