John Omo, Director of Legal Services at Kenya's Communications Authority (CA), has succeeded in his bid to lead the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) as Secretary General for a four-year term after he triumphed during elections at the ATU Plenipotentiary Conference in Nairobi on 17 August 2018.

Omo received 23 votes to Burundi's Constaque Hakizimana's two votes.

Omo will vacate his position at the CA and said he is committed to building on the legacy of outgoing Secretary General Abdoulkarim Soumaila from Niger who was leaves the position after eight years.

"My work begins now. I will build on the foundation laid by my predecessor Mr Abdoulkarim Soumaila and work with all member states to transform the ICT sector," he said.

In the weeks leading up to the election Omo told ITWeb Africa that if elected, his objective is to position the ATU as a "truly specialised" agency of the African Union (AU) regarding ICT.

"I seek to reorient, and re-energise the ATU into a robust intergovernmental agency with a responsive value proposition to the membership. I will, therefore, continuously be engaging with the ATU membership in order to appreciate and understand key issues inhibiting their active participation in ATU activities, and together incentivise their participation. My vision is to see ATU play its rightful role as the reference point for ICTs on the continent. I will seek to leverage on active engagement with various stakeholders, including political actors at the African Union (AU) level."

Omo added that he will ensure that the Secretariat and the Membership "actively sell" the ATU brand. "I recognise that driving the African ICT agenda at global platforms requires oneness of a number of actors. My priority is to build the capacity of members, increase access to broadband, strengthen cross-border interconnectivity, and infuse innovation that can enable Africa harness the immeasurable opportunities that the digital age presents."

Omo's candidacy was endorsed by, among others, former Principal Secretary in Kenya's Ministry of Information, Communication, & Technology (MICT) Sammy Itemere.

The newly elected Secretary General received several messages of congratulations including from the Uganda Communications Commission, and from Andrew Rugege, Regional Director for Africa at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

Omo previously held leadership positions at the Universal Postal Union (UPU), East African Communications Organisation (EACO), Association of Regulators of Information and Communications of Eastern Africa (ARICEA), among others.