African Telecommunications Union has announced a new technical partnership with Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and International Telecommunication Union to support the development of stronger and more future-ready internet infrastructure across Africa.
The partnership was unveiled during the 2026 ITU Regional Development Forum for Africa held in Victoria Falls.
ATU Secretary General John Omo joined Laurent Ferrali, Senior Director for Government and IGO Engagement at ICANN, and Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau, to announce the collaboration.
According to the organisations, the partnership focuses on improving internet infrastructure resilience, expanding connectivity, and preparing African countries for the next phase of digital growth.
The collaboration builds on earlier joint efforts to increase IPv6 adoption across the continent. IPv6 is the latest version of the internet protocol designed to support the growing number of connected devices and future internet services.
Earlier this year, ATU, ICANN, and ITU partnered with AFRALTI in Nairobi to train technical and policy experts from 30 African countries.
The training focused on IPv6 readiness, deployment strategies, regulatory alignment, and the creation of national transition roadmaps for internet infrastructure upgrades.
ATU said the initiative has now moved into the next stage with the deployment of IPv6 test-bed infrastructure in selected pilot countries. The test systems are expected to help governments and technical institutions better understand implementation processes before wider national rollouts.
The organisations said the partnership is intended to support the long-term resilience, scalability, and sustainability of Africa’s digital ecosystem as internet usage and digital services continue to expand across the continent.
ATU added that it remains committed to working closely with member states and development partners to ensure African countries benefit from stronger and more reliable digital infrastructure capable of supporting future economic and technological growth.
