ARTP welcomes ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Director during strategic visit in Dakar

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

The Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority of Senegal (ARTP) has welcomed the Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation on telecommunications development and regulation.

Dr. Zavazava was received in Dakar by the Director General of the ARTP alongside Honourable Members of Senegal’s 15th Legislature. The visit took place on the sidelines of ongoing exchange and knowledge-sharing sessions between the ARTP and members of parliament, creating a platform for in-depth discussions on key challenges and opportunities within the telecommunications sector. Also present was Mr. Emmanuel Manasseh, ITU Regional Director for Africa.

The meeting enabled direct engagement between national regulators, lawmakers and senior ITU officials, with discussions focusing on major issues shaping the telecommunications and digital landscape in Senegal and across the region. The exchanges were described as timely, particularly in the context of accelerating digital development and strengthening regulatory frameworks.

The visit forms part of a broader effort to consolidate long-standing cooperation between the ARTP and the ITU, a specialised United Nations agency with more than 160 years of experience in global telecommunications development. It also comes ahead of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference scheduled for 2026, a significant milestone that will include elections to the ITU Council. Senegal, which has been a member of the Council since 1972, views the process as an important diplomatic engagement.

During the visit, Dr. Zavazava commended the performance of the State of Senegal and the ARTP under the leadership of its Director General and expressed the ITU’s readiness to support the country’s New Technological Deal and long-term Vision 2050 agenda.

The ARTP welcomed the engagement as an opportunity to deepen strategic dialogue on digital development and to further align national regulatory practices with international standards, in support of sustainable and inclusive growth in the telecommunications sector.