By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Côte d’Ivoire is promoting its
candidacy for a seat on the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Council, Region D (Africa), for the 2027–2030 term, ahead of elections at the
ITU Plenipotentiary Conference in Doha, Qatar, in November 2026.
The Ivorian government,
through its Permanent Mission in Geneva, has formally notified ITU member
states of its decision to seek a return to the Council, calling on African and
other member states to support its candidacy.
Côte d’Ivoire joined the ITU
in 1960 and has previously served two terms on the Council, from 1999 to 2002
and from 2019 to 2022. The government said its previous participation enabled
the country to contribute to the Union’s work and to the development of
telecommunications and digital technologies.
Announcing the candidacy,
Côte d’Ivoire’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative, Kouadio Adjouman, said
the country had established itself as a model of digital development in Africa
and was positioning itself to provide a credible and committed African voice on
the Council.
He pointed to the country’s expanding telecommunications infrastructure,
digital connectivity and national efforts in areas including cybersecurity as
evidence of its growing role in Africa’s digital transformation.
“With one of the most connected economies in the region, an
ambitious national digital security, and a relatively expanded
telecommunications infrastructure, my country is now in a position to provide a
credible, comprehensive and committed African voice within the ITU Council,” he
said.
ITU Secretary-General Doreen
Bogdan-Martin welcomed Côte d’Ivoire’s continued engagement with the Union,
describing the country’s digital transformation as a notable example of
progress.
She noted that Côte d’Ivoire
has been developing a dynamic digital ecosystem supported by national
strategies covering artificial intelligence, data governance, cybersecurity and
rural connectivity.
According to Bogdan-Martin,
Côte d’Ivoire invested more than $446 million in its digital ecosystem in 2024,
while mobile subscriptions exceeded 58 million. She also highlighted the
country’s mobile money market and its contribution to financial inclusion
across West Africa.
The ITU Secretary-General
further cited Côte d’Ivoire’s role in hosting the launch of the ITU’s African
broadband mapping initiative and its continued contribution to the
implementation and review of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
outcomes across Africa.
Bogdan-Martin also commended
Fleur Bessou, who chairs the ITU Telecommunications Development Advisory Group
(TDAG), for becoming the first African to lead the advisory body.
Côte d’Ivoire’s renewed
Council bid comes as the country seeks to deepen its influence in global
telecommunications and digital policy and contribute to discussions on Africa’s
digital development priorities.
The elections for the ITU
Council are scheduled to take place during the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference,
which will be held from November 9 to 27, 2026, in Doha, Qatar.
