Zambia’s Kezias Kazuba Mwale has been elected secretary general of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) following four rounds of voting by member states at the Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Abuja on Friday.
Mwale secured 21 of 34 votes in the final round and will assume office on 1 January 2027 for a four-year term, succeeding Kenya’s John Omo.
The election comes as the ATU faces increasing pressure to address AI, cybersecurity threats and infrastructure resilience across the continent.
Other candidates included Cameroon’s Ottou Valéry Hilaire, Tunisia’s Faysal Bayouli and South Africa’s Cynthia Lesufi, who was the first woman to contest for the role.
Lesufi received eight votes, while Hilaire secured five. Missidimbazi Banzouzi Luc of the Republic of the Congo withdrew after the third round, while Bayouli exited after the first round in line with electoral procedures.
Mwale has served as the union’s director for radiocommunications since 2012 and previously held spectrum engineering and management roles at the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority.
“I accept this mandate with a deep sense of responsibility, mindful that leadership is not a privilege to be enjoyed, but a trust to be honoured and carefully guarded,” Mwale said.
He pledged to serve member states with impartiality, integrity, transparency and dedication, working with governments, regulators, policymakers, the private sector, academia, civil society and development partners.
According to Zambia’s ICT ministry, Mwale’s election underscores the country’s growing influence in shaping Africa’s digital future through regional and international cooperation.
Minister of ICT Felix Mutati said: “This conference was conducted in the spirit of Ubuntu: that we are one Africa, pursuing the same destination and seeking to change the lives of our people.”
The event also elected 25 member states to serve on the Administrative Council for the next four-year term.
West Africa will be represented by Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo.
Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia were elected from North Africa, while Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe will represent Southern Africa.
Eastern Africa will be represented by Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, while Central Africa will be represented by Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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