Story, Louvier Kindo Tombe
It was on the occasion of CAMTEL Parliamentarians’ Day that experts from the telecom operator and members of the Parliamentary Network for Information and Communication Technology brainstormed on how to accompany the digital transformation drive in the country through specialized legislations. The day was placed on the theme “digital industry legislation for the structural transformation of Cameroon’s economy”.
“CAMTEL needs new laws to accompany new technologies,” says Hon Julien Bara, president of REPATIC.
Speaking at the opening of the Parliamentarians’ Day, he said that the parliament is ready to contribute its own quota in accompanying CAMTEL, reasons for their presence at the event.
“CAMTEL plays a very big role in the economic evolutions of the country, but for the company to succeed, they need new laws in the domain. We have come to see how together we can make that happen,” says Hon. Njume Peter, member of REPATIC.
The General Manager of CAMTEL, who chaired the deliberations, laid emphasis on the need to come up with laws that will protect Cameroon’s digital infrastructure, safeguard data, as well as protect the private life of people in the digital space.
Digital economy has to do with growth, evolution development and globalization. The importance of the brainstorming could not be over emphasized in a context where digital infrastructures in the country continue to suffer from attacks and sabotage of various form with little or no legislations to address them squarely. Some of the digital laws have even become obsolete.
Participants at the event discussed on the development of digital technology in Cameroon within the context of the implementation of the National Development Strategy (NDS30) with special attention on legislative considerations and challenges. The role of parliamentarians in the development of digital technology and the structural transformation of Cameroon’s economy was also keenly examined.
An examination of internal experience of digital legislation was also part of the presentations at the event. One of the experts from Nigeria, Olufemi Arosanyin, CEO of IHS Towers, revealed that “in Nigeria today, there is a bill on critical national infrastructure. There is also an executive order that is to be signed for the protection of infrastructure in the telecom industry”.
Present at the CAMTEL Parliamentarians’ Day were digital governance expert from the Telecommunications Regulatory Board, representatives from ANTIC, MINPOSTEL, MINTRANSPORT, MINEPAT, as well as partners of CAMTEL.
At the end of the deliberations, an analysis of the legal framework for digital infrastructure management and digital development in Cameroon was made and the recommendations will go a long way to help achieve the desired objectives. The event was organized within the framework of CAMTEL’s 25th anniversary.
