The Southern African Development Community (SADC) region is developing new broadband targets for the bloc by 2030.
Relevant ministers, national regulatory agencies, policymakers, and experts recently gathered in Mbabane, Eswatini, for a workshop attended by delegations from international organisations such as the International Telecommunications Union.
The purpose was to establish internet coverage standards in SADC, promote affordable internet access, improve digital inclusion, and provide systems for measuring progress and tracking insights.
SADC is made up of 16 member states: Angola, Botswana, the Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The two-day meeting, the SADC Broadband Development and Targets 2030 Workshop, concluded yesterday.
Savannah Maziya, Eswatini minister of information and communications technology, officially opened the workshop.
“Broadband is the lifeblood of modern economies. However, meaningful deployment requires deliberate policy, sustained investment and data-driven action. We cannot manage what we do not measure,” Maziya said.
The minister told delegates that national broadband policies were vital because they indicated intent, coordinated action, and provided the regulatory certainty that investors and operators require.
She went on to say: "As member states, we must continue to refine national frameworks to prioritise inclusivity, sustainability and innovation.”
Brian Mwansa, acting executive secretary of the Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa, also spoke at the event, stating that broadband has the transformative power to support economic growth, human capital development, public service delivery, and social inclusion.
"Through connecting people and businesses to vital information and services, broadband creates opportunities for innovation, education, healthcare access and overall improved quality of life,” Mwansa said.
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