Kenya's Communications Authority hosts ICT regulators from six African countries

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) opened a five-day training programme for ICT regulators in Nairobi on 5 October 2026. Regulators from Sierra Leone, Mauritius, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Liberia are taking part, according to a CA release dated 5 October.

The event is the eighth cohort of the ICT Policy and Regulation Institutional Strengthening Programme (iPRIS), the CA said. The Star reported on 5 October that it runs from 5 to 9 October. The CA said representatives of the European Union and the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority are also taking part, along with the East African Communications Organisation (EACO), the Communications Regulators' Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) and the West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA).

CA Director General David Mugonyi said: "Regulators must therefore remain agile, evidence-driven and collaborative, while continuously adapting their approaches to keep pace with technological developments and the changing needs of citizens and businesses." According to the same release, he said: "Our responsibility goes beyond writing rules and enforcing compliance. We must enable innovation, protect consumers, promote fair competition and build an inclusive digital society in which no one is left behind."

Capital FM reported on 5 October that Mugonyi urged African regulators to work together against threats that cross borders. "A damaged submarine cable off one coast can slow commerce across a dozen countries, and a fraud scheme devised in one market can reach consumers in all of ours within hours," he said, as quoted by Capital FM. The station also quoted him as saying: "No single regulator, however capable, can address these challenges alone."

The CA release said Mugonyi pointed to Kenya's ongoing review of sector laws and regulations. Capital FM reported that he wants participants to build professional networks and turn lessons from the programme into measurable reforms in their institutions.

The Star reported that the discussions are expected to focus on the regulatory implications of artificial intelligence, digital platforms, next-generation networks, cybersecurity, consumer protection, competition, online safety, data governance and digital inclusion. Citing the CA's latest sector statistics, it said the National Kenya Computer Incident Response Team Coordination Centre (KE-CIRT/CC) detected more than 3.36 billion cyber threat events between January and March 2026.

The Kenya News Agency reported on 5 October that Mugonyi named competition, consumer protection, cybersecurity, online safety, digital inclusion, network resilience, emerging technologies and access to infrastructure as some of the key challenges that require closer regulatory cooperation across borders. It quoted Sweden's Deputy Ambassador Soffie Hillbom as saying Africa's digital transformation should be judged not only by technology and infrastructure but also by its ability to create jobs, promote entrepreneurship and expand economic opportunities.

The Star also cited GSMA estimates: mobile technologies and services contributed US$240 billion to Africa's economy in 2025, equal to 7.8% of GDP, and support about 13 million jobs. Citing the GSMA, it said nearly 1 billion Africans were still not using mobile internet in 2025 despite living within mobile broadband coverage.