Africa’s coordination effort at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 in Doha runs through a single delivery question: whether the continent can arrive with one position and carry it through the negotiations that matter. That was the task before African Heads of Delegation when they met on the sidelines of the conference in Doha, Qatar, to align the continent’s strategic priorities and common positions for effective participation at PP-26.
The Special Africa Heads of Delegation Session was convened by the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), the operational body behind the coordination exercise, and addressed by the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, H.E. Lerato D. Mataboge. Her department frames its role in delivery terms. Under the implementation of Agenda 2063, the AU’s Department of Infrastructure and Energy says its work is focused on advancing a united African voice in shaping an inclusive, resilient and equitable global digital future.
The substance of the session centred on what Africa is actually bringing to the table. Discussions covered the continent’s strategic priorities and updates on its candidatures for ITU elective positions, the practical machinery of influence inside the union’s electoral process. Commissioner Mataboge extended best wishes to all African candidates standing for positions within the ITU, expressing support and confidence in their candidatures and wishing them every success.
Delivery of a common position rests on a framework already adopted. Commissioner Mataboge reaffirmed the importance of the Gabon Declaration on Africa’s Road to Doha, adopted during the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and ICT (STC-CICT6), as a guiding framework for advancing Africa’s collective priorities and strengthening the continent’s voice in global digital governance.
That declaration sets the working agenda. It provides a common strategic direction for Africa’s engagement at PP-26, covering priorities such as equitable access to satellite spectrum, more resilient undersea cable infrastructure, digital public infrastructure and artificial intelligence governance. Each of these is an infrastructure and services question: spectrum allocation determines what satellite services can reach African users, cable resilience determines whether connectivity holds under strain, and digital public infrastructure and AI governance determine how the continent’s systems are built and regulated.
Meanwhile, the Doha conference is the venue where those priorities either translate into outcomes or remain statements of intent. The sidelines session was designed to close that gap before negotiations begin in earnest, giving heads of delegation a shared script rather than a set of national positions.
For readers tracking whether the coordination holds, the measure will be candidature outcomes and the treatment of the Gabon Declaration’s priorities inside the ITU’s decision-making. The AU has put the framework in place and its commissioner has publicly backed the candidates carrying it. The remaining work is execution on the conference floor. Further detail on the session and its context is available at https://techreviewafrica.com/news/8276/itu-pp-26-doha-african-union-calls-for-united-african-position-on-digital-priorities-at-itu-plenipotentiary-conference-in-doha, and the department’s Agenda 2063 implementation remains the standing vehicle for the united voice the session was convened to secure.