DECISION ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE RADIO BROADCASTING
SPECTRUM IN AFRICA FOR TRANSITION FROM
ANALOGUE TO DIGITAL BROADCASTING
Doc. Assembly/AU/18(XXIII) Add.4
The Assembly,
TAKES NOTE of the proposal of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria on establishment of enhanced cooperation between the Commission and the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) for better management of the technical and technological evolution of digital broadcasting;
UNDERSCORES the strategic importance of offering national broadcasting operators the best possible migration from the analogue broadcasting spectrum to the digital spectrum, and thus address the specific needs of Africa’s populations in the realm of information;
DIRECTS the Conference of Ministers in charge of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Conference of Ministers of Communication, with the participation of national and international regulatory entities for the broadcasting sector, to take up the issue of migration from the analogue radio/television broadcasting to digital transmission and work in concert to protect the interest of the public broadcasting services of Member States of the African Union;
REQUESTS the Conference of African Union Ministers in charge of ICTs to place this issue on its agenda on regular basis, and thus be able to constantly monitor progress in the transition from analogue to digital and have a firm grip on this process for the benefit of Africa’s populations;
ALSO REQUESTS the Commission, in collaboration with the African Union of Broadcasting and the African Telecommunication Union (ATU) to expeditiously establish an African Technical Committee for the Information and Media Society to accompany Member States in their transition to full digital broadcasting while at the same time stimulating economic recovery in Africa;
TASKS the aforesaid African Technical Committee to develop a road map on the practical modalities of implementing the strategy for transition from analogue to digital, taking into account the preservation of the public services for the benefit of African citizens;
REQUESTS the Commission to present a report on regular basis to the Executive Council of the African Union on the progress of this issue.