[1st April 2022] The 11th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) was convened from 3April 2022, at the Hotel Intercontinental Miramar,Luanda, Angola. The AGM met under the theme on “Digital Transformation Shifting from Buzzword to Policy and Regulatory Priority”.
The AGM was officially opened by Minister of Telecommunications and Information and SocialCommunication Technologies of the Republic of Angola, Hon. Eng. Manuel Gomes da Conceição Homem. The meeting was hosted by Instituto Angolano das Comunicações (INACOM) and chaired by Mr. Alfred Marisa, the DeputyDirector General of Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority ofZimbabwe (POTRAZ), in his capacity as the Chairperson of CRASA. All thirteen(13) CRASA Members were in attendance.
The AGM noted the progress in the implementation of the CRASAStrategic Plan 2018 to 2023. It also noted the need to align the Plan to changes in the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and PostalSectors.
The AGM noted the status of implementation of the CRASA Operational Plan2021/22. The implementation of the plan was led by the eight (8) specialized committees of CRASA. Various reports from the Committees were noted regarding the extent of harmonization in the ICT and Postal regulatory frameworks in theSouthern African region.
Amongst significant frameworks that were approved by the AGM in accelerating regional integration was the Framework on IMT-2020 Systems for Deployment of 5G Technologies in Southern AfricanDevelopment Community (SADC). This framework sets out the critical factors that would allow for a coordinated implementation of IMT-2020 with focus on 5G technologies within SADC.
In addition, the AGM approved the National Addressing and Postcode Project Generic Cost Model that if effectively utilized, it will allow regulators to forecast the total and unit costs of implementing a National Addressing project in their respective countries.
The AGM was informed about the extension of CRASA’s partnerships with the Pan African Postal Union (PAPU)and the Wits University. The partnerships are to benefit the concerned parties through exchange of critical knowledge and collaboration in research and development.
During the AGM, the newExecutive Committee for the 2022/23 was elected. Angola was elected as the CRASAChairperson, Zimbabwe was elected as the First Vice Chairperson; DemocraticRepublic of Congo was elected as the Second Vice Chairperson and Botswana retained its Treasurer position.
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