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The intensive four-day regional peer-to-peer capacity-building workshop (2023-A cohort) took place  (March 18-22) in Lusaka, Zambia. The participants included seven of the 43 National Regulatory Organisations (NRAs) covered by iPRIS and representatives from the Regional Regulatory Organisations (RROs), in Africa including CRASA, WATRA, ARTAC and EACO (NRAs). The NRAs representatives include delegates from Kenya, South Sudan, Eswatini, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Namibia.  This peer-to-peer capacity-building session followed the intensive Europe Regional session held in November 2023 in Sweden.

To be part of iPRIS, a country has to be part of a Regional Regulatory Organisation (RRO), notably CRASA, WATRA, ARTAC, and EACO. RROs are the regional governing bodies responsible for developing and enforcing ICT regulations, policies, and standards to promote fair competition, ensure consumer protection, and foster development and innovation within their respective sectors.

Eng. Choolwe Nalubamba, Director General of ZICTA, Susanna Hughes from the Embassy of Sweden in Zambia, and Claudio Bacigalupi from the European Union. Photo credit: iPRIS

Peer-to-peer cooperation between the European Union and African region ICT regulators

During the opening on Monday 18th March,Claudio Bacigalupi from the European Union underscored the importance of collaboration in achieving regional harmonization and creating a more conducive environment for innovation, investment, and cross-border digital services. Bacigalui further added, “We want to have peer-to-peer cooperation between the European Union and African ICT regulators and have this is of utmost significance in achieving regional harmonisation. We are very happy to collaborate with Sweden in Luxembourg on this task; their collaborative approach can bring considerable benefits, including a more seamless digital ecosystem, enhanced Cross Border Services and greater opportunities.

Susanna Hughes from the Embassy of Sweden in Zambia remarked,  “As you may know, even though Africa's share of the world's population is now 17%, its share of global trade is only 3%. There are many challenges to strengthening regional trade in order to achieve the aspirations of the African continental free trade area. She stressed the importance of  ICT regulation as one of the important parts of the puzzle towards creating an interconnected digital ecosystem. “It's clear that better regional ICT harmonisation can strengthen cross-border digital services and economic growth. So while the challenges are many, the potential benefits are great”, she remarked. In her conclusion, Susanna Hughes stated, “As regulators, you will have an important responsibility to encourage competition while also ensuring digital inclusion and accessibility.”

During his address, Eng. Choolwe Nalubamba, Director General of ZICTA and host for the week stated, “Zambia has been one of the longest beneficiaries of the project, and there are a few issues that we can point to that we have benefited from this partnership, which include the work that we're doing under the digital financial services.”

iPRIS Cohort 2023-A Participants at the Regional Workshop in Zambia

Risk assessment for 5G networks, project management and inclusion, among the key topics covered 

The second day of the iPRIS Africa Regional peer-to-peer capacity building workshop for the 2023 A cohort) included sessions on cybersecurity, risk assessment for 5G networks, project management,  inclusion and broadband deployment.

About iPRIS

iPRIS aims to bridge the digital divide by boosting the capacities of African telecommunications regulatory authorities through peer-to-peer learning. The regulators participating in the project include National Regulatory Authorities and Regional Regulatory Organisations across sub-Saharan Africa.

iPRIS is implemented by SPIDER (the Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions), the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS), and the Luxembourg Regulatory Institute (ILR). In collaboration with the African Regional Regulatory Organisations, the implementers support the participating National Regulatory Authorities to achieve their strategic change initiatives.

iPRIS is funded by the European Union, Sweden, and Luxembourg as part of the Team Europe Initiative “D4D for Digital Economy and Society in Sub-Saharan Africa” (Code: 001).

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Alexandra Högberg from SPIDER Center interviewed Obioma Benson Kekeocha - Principal Manager, Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC), along the sidelines of the Sweden 2023 phase. In this interview, Obioma Benson Kekeocha weighs in on competition, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This interview has been edited for clarity and readability.

Alexandra Högberg: Could you please introduce yourself?

Benson Kekeocha: My name is Benson Kekeocha, I work with Nigeria Communications Commission.

AH: How can regulators contribute to the advancement of the ICT sector in Africa,

BK: Regulators in Africa will contribute to the advancement of technology in Africa by ensuring that the policies in their respective countries is such that contributes to the enhancement of technologies. For instance, now that where we are moving towards the new digital era, regulations should be such that is open, that should be kind of develop regulations which ensure that our regulations are such that will not stifle competition, will not stifle innovation, but we enhance development and innovation of the sector. So what we'll do right now is to ensure that all our regulatory instrument are such that if they are not in line they should be reviewed to accommodate issues that will encourage and develop the industrial.

AH: What specific challenges does your country/region face in the current global telecommunication landscape? And how will your change initiative address this?

BK: We have a couple of challenges with respect to the delivery of telecom services. There's so many challenges that ranges from right of way issues, power issues, to competition issues, just abundance and competitive conduct. So, our change initiative has to do with competition, tariff issues in existing and emerging technologies. And talking about the issues related to competition, we have issues to do with identifying such anti-competitive conducts in industry, such as predatory pricing, cost of taxation, margin squeeze discriminatory pricing, identifying agreements or arrangements among operators that has an anti competitive practices. So these are challenges.

In terms of tariff, we have to ensure that every tariff we implement incorporates costs, operational services, it is transparent, and non-discriminative. So our tariffs must be cost effective, and subscriber friendly. So in our change initiatives, we've been able to streamline it to assessing the level of competition in the wholesale broadband and retail data market segment. This segment is not effectively competitive. Because in a vertical  integrated market segment where you have an SMP, the SMP carries out certain conduct that lessens the performance of other competitors in the industry. So our change initiative, we aim at identifying those conducts/practices, that lessens competition, and proper solutions, regulatory framework that could be targeted at making sure that every player in industry and choice services.

AH: Part of the iPRIS project, you also have the component of gender diversity, equity and inclusion. What have you taken away from that segment and how you work with your change initiative or how your organisation works with making sure that no one is behind it the digital transformation journey.

BK: With respect to change initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusiveness in my region or in my environment, we ensure that we consult widely, we carry everyone along because for every decision that borders all these stakeholders, which includes both the operator and the subscribers, we must ensure that they are consulted, and then we don't want to leave anyone behind. We try to ensure that we bridge the gap, the digital divide and assure that everyone is inclusive, is always included in assessing services with either aspects of your gender, your age, or your race, you carry everyone along. With respect to our tariffs, you know, we assure that every tariff we implement cuts across the entire country. We do not implement any sectional or discriminatory tariff or services, everyone is being carried around to ensure that there is inclusiveness in our service, irrespective of your gender, or your tribe, or your financial status.

AH: Highlights from the time here in Sweden?

BK: I think the program is well thought out. It has helped to bring in people from various parts of Africa for capacity building. We benchmark or we have knowledge of what happens with other jurisdictions, and we try to pass on this also, and I think it's a good program. From time to time, each MCI will help to develop with other region that identify this as a challenge.

AH: The peer to peer learning is a key component of iPRIS. Are there any specific lessons or opportunities or tips that you have taken on board from any of the other national regulatory authorities that you would like to highlight?

BK: Not quite, because NCC, we have gone ahead, we're far ahead of so many other regulatory agencies in the Sub Saharan Africa. In each of the segments, talking about intact rates, we have been developing over time, computer assessment issues, designated operator in the voice and data segment. We’re foremost, so being with them here, they learn from us. There's no area of regulatory instrument that we have not touched on, from reverse service provision to having a Consumer Affairs Bureau, to pricing, to competition, to licensing, to spectrum issues, where we’re far ahead of them.

When I mentioned that, we have developed a regulation for spectral trading, it sounds strange to them because today, if you don't use the spectrum, you don't lose it. Okay, your spectrum, you can trade it, which means you can transfer it, you can share it, you can lose it, these are things they are learning from us. Okay, we have developed regulation with respect to national roaming. When I told him that look, we have developed national roaming guidelines, and two operators have tested or have a trial period for national roaming, it sounds strange. Talking about regulations on infrastructure, sharing a co-location. So most of Africa countries, they're happy to learn from what Nigeria has with respect to the telecom sector in Nigeria.

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During November 2023,  national regulators from Eswatini, Kenya, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Zambia took part in a 2.5-week training programme in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of the European phase of the iPRIS training.

Alexandra Högberg from SPIDER Center interviewed Murzanatu Talatu Suleiman - Research and Development Department, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), along the sidelines of the Sweden 2023 phase. In this interview, Murzanatu Talatu Suleiman weighs in on enabling environments and competition.

This interview has been edited for clarity and readability.

Alexandra Högberg: Could you please introduce yourself?

Talatu Suleiman: My name is Murzanatu Talatu Suleiman, representative of the Nigerian Communications Commission and CC. I'm one of the three participants here in Sweden. And my background is in mechanical engineering, presently working the research and development departments of NCC.

AH: How can regulators contribute to the advancement of the ICT sector in Africa?

TS: One of the things I would say, majorly, the regulators can play is giving an enabling environment. Because when you have an enabling environment, you'd have innovations come up, you open up the ecosystem for a lot of activities to happen to that major place where I think the regulator in Africa can play by providing an enabling environment.

AH: Is there any specific highlights from your time here in Sweden from the training phase?

TS: Everything has been a highlight, from the core part of the telecom lectures to the project management plan. For me, the project management plan really helped me to put the perspective to my work. The MEAL concepts, it's new, but I appreciated it. You know, I've been struggling with the resetting of my project plan. So when it came, and I was like, okay, I have to look at the impact, the outcome and all those made the work lighter and more interesting. So yeah, there are a lot of highlights, the visit to Ericsson, that's a highlight for me. What can I remember? A lot, the facilitators are good people. You listen, and I like people who listen and solve my problem. So yeah, everything was really highlighted.

AH: What are you hoping that the change initiative that you're working on now, how will it make a change to Nigeria?

TS: So for our change initiative from Nigeria, we're trying to assess the level of competition. Competition is good, in any sector, regardless of the sector you're working. For us in telecom sector, where you have an enabling environment, where you have healthy competition, you bring in more innovators, more operators, and your end users will have multiple choices so they can decide which of the operators and providers they want to use. So a change initiative is all about the end users having good options, multiple choices, access, affordability, and for the operators, you have to have their interest at heart. So giving them an enabling environment to thrive, to recoup their investment is also good, Puts operators and end-users in a win-win situation.

AH: Is there anything else you want to add?

TS: One thing that makes me thrive is an enabling environment so you can see Arcia is talking about enabling environment. You the Swedish people give us an enabling environment so I can try. For me that's a major thing.

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