African governments adopted a new continent-wide framework on Friday committing to cheaper internet access, more affordable smartphones and technology-neutral regulation, as part of a broader push to close Africa’s persistent digital divide.
The 2026 Abuja Declaration on Meaningful Connectivity for Africa was adopted at the close of the 7th Ordinary Session of the African Telecommunications Union’s Conference of Plenipotentiaries, held in Nigeria’s capital. Outgoing ATU Secretary-General John Omo presented the declaration, which calls for urgent action on digital inclusion, infrastructure resilience, regulatory harmonization across the continent, and greater investment in connectivity.
Under the declaration, member states commit to advancing policies that promote meaningful connectivity, expand access to spectrum and fiber infrastructure, strengthen cybersecurity and consumer protection, and address affordability and digital literacy gaps — with particular attention to women, young people, people with disabilities and underserved communities.
The framework’s emphasis on technology-neutral regulation reflects a push by industry groups such as the GSMA, the mobile industry’s global trade body, which has argued that flexible, future-ready licensing rules — including for satellite connectivity — can attract investment and extend coverage to remote areas more efficiently than technology-specific rules. GSMA’s Senior Director for Public Policy in Africa, Caroline Mbugua, said the declaration signals a shared continental commitment to building an inclusive digital future through modern, evidence-based policy.
International Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, addressing the conference, said affordability, enabling policy environments and digital skills-building remain central to closing Africa’s connectivity gap. She noted that while mobile broadband networks now reach an estimated 86% of Africa’s population, only about 36% of people on the continent are actually online, with data costs in many countries still exceeding global affordability benchmarks.
Alongside the declaration, the GSMA and partner organizations launched ATLAS Umoja AI, a new pan-African initiative aimed at strengthening African-language artificial intelligence development, backed by the governments of Benin, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria and Togo.
The conference also elected new ATU leadership, with incoming Secretary-General-elect set to take office on January 1, 2027, while Omo remains in his post in the interim to oversee the transition. Nigerian officials said the declaration builds on President Bola Tinubu’s broader digital economy agenda, which includes efforts to accelerate infrastructure deployment and expand the country’s voice in global digital governance discussions.
