A ceremony was held yesterday for the signing of the Agreement between the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and ANACOM establishing and implementing a Centre of Excellence in Africa for Portuguese and Spanish Speaking Countries. At the same time the Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Associação de Reguladores de Comunicações e Telecomunicações (Association of Communications and Telecommunications Regulators) of CPLP (ARCT-CPLP) was also signed.
Both ceremonies were held alongside the 32nd Assembly of Parties of ITSO - International Telecommunications Satellite Organization, which took place between 6 and 10 October 2008, in Estoril.
The partnership, now formalised with the signing of the Agreement to establish the Centre of Excellence, aims to give support to the concerns shared by the Portuguese government and the ITU on the role of telecommunications in Africa's development. It also follows in the spirit of the EU-Africa Summit, which addressed a set of common guidelines on issues such as good governance, human rights, peace and security, trade and sustainable development.
The Centre of Excellence, based in Mozambique, is aimed at Portuguese (Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Sao Tome and Principe) and Spanish (Equatorial Guinea) speaking African countries, with plans to set up an e-learning platform which will extend training to other recipients, such as East Timor. Its main objective is to provide training programmes in areas of high priority such as telecommunications policy and regulation, new services and technologies, business management, universal service and development of information and communication technologies (ICT) in rural areas. The inauguration of this centre will take place later in 2008.
On this occasion, ANACOM announced, on behalf of Portugal, financing to the amount of 500 thousand dollars (around 314 thousand euros), as well as its availability to bear the cost of participation of trainers / Portuguese experts for the Centre's training programmes taking place within this Authority's remit.
For its part, the creation of the Association of Regulators of Information and Telecommunications of the CPLP (ARCT-CPLP) has the aim of strengthening the historical ties of friendship and cooperation between the Portuguese-speaking countries of CPLP, through their National Regulatory Authorities (NRA). It answers the common desire to establish a permanent forum for exchanging information and sharing experience, which helps build an institutional and regulatory environment conducive to the strengthening of the sectoral cooperation already developed at CPLP level, and which is a stimulus for innovation and development in communications in the countries involved.
To mark its creation, the 9th October, was recorded in the Statutes of the Association as the ''Association of Communications and Telecommunications Regulators of the CPLP Day''.
Additionally within the bilateral framework and shaping ANACOM's policy of cooperation, two protocols of cooperation were signed, specifically: a Technical Cooperation Protocol with INCM - Instituto Nacional das Comunicações de Moçambique (National Communications Institute of Mozambique); and a Technical Cooperation Protocol with ICGB - Instituto das Comunicações da Guiné-Bissau (Office of Communications of Guinea-Bissau). In this context, signatures were also put to the Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP) for 2009-2011 and the Annual Cooperation Programmes (CAP) for 2009 with the regulators of Mozambique, Angola and Guinea Bissau.
The text of a speech made by ANACOM's Vice-Chairman, Alberto Souto de Miranda, during the ceremony associated with these events is available for consultation.
Further information:
Presentation of Vice-Chairman of ANACOMhttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=690659
ANACOM and ITU set up Centre of Excellence in Africahttps://www.anacom.pt/render.jsp?contentId=690922
