INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION UNION Africa TELECOM 94 Cairo, Egypt, 26 April 1994 Opening Address Dr. Pekka Tarjanne Secretary-General International Telecommunication Union On behalf of the International Telecommunication Union, a warm welcome. In particular, I should like to pay my respects to His Excellency Mr Mubarak, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, also Chairman of the OAU. I am sure that the delegations present here would wish to join me in expressing our wholehearted thanks and gratitude for the honour you have shown us in presiding over this Opening Ceremony of the third Africa International Telecommunication Exhibition and Special Session of the World Telecommunication Forum - Africa TELECOM 94. The first major telecommunications Exhibition and Forum held on the African continent was hosted by the Government of Kenya in 1986, and our second Africa TELECOM was held in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1990. But, Africa TELECOM 94 is different; it includes this time the Middle East, and that is why this beautiful and busy city of Cairo seemed such a perfect location for this gathering - both strategically and geographically, linking Africa and the Middle East. The Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt has invited us to organize this show in this magnificent Exhibition and Conference Centre, and I would like to express our thanks and appreciation to the President, Government, all the Ministries involved, private industry, and the people of Egypt, for their hospitality and invaluable assistance in staging Africa TELECOM 94. Whether you are from the public or private sector, an industrialized or developing country, you have gathered here for the same purpose: to learn more of what is happening in Africa and the Middle East, to share your ideas, experience, and future plans, and above all, to take advantage of the new solutions and opportunities that have become available to the industry in the last few years. The theme of the Africa TELECOM 94 Forum is "Integrating Africa Regionally and Globally: a Challenge for Telecommunications and Development". What exactly does this mean to the people of a vast land mass extending thousands of miles North and South of the Equator? This land mass is home to many different kinds of people - of different cultures, of varying degrees of wealth, at various stages of socio- economic development. The distribution of telecommunications services both within and between the many countries of the African continent and the Middle East is diverse - some cities enjoy the very latest in technological wizardry, whilst most rural inhabitants do not have access to even the most basic telephone facilities. Fortunately, the many new and innovative applications of telecommunications technology today can bridge this diversity so that rural areas can be linked to larger urban areas, and from there to the larger regional and global networks. However, despite decreasing costs, the implementation of this technology is not always an easy task. Many factors have to be taken into consideration - particularly those of an economic or financial nature - but also including specific problems such as climate and terrain that need to be accommodated in order to establish a telecommunications infrastructure. The programme of the Africa TELECOM 94 Forum has been put together with all of these constraints in mind. And what will you all be talking about? You will be talking about change - the change that must come to Africa and the Middle East. Technological possibilities now exist to integrate Africa and the Middle East into the global telecommunications network. However, many obstacles prevent this from becoming a reality. The bottlenecks are complex; taking into account political, economic, social and regulatory issues. In the LDCs, the greatest challenge is the raising of capital for investment. We often hear reference to "appropriate technology" for Africa. As I stated earlier, it is true that Africa has specific conditions that render this a challenging topic for discussion. But it is a common misunderstanding to think that the latest technology is to be reserved for the relatively small urban pockets and that the vast rural areas need only the most simple and old-fashioned equipment. It is highly possible that investment in the very latest techniques will provide new cost-effective solutions hitherto unheard of in the developing countries - especially countries which have an underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure. It is of vital importance that the resources of both public and private sectors be united in a common effort directed towards coordinated growth. Only then can countries be linked together, and eventually to the regional and global telecommunications networks. This is a realistic and workable goal. Dear Friends, You are all responsible for the dialogue which has to start now and continue well into the next century. You are responsible for developing this rich information exchange which is vital for the economic and social evolution of Africa and the Middle East. It is my honour to welcome you all to Africa TELECOM 94 - an event which is designed to integrate Africa with the Middle East and the rest of the world. Mr President, on behalf of the 183 Member Countries of the ITU, I wish to reiterate my warmest thanks for your welcome and for the attention shown to us. May I, respectfully request you, Sir, to honour us by declaring Africa TELECOM 94 officially open. Thank you.