Opening address by the Minister of Communications Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri at the Communications Regulators Association of Southern Africa (Crasa) workshop on the Impact of Convergence on information and communication technology (ICT) Policy and Regulation, Indaba Hotel, Johannesburg

Chairperson of Crasa and other members of the Executive Committee of Crasa
Executive Directors of Crasa and NetTel@Africa
Chairperson, other Councillors and staff of Icasa
Chief Executive Officer of the Media Development and Diversity Agency
Representatives of industry and academic institutions
Friends

It is my pleasure to welcome you to our country, South Africa, a land whose recent transition to democracy and freedom was made possible by the heroic sacrifices of the peoples of Southern Africa, and the rest of the progressive world. We felt much at home during our stay in your own countries, during the darkest period in the lifetime of our country, may you too; feel at home during your stay in the land you helped liberate.

In the face of globalisation, which, with each passing day, continues to eschew its human face, there is no doubt that our shared humility and determination, demonstrated when death was a common possibility, are also the tools we have to overcome the scourge of underdevelopment and our continued marginalisation with the community of nations.

I therefore would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our public agencies, Icasa and the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA), for agreeing to host this workshop, in partnership with Crasa and NetTel@Africa, on our shores. It gives us pride to see our agencies taking active interest in issues of regional development and integration, and become a pacesetter in our continental integration, in line with the vision of New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) and the African Union (AU).

I have also been informed that this workshop will be followed by a meeting of the Crasa Special Committee, to be hosted by Icasa, here in Johannesburg. The Special Committee is charged with a task of reviewing and refocusing the strategic direction of Crasa, including finding a long term sustainability model for the organisation.

Since my address to regulators and policy makers early last year, South Africa has approved our Information Society and Development Plan and implementation mechanism. In our recent meeting in Maputo, ministers responsible for communications in the region noted the challenges faced by Crasa, as a result of the expanding mandate and activities of the organisation. Our deliberations in Maputo confirmed that there is indeed a lot that needs to be done by organisations like Crasa, to take our region to a higher trajectory. I am confident that Crasa will emerge out of this workshop and the Special Committee meeting, a much stronger organisation, empowered to carry out its mandate.

These efforts of yours, and several others being undertaken across the continent, show that the dream of achieving the African renaissance through the applications of information and communications technology is an emerging reality; it is attainable and it is within reach.

The new development and governance paradigm in Africa recognises the information and communication technologies sector as one of the key priorities that needs to be harnessed to consolidate the dawn of the African Century!

This workshop is long overdue, given the decisions of World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) in 2005 and given the fact that convergence is upon us. Convergence is our everyday reality, whose dividends can only be realised through the adoption of enabling policies and regulations. Policy makers and regulators can no longer separate competing telecommunications, broadcasting and postal services from one another. Across the world, existing evidence suggests that the continued separation into these traditional categories is retrogressive; it holds back not only the possibilities of innovations, but development opportunities, as well.

The absence of enabling policies for convergence, in some parts of Africa, denies people some of the best technological innovations for human development, and would further push them into the periphery of the digital world. Until we act fast and decisively, with renewed focus and vision, our continent, which is also the Cradle of Human kind, will not share the spoils of modern human civilisation, which are today driven by technological innovations.

As you are well aware, successive meetings of the Heads of State of our region have endorsed resolutions aimed at fast tracking regional integration. Targets to achieve regional integration include the achievement of a Free Trade Area in 2008 and the Common Market by 2015. Given these developments, a question is, "how does the regional ICT policy fit in the scheme of things"?

This question is important because we should not just formulate ICT policies for the sake of doing so; any ICT policy intervention should be underpinned by the prevailing national and regional social and economic developments including trade, culture and information exchange. I believe that this workshop will not only be concerned with technology, but also the necessary understanding of the challenges facing the region.

Policy makers and regulators in the field of ICTs should not close themselves away from prevailing realities; rather they should follow events and processes in the other fields of governance and development. It is for this reason that I wish to suggest that future ICT policy and regulatory forums should include other participants in the social and economic fields, including security and administration in order to harmonise our respective governance and development strategies.

During my recent visit to the Republic of Korea, I witnessed the power of technology, especially broadband and the convenience it provides in regards of education, health, safety and security, transport and other social services, as well as its role in enabling inclusive economic participation. The Korean experience shows that with vision and political will all countries can emerge as model users of ICTs to address their social and economic needs.

Indeed the gains and advances of such countries did not come overnight; they have come as a consequence of foresight, dedication and national commitment. There is a lot for Africa to learn from fellow developing countries.

I really encourage you as you go about shaping ICT policy and regulatory dispensation for the region and the continent to take time and visit such places, not only to witness what our peers are doing, but to draw lessons that will enrich the work that you are currently doing here at home, especially the challenge of rapid technology changes.

From a policy point of view, the recent meeting of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) ministers' responsible for communications identified the need for an overarching regional convergence policy framework to enable broadband access opportunities such as home and away roaming, effective regulation of essential facilities including undersea cables, transition to the digital era and the uptake of innovations like Digital Media Broadcasting.

As governments in the region, we will await the outcome of your processes, which will go a long way in influencing the decisions of Ministers and Heads of State in their future discussion and decision making sessions. But while you are focusing on developing a new regional policy and regulatory landscape, you should also remain active participants in other initiatives such as the implementation of the Nepad ICT Broadband Protocol which for the first time advocates for inclusive access to essential infrastructure by all countries on the continent and their respective people.

Experience in our dealing with the satellite-three (SAT-3) cable on the West Coast of Africa, tells us that there is no better way to bring about broadband connectivity other than through open access networks. There are indeed a lot of vested interests on this issue, and therefore regulators cannot stand outside this debate; it is in your mandate to contribute to the unfolding discourse on such important matters as the rollout of undersea cables and landing stations. Another issue of significance is the World Radio Conference (WRC), which will take place in Geneva at the end of 2007. This WRC is undoubtedly at the heart of global communications, without which there will be chaos arising from inefficient use of spectrum, including interference within and between countries.

As a region, we need to participate actively in the preparations and during the WRC itself. The Department of Communications recently hosted a regional meeting to start shaping our approach to the WRC, and such discussions should continue to ensure that Africa is not just a spectator, but our interests are adequately represented in the outcomes of the deliberations.

With this brief input, I declare this workshop opened, and wish you well in your deliberations. I look forward to receiving your report.

Thank you.

Issued by: Department of Communications
25 June 2007