In a continued effort to advance universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC) across Africa, policymakers and statisticians gathered in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, from 24 to 26 March 2026 for a subregional workshop on promoting and measuring UMC.
The three-day event brought together participants from Botswana, Eswatini, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Participants included policymakers responsible for national digital strategies, as well as statisticians from ministries, national statistical offices, regulatory authorities, telecommunications operators, and research institutions.
The workshop provided a platform to explore how universal and meaningful connectivity can be integrated into national digital policies, while strengthening countries’ capacity to produce, disseminate, and use ICT statistics. Discussions focused on how data can support evidence-based policymaking, helping countries identify gaps, design effective interventions, and monitor progress towards inclusive digital development.
The workshop was organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), in collaboration with the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, and with financial support from the European Union. It forms part of the ITU global project “Promoting and Measuring Universal and Meaningful Connectivity”.
“Africa has made notable progress in expanding digital access, with 150 million new Internet users since 2020, but a major connectivity gap remains. A few months ago, we gathered in Baku for the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2025, where ITU members agreed on a new roadmap for digital development for the next four years. By strengthening the measurement of connectivity at national and regional levels, this workshop contributes directly to turning these commitments into action,” said Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau.
Through panel discussions and group exercises, participants explored the UMC framework as a policy imperative, strengthened collaboration between statisticians and policymakers, and discussed practical approaches to address challenges in measuring digital development.
“My impression of the UMC workshop in Tanzania was very positive. It provided a valuable space for exchange, especially in understanding what neighbouring countries are doing to address the challenges we face in producing ICT data at household level, as well as the issues around collaboration between National Statistical Offices and regulators. Achieving UMC is of great importance for Kenya especially given the strong government commitment and targets towards universal connectivity, access, and usage,” said Linah Ngumba, Head of ICT Statistics, Communications Authority of Kenya, who serves as chair of the ITU Expert Group on ICT Household Indicators.
“The UMC workshop is essential for Mauritius to consolidate its digital leadership and ensure inclusiveness. It was constructive for our country and helped to focus on data-driven policy, practical statistical tools, and regional knowledge-sharing, while also identifying areas for strengthening national ICT statistics and aligning digital strategies with the UMC framework,” said Deosharma Chinnee, Senior Statistician, Statistics Mauritius.
The event also reinforced collaboration between data producers and data users, helping bridge the gap between those who generate statistics and those who rely on them for decision-making. By fostering knowledge exchange and peer learning, the event contributed to strengthening national capacities and advancing more inclusive digital policies across the region.
The workshop in Tanzania built on eight previous similar events implemented under the UMC project and represented the second workshop held in the African region. A similar event will be held for French-speaking African countries in the second quarter of 2026.
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About the project
To accelerate progress toward universal and meaningful connectivity (UMC), the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau and the European Commission partnered under the project “Promoting and Measuring Universal and Meaningful Connectivity”, funded by the European Union. The project aims to promote UMC as a policy objective, improve the quality and availability of UMC statistics, and identify effective policies. Regional workshops for policymakers and statisticians are being organized to support UMC integration into digital policies, strengthen national capacity to produce and disseminate UMC data, and share good practices.
Learn more about the project here.