Source: GGPEN
For the first time, Angola is leading Region D (Africa) of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (ITSO). The election, for a two-year term, took place during the 41st ITSO’s Assembly of the Parties, held from October 8 to 10 in Washington, D.C., United States. During this event, Angola was also elected as the Vice President of the African for the Assembly of Parties – 41, where Angola was represented by Dr Zolana JoaoHead of the Angola Space Management Programme Office (GGPEN), appointed by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies, and Social Communication (MINTTICS) of Angola. In this same event, Dr Renata Brazil-David was appointed General Director at ITSO.
During each regular meeting, the Assembly of Parties of ITSO elects a President and a Vice President from among the representatives. The Vice President assumes the President’s role in their absence, with the same authority. In addition, each Assembly meeting elects five Vice Presidents, one from each of the five regions defined by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Málaga-Torremolinos in 1973.
During this two-year term, Angola’s primary responsibility will be to lead the continent towards greater access to communication satellites. The goal is to ensure that international satellite networks can connect the over 67% of African citizens who currently lack internet access.
Source: GGPEN
Angola will also advocate maintaining a smooth mechanism to preserve and protect the ITSO strategies for long-term sustainability and the ITSO’s Common Heritage. This comes considering significant activities and developments in the satellite industry over the past two years and the increasing potential and real competition from non-geostationary satellite operators.
Angola’s Membership in ITSO
Angola has been a member of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation since 2017, following its formal membership under Region D (Africa). Its membership was formalised by submitting a letter of acceptance for the amendment to Article XII(c)ii of the ITSO constitution, approved during the 37th extraordinary session of the general assembly in Paris, France. Region D comprises 45 African countries. ITSO is divided into five regions, each led by a Vice President. In addition to Angola leading Region D, the other regional leaders include Douglas May (USA) for Region A (Americas), Dr Bianca Lins (Liechtenstein) for Region B (Western Europe), Tomasz Pinciurek (Poland) for Region C (Eastern Europe and North Asia), and Nedal Al Samara (Jordan) for Region E (Asia and Australia).
Angola’s leadership role within ITSO reflects the country’s commitment to advancing satellite communications and fostering international collaboration for the benefit of the African continent.
