Support for HarmonizationSupport for Harmonizationof the ICT Policies of the ICT Policies

in Sub-Sahara Africain Sub-Sahara Africa(HIPSSA)(HIPSSA)

Ms. Ida JallowHIPSSA Senior Project Coordinator

International Telecommunication Union

4th SADC Forum on Digital Broadcasting Migration27-30 August 2012

Maputo, Mozambique

Outline

1.Introduction

2.Project methodology

3.Implementation

4.Discussion

5.Completed Activities

6.On-Going Activities

ITU-EC Project for Harmonization of ICT Policies in ACP

ITU and the European Commission launched a global project to provide “Support for the establishment of harmonized policies for the ICT market in the ACP states” in December 2008

It is a component of the “ACP-Information and Communication Technologies” programme (@CP-ICT) within the framework of the 9th European Development Fund

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ITU-EC Project for Harmonization of ICT Policies in ACP

This global project entails three regional sub-projects addressing specific needs of each region HIPCAREnhancing competitiveness in the Caribbean through the harmonization of ICT Policies, Legislation and Regulatory Procedures

HIPSSA Support for harmonization of the ICT Policies in Sub-Saharan Africa

ICB4PISCapacity Building and ICT Policy, Regulatory and Legislative Frameworks Support for Pacific Island States

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Objectives and Principles

Global objective

• Support towards creating harmonised policies for ICT and an efficient regulatory environment, conductive to massive investments required by ICT infrastructures and applications in the ACP countries

Detailed objectives:

• Supporting regional integration organizations to develop and promote the use of harmonized ICT policies and regulations in their region

• Assisting individual beneficiary countries to adopt and implement ICT policies and regulatory guidelines

• Building human and institutional capacity in the field of ICT through a range of targeted training and knowledge sharing measures at regional and national level

ITU-EC Project for Harmonization of ICT Policies in ACP countries

• Builds on experience gained from previous project in West Africa

• Uses a demand-driven bottom-up approach

• Pays specific attention to link substance of policy/regulation to capacity building

• Incorporates all past and current projects of international and regional organizations

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Co-chairmanship

Pan-African organizations (AU body and UN agency)

Regional Economic Organizations (REC)

Regional Integration Organizations (RIO)

Regional Regulators’ Associations (RRA)

HIPSSA Governance and Steering Committee

West Africa Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa

ECOWAS ECCAS IGAD COMESA EAC SADC

West Africa Central Africa East Africa

UEMOA CEMAC IOC

ATU UNECA

AUC ITU

West Africa Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa

WATRA ARTAC ARICEA EACO CRASA

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Regulatory Harmonization Cycle

2. National Implementation Advocacy

Technical assistance Validation and adoption

National training

3. Monitoring and evaluation Implementation status

Regulatory benchmarking Impact analysis of

regulation on ICT markets

1. Regional Harmonization Policy objectives Legal framework

Regulatory guidelines Regional training

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Harmonized Content

N° Subjects

1 Licensing: Technology neutral licensing

2 Universal service: Best practices for selection and funding of universal access or service providers

3 Spectrum management: Harmonized Calculation Method for Africa, HCM4A: cross-border frequency coordination

4 Numbering: Regional numbering plans and planning guidelines

5 Interconnection: Access to submarine cables, cost modeling and roaming

6 Cybersecurity: cybercriminality and computer emergency response teams

7 Analog to Digital Broadcasting Migration: Regional strategies and national roadmaps

8 Statistics: Monitoring and evaluation

Common list of priorities articulated around eight (8) main subjects.

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Global, Regional and National Activities

West Africa Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa Pilot project

WATRA guidelines on submarine cables

ECCAS Model Laws

ECCAS and CEMAC Cybersecurity Acts

ARTAC Cost Model

CERT training workshop for EAC

Cost Modeling for COMESA

IGAD Spectrum

SADC Policy Framework Review

CRASA Universal Service Guideline

Modular implementation of priorities based on four (4) AU geographical sub regions (WA, CA, EA & SA) to reflect the heterogeneity between them.

Glo

bal

Reg

ion

al

Natio

na

l

Comparison of regional initiatives for regulatory harmonization Cross-border frequency coordination (HCMC4A) Monitoring and evaluation / Regulatory benchmarking Analog to Digital Broadcasting Migration

West Africa Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa Transposition of ECOWAS & UEOMA Community Acts

Transposition of ECCAS Model Laws & CEMAC Directives

Implementation in IGAD & IOC Member States

Implementation of updated SADC framework

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Methodology for activity implementation

Pairing of national or regional expert with international expert for bilateral knowledge transfer and human capacity building

1. Assessment

2. National best practices

3. Regional best practices

4. International best practices

5. Implementation

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3

Study of regional initiatives for regulatory harmonization

Context

• Diversity of regional organizations as to their means and harmonization methods

• Similarity of telecoms/ICT regulatory harmonization challenges

• Regional harmonization “volume effect" vs. national implementation efficiency

Some main findings

• Three levels of governance make the process intricate and complex

• Regional organizations are not progressing at the same rhythm (same for MS)

• Most initiatives do not have a binding nature and enforcement mechanisms

• Collaboration between regional regulators' associations and their respective regional organizations is heterogeneous

Some recommendations

• Set common streamlined processes for all regional organizations

• Reduce the level of regulatory discretion at national and regional level

• Create a pan-African independent regulatory agency

• Adopt pan-African common principles such as: objectivity, transparency, proportionality, non-discrimination, technological neutrality, etc.

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Discussion 1

Further to its primary objective of policy implementation,…

…the report has been designed to offer other possibilities as a training material…

• Few specialized publications on ICT regulation in Africa

• First comprehensive study on regulatory harmonization

• Collection of regional acts in electronic version

…but could also stimulate research in a potential new priority area

• It could serve as a base survey for untapped research questions

• Academic research would complement one of the project’s objectives: institutional and human capacity building

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Discussion 2

HIPSSA, an example of governance in development cooperation

• Multilateralism: EC mandates ITU, a UN specialized agency

• EU-AU Partnership: AUC is co-chairing with ITU the HIPSSA Steering Committee

• Regional integration: REC are project’s beneficiaries and members of Steering Committee

This EU-funded global project is a platform for additional bilateral assistance actions

• This EC project has a global geographic scope and an inclusive approach

• EU Member States support some modules in this global scheme

West Africa Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa

CERT training workshop

WATRA guidelines on submarine cables

ECCAS Model Laws

ECCAS and CEMAC Cybersecurity Acts

ARTAC Cost Model

CERT training workshop for EAC

Cost Modeling for COMESA

SADC Policy Framework Review

CRASA Universal Service Guideline

Regio

nal

Natio

nal

West Africa Central Africa East Africa Southern Africa

Transposition of ECOWAS & UEOMA Community Acts

Transposition of ECCAS Model Laws & CEMAC Directives

Support to implementation in IGAD & IOC Member States

Implementation of updated SADC framework

4

Completed activities

Comparative analysis for regional integration

HIPSSA Model laws in the regions

Supplementary acts in Ecowas

Cemac and Eccas directives on telecommunications and Cyber security in central Africa

Telecommunications and Cyber security in the SADC region.

Developed Guidelines under Hipssa

Crasa Guidelines on Universal service and Access and toolkit

• (sub-Saharan workshop in Kigali 7-8 May 2012.)

• Ecowas Guidelines on access to Submarine cables

• (sub-Saharan workshop in Libreville Gabon 22-23 2012.

Statistical reporting using a selected number of Indicators

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Ongoing activities

HCM4A

Regulatory accounting and cost modelling

Analogue to digital transition

Monitoring and Evaluation in the Ecowas region

Publication of all assessment studies and reports under the project

In-Country transposition and technical assistance

Liberia, Guinea Conakry, (completed )

Niger, The Gambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Kingdom of Swaziland, Namibia, Lesotho (on-going)

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Contacts

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/projects/ITU_EC_ACP/index.html

Ida Jallow

HIPSSA Senior Project CoordinatorIda.jallow@itu.int  

ia

Thank you for your attention