Nokia, ATU ink MoU to drive digital transformation in Africa

Nokia has partnered with the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), a specialized agency of the African Union (AU) in the field of telecommunications/ICTs, to drive digital transformation and the knowledge economy across the African continent.

The two parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Nairobi, Kenya. John OMO, Secretary-General at ATU, co-signed the agreement with Rajiv Aggarwal, Nokia Representative and Head of Central, East and West Africa Market Unit at Nokia.

The partnership will leverage the power of telecommunications, including 5G networks, for connecting the unconnected and identifying innovative use cases, as well as business models, Nokia said in a press release on Wednesday.

Our vision is to make Africa a full and active participant in the global information and knowledge society by enabling universal access to ICT systems and services across Africa. Collaboration with a global industry leader such as Nokia is therefore crucial in this regard and will help us accelerate towards a digital transformation and knowledge economy.

John OMO

The Nokia-ATU MoU framework is guided by the following six tenets:

• Sharing of best practices on telecom technology trends and developments
• Identification of innovative industrial use cases toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution
• Recommendation on the implementation of emerging technologies and business models
• Promotion of connecting the unconnected with broadband
• Development of emerging talent for digital innovation
• Promotion of inclusion and diversity

With this latest agreement, both organizations reiterate commitment to shape shape telecom policy, develop talent and promote inclusion and diversity in Africa.

Nokia has also joined forces with UN Women to promote inclusion and diversity in the Middle East and Africa region. The Finnish firm is also working with UNICEF as part of a shared-value partnership in Kenya to connect schools with broadband and empower children in rural as well as disadvantaged urban areas.

"We remain keen on supporting Africa's digital transformation journey and by collaborating with the ATU, we strengthen this commitment. We will leverage our global technology expertise and insights on policy matters to positively impact the universal socio-economic development in the continent," said Rajiv Aggarwal, Head of Central, East and West Africa Market Unit at Nokia.