African Telecommunications Union

African intergovernmental organization

The African Telecommunications Union (ATU) is an organization in Africa that combines countries and mobile telecommunications providers in an attempt to dramatically increase development of the continent's information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.[1]

## History

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The foundation of the ATU dates back to 1977 when its mission was a part of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), which has since been replaced by the African Union (AU).[2] The ATU was officially formed in 1999 as the successor to the Pan-African Telecommunications Union (PATU) and is headquartered in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, but due to war, the ATU has relocated to Nairobi, Kenya. At this time, the organization slightly transformed from primarily a coordinating body for government related activity to include private and public stakeholders in the information and telecommunications technology sector. The ATU now enforces a constitution and has added a secretary general along with a technical management team to ensure a more effective transformation from the PATU. Currently, the ATU attempts to provide a collaborative atmosphere for public and private stakeholders to formulate and negotiate policies that might increase the role of Africa in the booming environment of ICT.[3] So, while the PATU previously only allowed public membership of government's, the ATU now allows organizations from the private sector to become associate members.

## Mission of the ATU

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Like many telecommunications unions, the ATU advocates for increased information development within their region of interest, the continent of Africa. The ATU aims to ensure transparency and accountability, effective funding and financing, and quality service to all with whom it collaborates. In addition to goals for inclusion within the information society and specifically among African nations, the ATU promotes positive collaboration with the Institute for Computer Technology research and development.[2] As the Internet has recently become the preeminent communication technology for fostering economic growth, this area is of great focus for the ATU. Because the Internet reaches 0.1 percent of Africa's population, the ATU attempts to address the connectivity gap among the nations in Africa and strives for universal access throughout Africa.[4] In achieving this goal, the ATU hopes to be a meaningful player in the development and progression of Africa as a significant contributor to the global information and knowledge society.

### Major Reforms/Initiatives

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Because the ATU's formal establishment is rather young, there have not been many major reforms. The ATU is in the process of collaborating with regional economic associations and attempting to bolster confidence in a united African effort for the advancement of ICT. Recently the ATU signed a “cooperation agreement” with the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Regional African Satellite Communications Organization and other regional economic organizations.[3] Historically, leaders of various African nations have been protective of resources, power, and sovereignty resulting in limited progress for the continent. However, the ATU works actively to encourage cooperation for ICT development.

### Obstacles to ATU Mission

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Many problems face the African continent in the area of ICT development. The cost of computers and information services are very high. Much of this is caused by the lack of infrastructure in place to manufacture advanced technologies and the limited development of ICT networks. Moreover, the networks in Africa, including both telephone and Internet infrastructure, are owned by American and European providers.[5] Additionally, many of the brightest researchers and scientists in Africa are leaving the continent to pursue intellectual and trade development in other countries of the world, because the opportunities for professional development in Africa are limited. As a result, research and development within Africa lacks significantly, and education of the region's population continues to slow.[6]

## Organisational structure

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The ATU is divided into five principal parts: the Conference of Plenipotentiaries (CPL), the Administrative Council, the Technical and Development Conference, the General Secretariat, and Non-Permanent Units. The CPL occurs on a four-year cycle, which is attended by the Ministers of Communications, and has the authority to adapt the constitution and is the major policy platform. The CPL also elects the secretary general and members of the Administrative Council. The Administrative Council meets annually and approves the policy actions and budgets. The Technical and Development Conference serves as a platform for setting ICT standards and regulatory measures among the public and private members. Financial issues and a top-down representational approach have been some of the criticized structural issues for the ATU.[3]

Any private entity in the ICT sector may apply for membership whether or not it is affiliated with a host country in the African Union. Nearly any type of entity involved in network technology may apply including banks, universities, consulting agencies, broadcasters, network operators, etc.[3]

## Member states

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The ATU has 46 member states and 16 associate members. The 46 member states include:

Central Africa (10)

* Angola
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Congo
* Democratic Republic of Congo
* Equatorial Guinea
* Gabon
* São Tomé and Príncipe

East Africa (6)

* Comoros
* Kenya
* Madagascar
* Mauritius
* Tanzania
* Uganda

Horn of Africa (3)

* Djibouti
* Ethiopia
* Somalia

North Africa (7)

* Algeria
* Egypt
* Libya
* Mauritania
* Morocco
* Sudan
* Tunisia

West Africa (14)

* Benin
* Burkina Faso
* Ivory Coast
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea Bissau
* Liberia
* Mali
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Senegal
* Sierra Leone
* Togo

Southern Africa (7)

* Botswana
* Eswatini
* Lesotho
* Malawi
* South Africa
*   * Zambia
* Zimbabwe

The 16 associate members include:(**from ATU home)[2]

* Cameroon Telecommunications (CAMTEL)
* Ivory Coast Telecom
* Sudan Telecom Company Limited (SUDATEL) - Sudan
* Loteny Telecom - Ivory Coast
* Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) - Botswana
* Safaricom Limited - Kenya
* Telkom Kenya Ltd - Kenya
* Telecom Lesotho (PTY) Ltd - Lesotho
* P.Q. Africa - South Africa
* Vodacom (PTY) Limited - South Africa
* Zanzibar Telecom Limited (ZANTEL) - Tanzania
* Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) - Tanzania
* Ghana Telecommunications Company Ltd - Ghana
* Mauritius Telecom Ltd - Mauritius
* Telecom Egypt - Egypt
* INFOTEL Consulting - Nigeria

## See also

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* Demographics of Africa
* List of telecommunications regulatory bodies
* Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT)
* Caribbean Postal Union (CPU)
* Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU)
* European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT)
* Postal Union of the Americas, Spain and Portugal

## Notes

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1. ^ Staff writer (2024). "African Telecommunications Union (ATU)". UIA Global Civil Society Database. uia.org. Brussels, Belgium: Union of International Associations. Yearbook of International Organizations Online. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
2. ^ a b c African Telecommunications Union Archived November 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
3. ^ a b c d McCormick, Patricia K. “The African Telecommunications Union: A Pan-African Approach to Telecommunications Reform.” Telecommunications Policy. No. 29, 532-533. 2005
4. ^ McCormick, Patricia K. “Internet Access in Africa: A Critical Review of Public Issues.” Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Vol. 22, Nos. 1&2 (2002)
5. ^ Ya’ u, Yunusa Z. “Confronting the Digital Divide: An Interrogation of the African Initiatives at Bridging the Gap.” Centre for Information Technology Development (CITAD). www.codesria.org/Links/conferences/Nepad/yau.pdf, CODESRIA
6. ^ Bester, B.C., Britz, J.J., Coetzee, I.E.M., and Lor, P.J. “Africa as a Knowledge Society: A Reality Check.” The International Information and Library Review. Vol. 38, Issue 1, p. 25-40. 2006

## References

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* Commission for Africa Report (2005)
* United Nations. United Nations: Human Development Report. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.

## External links

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* Official website

Portals:

* Africa
* Telecommunication

* v
* t
* e

Telecommunications in Africa

Sovereign states|

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* The Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Morocco
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

States with limited
recognition

* Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
* Somaliland

Dependencies and
other territories

* Canary Islands / Ceuta / Melilla (Spain)
* Madeira (Portugal)
* Mayotte / Réunion (France)
* Saint Helena / Ascension Island / Tristan da Cunha (United Kingdom)
* Western Sahara

* v
* t
* e

Telecommunications

History|

* Beacon
* Broadcasting
* Cable protection system
* Cable TV
* Communications satellite
* Computer network
* Data compression
* audio
* DCT
* image
* video
* Digital media
* Internet video
* online video platform
* social media
* streaming
* Drums
* Edholm's law
* Electrical telegraph
* Fax
* Heliographs
* Hydraulic telegraph
* Information Age
* Information revolution
* Internet
* Mass media
* Mobile phone
* Smartphone
* Optical telecommunication
* Optical telegraphy
* Pager
* Photophone
* Prepaid mobile phone
* Radio
* Radiotelephone
* Satellite communications
* Semaphore
* Phryctoria
* Semiconductor
* device
* MOSFET
* transistor
* Smoke signals
* Telecommunications history
* Telautograph
* Telegraphy
* Teleprinter (teletype)
* Telephone
* The Telephone Cases
* Television
* digital
* streaming
* Undersea telegraph line
* Videotelephony
* Whistled language
* Wireless revolution

Pioneers|

* Nasir Ahmed
* Edwin Howard Armstrong
* Mohamed M. Atalla
* John Logie Baird
* Paul Baran
* John Bardeen
* Alexander Graham Bell
* Emile Berliner
* Tim Berners-Lee
* Francis Blake
* Jagadish Chandra Bose
* Charles Bourseul
* Walter Houser Brattain
* Vint Cerf
* Claude Chappe
* Yogen Dalal
* Donald Davies
* Daniel Davis Jr.
* Amos Dolbear
* Thomas Edison
* Philo Farnsworth
* Reginald Fessenden
* Lee de Forest
* Elisha Gray
* Oliver Heaviside
* Robert Hooke
* Erna Schneider Hoover
* Harold Hopkins
* Gardiner Greene Hubbard
* Bob Kahn
* Dawon Kahng
* Charles K. Kao
* Narinder Singh Kapany
* Hedy Lamarr
* Roberto Landell
* Innocenzo Manzetti
* Guglielmo Marconi
* Robert Metcalfe
* Antonio Meucci
* Samuel Morse
* Jun-ichi Nishizawa
* Charles Grafton Page
* Radia Perlman
* Alexander Stepanovich Popov
* Tivadar Puskás
* Johann Philipp Reis
* Claude Shannon
* Almon Brown Strowger
* Henry Sutton
* Charles Sumner Tainter
* Nikola Tesla
* Camille Tissot
* Alfred Vail
* Thomas A. Watson
* Charles Wheatstone
* Vladimir K. Zworykin
* Internet pioneers

Transmission
media|

* Coaxial cable
* Fiber-optic communication
* optical fiber
* Free-space optical communication
* Molecular communication
* Radio waves
* wireless
* Transmission line
* telecommunication circuit

Network topology
and switching|

* Bandwidth
* Links
* Network switching
* circuit
* packet
* Nodes
* terminal
* Telephone exchange

Multiplexing|

* Space-division
* Frequency-division
* Time-division
* Polarization-division
* Orbital angular-momentum
* Code-division

Concepts|

* Communication protocol
* Computer network
* Data transmission
* Store and forward
* Telecommunications equipment

Types of network|

* Cellular network
* Ethernet
* ISDN
* LAN
* Mobile
* NGN
* Public Switched Telephone
* Radio
* Television
* Telex
* UUCP
* WAN
* Wireless network

Notable networks|

* ARPANET
* BITNET
* CYCLADES
* FidoNet
* Internet
* Internet2
* JANET
* NPL network
* TANet
* Toasternet
* Usenet

Locations|

* Africa
* Americas
* North
* South
* Antarctica
* Asia
* Europe
* Oceania
* Global telecommunications regulation bodies

* Telecommunication portal
* Category
* Outline
* Commons

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