Addis Ababa on September 2, 2022, hosted the 1 st Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Program (EA-RDIP) exchange workshop, bringing together ICT Ministers and experts from Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan. Somalia’s Communications and Technology Minister, H.E. Jama Hassan Khalif, urged participants to take advantage of digital integration markets, to benefit from the vast opportunities. In the true spirit of regional collaboration, the Minister implored Ethiopia and South Sudan to fully tap into the proximity with Somalia – which is endowed with the “second longest coastline in Africa, if the region is to fully benefit from access to submarine cables”.
At the workshop, participants discussed establishing a Steering Committee to move forward with the initiative that seeks to bridge the digital divide, enhance cyber-security strategies, and coordinate ICT infrastructure deployment at border points, in the Horn of Africa countries.
EA-RDIP is an initiative under the aegis of the World Bank. Phase 1 of the project anticipates the advancement of the regional digital market integration through
increasing access to broadband connectivity and strengthening the enabling environment for digital service delivery.
