Somalia participates in ITU summit, forges important relations

Budapest (Somaliland.com) – Minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Technology, Eng  Abdi Anshur Hassan said Somalia has achieved remarkable success at the World Communication Summit of this last week in the Hungarian capital Budapest.

From September 9th to September12th, the minister and his delegation held various meetings with various countries and international organizations to discuss the development of communication and technology in Somalia.

Mr. Anshur accompanied by the Director of National Communications Agency, Mr.  Abdi Sheikh held meeting with the Secretary-General of the International Communication Union (ITU), Houlin Zhao and his deputy on development, Ms; Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

At the meeting, they discussed assessing the implications of the special resolution of 160 which was passed last year’s ITU convention to support Somalia.

The Somali minister appreciated the ITU’s contribution to the preparation of National Policy and Strategy for Telecommunications, the first ITU training in Somalia in over 30 years, and other initiatives currently which are in collaboration with the Ministry and ITU.

The Minister and his delegation also met with China’s Deputy Minister of Commerce and Technology, Zhaoxiong Chen and discussed China’s contribution to the construction of telecommunications infrastructure and technology in Somalia.

The two parties have agreed to collaborate on the development of technology, such as state-funded telecommunications infrastructure, and empowering Somali youth with technology through a National Technology Institute.

They also discussed how the two countries’ telecommunications and technology companies can have a broader working relationship.

ITU lauded Somalia’s success over the past two years in communication and technology, particularly the Government’s role in legal and transparency policies, noting that after 2017 Somalia became the second country in the Horn of Africa which has a telecommunications act, agency and national policy for telecommunications, as well as increased bilateral cooperation with ITU after the restoration of Somalia’s membership after nearly 30 years.

The ITU specifically stated that Eng Anshuur will be the first Somali minister to attend ITU conventions three years in a row since Somalia left the ITU in 1991.