The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), through the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA)-funded U.S.–Africa Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Standards Program, is planning to organize a virtual workshop on telecommunication standards in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The workshop will cover topics such as the future of high quality and high-speed broadband, including wireless connectivity, cybersecurity standards, information security, fintech, e-governance, and digital skills building for policy makers and youth in the DRC.
Tentatively planned for May 2021 in the DRC (with U.S. participation virtually), the workshop aims to build an understanding about the critical role of digital infrastructure in enabling the digital economy to flourish in the DRC, and the standardization practices and capacity-building necessary to bolster policy-maker engagement and youth participation. The workshop will also highlight the innovations currently under development in data protection and digital trade standardization, government-led policy harmonization, and industry-led standards development, with the goal of facilitating cooperation and discussion between public- and private-sector participants from both the United States and the DRC.
To prepare for an agenda that best addresses U.S. industry priorities, ANSI is currently soliciting U.S. industry feedback and interest in participating in the workshop.
In addition, ANSI is seeking a technical expert from the U.S. private sector to consult. If you are interested, please reach out to Sharon Okello at [email protected] with suggestions or questions by Friday, March 13, 2020. Visit ANSI's career page to see the posting for more information.
