Assembly/AU/Decl.1(XIV)
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ADDIS ABABA DECLARATION ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGIES IN AFRICA:
CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS FOR DEVELOPMENT
Doc. Assembly/AU/11(XIV)
WE, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting in the
Fourteenth Ordinary Session of our Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 31 January
2010 and from 1-2 February 2010:
Considering the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community;
Reaffirming our commitment to the principles and objectives as enshrined in the
Constitutive Act of the African Union and our collective commitment to achieve the
development of the Continent through the promotion of research in all fields, particularly
in the area of science and technology;
Determined to take all the necessary steps to strengthen our common institutions and
provide them with the necessary resources to enable them fulfil their mission efficiently
including the implementation of the Action Plan of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS);
Recalling our commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to achieve the
sustainable development of our Continent;
Reaffirming our determination to eliminate poverty, improve public health and
education, increase agricultural production, as well as attain the MDGs;
Aware that the attainment of these goals depends not only on the ability of our States to
make use of the enormous potential offered by Information and Communications
Technologies but also on their will to provide this sector with increased and sustained
investment;
Convinced of the powerful catalyzing role that Information and Communication
Technologies can play in the development and integration process in Africa, especially
in the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework that is harmonized and
attractive for investments, shared telecommunications and ICT infrastructure and the
convergence of networks, services and administrations;
Adopted by the Fourteenth Ordinary Session of the Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 2 February 2010