Ghana’s Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has urged the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to restructure its regional presence to go beyond development-focused operations and embed deeper technical expertise at the regional level.
Speaking at an ongoing ITU Council session in Geneva, Nartey George acknowledged the contributions of the global body’s regional and area offices across all six regions but argued that the current model, driven predominantly by the Telecommunication Development Bureau, does not adequately reflect the growing technical complexity facing member states.
He noted that Ghana and other African countries have benefited meaningfully from initiatives channelled through the ITU’s African Regional Office, specifically citing Digital Financial Services Security Clinics conducted in collaboration with the Telecommunication Standardization Bureau (TSB) as examples of the kind of capacity-building support that member states need. “These are the kinds of capacity-building interventions our membership needs,” he said, urging the ITU to expand and sustain such programmes.
However, Nartey George argued that the broader architecture of regional support remains imbalanced. While development operations have a strong regional footprint, the Radiocommunication Sector and the Telecommunication Standardization Sector remain insufficiently represented at that level. He called for both sectors to be integrated more actively into regional office operations through dedicated technical experts, increased sector-specific missions and tighter coordination between bureau directors and regional leadership.
The minister directly questioned when the Radiocommunication Sector would receive the same regional presence that some TSB staff have already been granted in other parts of the world, with particular concern about Africa’s readiness for upcoming global processes. He identified spectrum management, satellite coordination and preparations for the World Radiocommunication Conference 2027 as areas where stronger regional technical support is urgently needed.
Ghana has been active in shaping Africa’s ITU positioning, with the minister recently opening the First African Preparatory Meeting for the World Telecommunication Standardisation Assembly 2028 in Accra, where he noted that of 37 Common Proposals submitted by African delegations at the previous assembly, 34 were adopted, covering resolutions on artificial intelligence, the Metaverse, and ITU strategic planning.
In Geneva, Nartey George also called on the ITU to broaden its ongoing review of regional presence beyond development metrics, urging that the 27 key performance indicators adopted by Council 2025 be applied with a wider scope that captures how effectively offices meet the full range of member state technical needs. “A stronger regional presence is one that brings the whole of the ITU to the membership, not just one bureau,” he said.
He reaffirmed Ghana’s readiness to contribute to reform discussions aimed at making the ITU’s global engagement more technically integrated and responsive to the evolving needs of its membership.
