Telecommunication
Development Bureau (BDT)
Ref.:
BDT/PKM/DM/226
Geneva, 3 August 2012
Honourable Ministers for ICT and
Telecommunication and Communication
Regulatory Authorities,
Members of the Steering Committee, and
HIPSSA Project Focal points
Subject:
Reminder to benefit from in-country technical assistance before Project closure
Dear Sir, Madam,
I have the pleasure to inform you that due to success of the pilot project in the Economic Community Of
West African States (ECOWAS) in the development of the Supplementary Acts in Telecommunication, the
HIPSSA project was developed to enlarge the scope and cover all Sub-Saharan Africa. A lot of progress has
been made and a lot of success achieved.
The HIPSSA project reached a critical stage, with the completion of most of the regional model policy
guidelines and legislative texts in close collaboration with the ECOWAS Commission and the West Africa
Telecommunication Regulators’ Assembly (WATRA). These documents are available on the ECOWAS and
HIPSSA project websites for download.
These documents cover the following areas:
 Harmonization of Policies and of the Regulatory Framework for the ICT Sector;
 Legal Regime Applicable to Network Operators and Service Providers;
 Access and Interconnection in Respect of ICT Sector Networks and Services;
 Numbering Plan Management;
 Management of the Radio-Frequency Spectrum;
 Universal Access/Service;
 Regulation on conditions for access to submarine cables landing stations
In addition, the following texts were prepared with the assistance of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa (UNECA) with the collaboration of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
that gave input to the texts:



E-Commerce (Transactions)
Data protection
Cyber crimes/E-Crimes
As you may recall, the aim of this project is to support the harmonization of ICT policies, legislations and
regulatory procedures in the Sub-Saharan Africa region with the financial support of the European Union. It
was officially launched during a multi-stakeholders (kick off) meeting in Addis Ababa on 11 and 12
December 2008.
International Telecommunication Union • Place des Nations • CH-1211 Geneva 20 • Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 730 5111 • Fax: +41 22 730 5545/730 5484 • E-mail: bdtmail@itu.int • www.itu.int/itu-d
–2–
During the ECOWAS Telecom/ICT experts meeting in Lomé, Togo from 22 to 25 March 2011, the availability
of assistance for the interested beneficiary countries regarding the implementation of the aforementioned
regional guidelines and model laws into the national frameworks (in-country technical assistance) was
communicated. This in-country assistance process is activated further to a formal request made by the
interested country.
A number of countries have already formally requested the support from the project to review or adopt
new legislations for specific areas within the identified scope, and such requests have been completed. The
other countries which are interested to benefit from such a support and still have not done so are
encouraged to kindly communicate their interest in participating in this second phase by 15 September 2012
at the latest.
Should your services require any further clarification or additional information, please contact Ms. Ida
Jallow, HIPSSA Senior Project Coordinator (E-mail: ida.jallow@itu.int, Tel.: +251 11 551 4977 Extension 31).
I take this opportunity to thank you all for the active contributions from the region. Please take this letter to
serve as the final reminder on the availability of in-country support and I look forward to receiving your
formal requests within the stated time frame to enable your countries benefit further under the ITU/EUfunded HIPSSA project.
Yours faithfully,
[Original signed]
Brahima Sanou
Director
C.cc.:
Mr. Andrew Rugege, Regional Director, ITU Regional Office for Africa
Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, ECOWAS President
S.E. M. Cheikhe Hadjibou Soumare, President of UEMOA
Dr. Jean Ping, Chairperson of the AUC
Mr. Nnamdi Nnwokike, Executive Secretary of WATRA