Delegates from the Southern Africa Telecommunications Association (SATA) member states converged in Swakopmund, on the 26th of April to attend the regional conference, scheduled for 26th -28th of April 2023.  

The three-day-conference is hosted under the theme: “ICT Connectivity and Service Delivery for the Benefit of All: Transforming our Society through Broadband and ICT Developments”, with the aim of sharing experiences on a wide range of topics including technology and infrastructure, policy and strategy for the future of the telecommunications industry.

Leaders from the Namibian Government joined ICT industry players in the Southern African region to oversee a Conference that would focus on key deliberations aimed at propelling services in the region to deliver world-class services to the people of the region. 

Councillor of the Walvis Bay Rural Constituency, Hon. Florian Donatus, delivered the Keynote Address on behalf of the Governor of the Erongo Region, Hon. Neville Andre. In his official opening speech, the Honourable Governor, welcomed the delegates to the region and spoke on the opportunities for Telco’s and ICT stakeholders at such Conferences. “Occasions such as these present enormous opportunities among telecommunications operators and other ICT stakeholders to consolidate and strengthen linkages and synergies through networking and knowledge sharing for the development of SADC’s ICT sector. It is our hope that this conference creates significant, real, and tangible differences in the achievement of our regional goals in the area of ICT and telecommunications,” he stated.

The Governor expressed that ICT services have been one of the few sectors that have positively contributed towards the SADC region and to be more specific, the Namibian economy during recent years. “The ICT sector has a huge and positive impact on economic growth as it accelerates the flow of goods and services across the SADC national borders, underpinned by effective competition; ICT stimulates and improves trade by connecting people and places previously not connected,” he further added.

Telecom Namibia Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Stanley Shanapinda expressed that the presence of ICT services is a key determining factor for investors. The absence of ICT services in any area hampers effective engagement with authorities, potential trading partners, and customers, among others. ICT services are thus essential to the success in most, if not all businesses.

“I can safely and confidently say, there can be no development, in the absence of ICT services, as a nation would be cut off from the rest of the world, with limited access to opportunities, trade markets or access to resources not available locally. It is the bridge we must cross daily to stay in touch professionally and for private interactions. In delivering social and economic growth for our countries, let’s be mindful that the ICT sector is a cornerstone for the development of any economy. It is a major consideration for potential foreign investors, and often provides the main mode of communication between trading partners. Not having a stable ICT network, is not an option for any country,” he said.

The SATA Conference is a vital avenue to promote the development of ICTs and telecommunications and it is by far the largest gathering on ICT in the region. Addressing modern era telecommunications challenges and the needs and aspiration of member organisations, will be high on the agenda.

“It is through this ongoing dialogue and engagement that will allow us to stay abreast of developments within the region and globally. Through benchmarking with peers in the region and sharing key learnings, vendors and industry solution providers can compare notes and further improve service delivery to the people of the region. We hope the discussions will accelerate the transformation of the ICT sector in the Southern African region to be on par with the rest of the world and to exceed the expectations of our respective Governments, corporates, and residential customers,” Dr Shanapindaadded.

The conference brings together influential and senior experts in the information and communication technology (ICT) industry from within and outside the SADC region and will serve as a platform to prepare and approve the projects, programmes and budget for the new financial year of the Southern African Telecommunications Association (SATA).

Participants are from host Namibia and other SADC member States including Angola, Zambia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, South Africa, DRC and Zambia.

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For details contact:
Nomvula Kambinda
Head: Corporate Communication & Public Relations
Tel: 0612012448
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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