Africa’s International Telecommunications Week 2023 Conference Kicks off in Nairobi

By Samuel Ouma

The inaugural Africa International Telecommunications Week (ITW) 2023 conference officially kicked off in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 12.

The three-day event has attracted more than 800 local and international delegates.

The conference aims to close the gap between enterprises, encourage collaborations, and facilitate partnerships that will fuel the continent's connectivity revolution, revolutionising how people connect and engage.

Kenya's Director of Public Communications in the Ministry of Information Communication and the Digital Economy, Mulei Muia, officially opened it.

In his address, Mulei, who represented the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunications Principal Secretary, Prof. Edward Kisiang’ani, said Kenya has invested heavily in ICT infrastructure and services over the last two decades.

Some of the infrastructure includes six marine fibre optic cables offering broadband connectivity and more than 9000 kilometres of terrestrial fibre optic cable connecting virtually all 47 Kenyan counties.

President William Ruto's administration is also in the process of setting up a digital superhighway and a creative digital economy.

The government has also digitalised its services, with 7500 services currently on a platform known as e-Citizen.

Mr. Mulei stated that numerous panels arranged at the event would provide speakers with platforms to reshape how people live and work despite considerable obstacles worldwide in bridging digital divisions.

“The building of a true Pan-African network is a prerequisite to achieving continent-wide connectivity and would require overcoming significant challenges and reaching critical mass adding that digital corridors become increasingly vital to connect multiple countries and fuel innovation,” said Mr. Mulei.

Simultaneously, Mugo Kibati, CEO of Telkom Kenya, stated that accelerated connectivity in Africa will include creating a digital single market through smart infrastructure investment.

CEO Kibati noted that the continent is still lagging behind in the digital divide, saying only 33 per cent of Africans have access to the internet.

Mr. Mugo retrieved data demonstrating current population and demographic trends, indicating that Africa would house 40% of the global workforce by 2100.