Press Release

Press Release

SAMENA Council Champions Collaborative Innovation and Inclusive Investment at WSIS 2025

Speaking at the WSIS 2025 Partner’s Insight Session on Collaborative Innovation Ecosystems, Mr Bocar BA, CEO of SAMENA Telecommunications Council and Broadband Commissioner, issued a strong call to action:

“Everyone who benefits from a network should help finance it.”

The session spotlighted the urgent need for shared responsibility in broadband investment and emphasized how collaborative ecosystems can close the connectivity gap, empower MSMEs, and fast-track the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key takeaways from SAMENA Council’s intervention:

  • Broaden the funding pool
    The Universal Broadband Financing Framework, championed by the UN Broadband Commission, calls for a multi-stakeholder investment model. Cloud platforms, content providers, and energy players must co-invest alongside telcos and governments to fairly distribute the burden of last-mile costs.
  • Prioritize MSMEs
    Micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises make up 90% of global businesses, yet face disproportionately high bandwidth costs and weak cloud access. According to the Broadband Commission’s Working Group Report, affordable connectivity can boost MSME sales by 85% and reduce costs by 81%.
  • Cross-border collaboration is critical
    Panelists underscored the importance of open standards, harmonized regulation, and joint R&D to accelerate 5G and FWA roll-outs, especially in land-locked and underserved regions. This collaboration also supports the ITU-GSMA 45% emissions-reduction target.
  • Trust and skills must keep pace
    With 48% of users exposed to online harassment (OECD), there’s a clear mandate for safety-by-design systems and scalable digital skills programs. Innovation without protection will undermine inclusion.
    Voices from South Africa, Kenya, the African Telecommunications Union, and ZTE aligned with SAMENA Council’s position: collaborative ecosystems must be inclusive, standards-based, and people-first.

“Partnerships are no longer a ‘nice to have’—they are the operating system of inclusive, sustainable digital transformation,” concluded Mr BA. “We must widen the circle of investors, harmonize the regulatory environment, and put people at the heart of every digital deployment.”

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