ICT Policy & Regulation - Institutional Strengthening (IPRIS) ICT Policy & Regulation - Institutional Strengthening (IPRIS) The objective of the intervention is to promote the development of ICT regulation and regulatory frameworks that foster the emergence of accessible, secure and cost-effective connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Cooperation will take place between European ICT regulators and their national counterparts and four regional regulatory organizations. Stockholm University/SPIDER is responsible for the implementation of the intervention which will be in form of a Team Europe Initiative. Insatsens syfte är att främja utvecklingen av ICT-reglering och regelverk som främjar framväxten av tillgänglig, säker och kostnadseffektiv uppkoppling i Afrika söder om Sahara. Detta ska ske i form av myndighetssamarbete mellan europeiska ICT-regleringsmyndigheter och nationella motsvarigheter samt fyra regionala reglerings organisationer. Stockholms universitet/SPIDER ansvarar för insatsens genomförande vilket sker i form av ett Team Europe Initiative. The objective of this contribution is to support the development of regulatory frameworks and regulatory ecosystems that support the development of accessible, secure, and affordable connectivity in sub-Saharan Africa.

To achieve this, the contribution will have two strands of action working in parallel. The two work streams are: Workstream 1) the national strategic priorities in SSA identified by NRAs as change initiatives; and Workstream 2) the regional priorities identified by the RROs as regional projects within their respective strategic plans. WS 1 is the larger part of the Project, targeting NRAs in SSA and thus addressing the strand of national strategic priorities. WS 2 targets the RRO and the strand of regional strategic priorities. The two work streams are illustrated and further described below. 

Workstream 1.

Peer-to-peer capacity development for African national regulators. The participating SSA NRA:s implement change initiatives in their area of work and receive support throughout the process from EU regulators and RROs. The expected outcome is that regulators strengthen their regulatory capacity in the exercise of public authority and that their staff have developed skills to promote ICT regulation that supports the development of accessible, secure, and affordable connectivity by focusing on capacity-building projects in a Joint European Offer for key areas for a functioning NRA. The main outcomes of this workstream relate to capacitating NRA:s to develop and implement projects within the Joint European Offer in areas in a way to allows them to establish the goals of their projects and also to be able to continue to build up on the results for further regulatory development that supports well-functioning markets for digital goods and services.

Workstream 2.

Support to the Regional ICT Regulatory Cooperation Organisations. Support will be channeled to the existing regional cooperation organizations WATRA (West Africa), EACO (East Africa), CRASA (Southern Africa), and ARTAC (Central Africa). The expected result is that regional cooperation organizations will be strengthened in their role as key regional focal points for support to national ICT-regulatory authorities with improved conditions to develop ICT-regulation that supports accessible, secure, and affordable connectivity. This will be done by (1) supporting the institutional frameworks and functioning of the RROs, while also (2) supporting their participation as nodes for information sharing and (where possible) harmonization between NRA:s, and (3) executing regional projects through which the RROs can drive regulatory development in relations to their member NRAs. The main outcomes for this workstream relate to strengthening the value of the RROs as facilitators vis-à-vis the NRAs to strengthen regulation at the national level, as well as to strengthen their core functioning as a result of EU-African peer-to-peer exchange.