Luanda - The Angolan minister of Telecommunications, Information Technology and Media, Mário Oliveira, Saturday in the Russian city of Sochi, reaffirmed his government's commitment to implementing various projects aimed at the country's digital transformation.
He was speaking during a thematic session on e-governance, held at the Sochi Centre for African Studies, as part of the activities of the first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.
Mário Oliveira told those present that the Angolan government was developing the national space programme, the national broadband network, the terrestrial optical vibration network, as well as working on joining the international submarine cables and investing in the expansion of digital services.
He said that the new areas of collaboration in the sector mark the dialogue with the member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP) and the United Nations.
For the government official, cooperation is a fundamental tool that drives the modernisation of information and communication technology.
He emphasised that the development projects underway in his Ministry are focused on reducing the digital divide by harnessing and using the most modern technologies in order to reduce the digital disparity between urban and rural areas and promote digital literacy.
To this end, he emphasised the focus on infrastructure, training and information as Angola's strategies for strengthening and improving electronic governance.
“Angola has invested a lot in technological infrastructure (...).We are investing in training young people through the creation of incubators that will allow digital literacy to increase”, he said.
On digital sovereignty, he added that the country is working on appropriate legislation for cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and regulation of digital platforms.
New legal instrument
To strengthen international exchange in the sector, Angola signed a new cooperation agreement with Russia on the same day in Sochi in the field of telecommunications and information technologies.
The document was initialled by minister Mário Oliveira and the head of Russian diplomacy, Serguei Lavrov, on the sidelines of the first Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum.
The agreement aims to increase and consolidate mutually advantageous cooperation in the field of telecommunications and information technologies, in favour of the economic and social development of the two states.
It also aims to contribute to the implementation of joint programmes and projects for the development of the telecommunications and information technology sphere between the two ministries, according to a press release to which ANGOP had access.
Angola has a strong partnership with Russia in terms of the national space programme, and the country continues to invest in technological infrastructures and the expansion of the national broadband network using fibre optics, terrestrial and submarine cables.
The Sochi Forum marks a new phase in the relationship between the Russian Federation and the African continent, as a result of the success of the Second Russia-Africa Summit of 2023, held in St Petersburg, which aims to transform its resolutions into practical partnerships in the political, economic and cultural dimensions.
According to the note, the new dialogue format proposed by Russia stems from the need to introduce greater interaction to a whole set of initiatives that emerged from the St Petersburg Summit of 28 July 2023.
It also aims to respond more effectively to multidisciplinary development issues in Russia-Africa relations and to better prepare for the 2026 summit.
The conference brings together influential leaders from Russia and Africa, including prominent African ministers, business representatives and experts from various sectors.
Among the topics to be discussed are trade, investment, science, education and regional cooperation, with a special focus on strengthening BRICS-Africa relations.
The programme includes bilateral meetings between the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, Serguei Lavrov, and his African counterparts, to address pressing issues on the international and regional agendas.
Representatives from 54 African countries, along with delegations from regional organisations such as the African Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) took part in the preparatory meeting.
The Angolan delegation is led by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, and also includes the Minister of National Defence, Former Combatants and Veterans of the Homeland, João Ernesto dos Santos ‘Liberdade’, and the Secretary of State for the Military Industry, Afonso Carlos Neto, among others.
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