{"id":28925,"date":"2026-04-29T16:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/watra.org\/watras-23rd-agm-charts-a-new-digital-future-unveiling-the-2026-2030-strategic-vision-under-chairman-michel-galleys-leadership\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T16:18:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T15:18:14","slug":"watras-23rd-agm-charts-a-new-digital-future-unveiling-the-2026-2030-strategic-vision-under-chairman-michel-galleys-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/watras-23rd-agm-charts-a-new-digital-future-unveiling-the-2026-2030-strategic-vision-under-chairman-michel-galleys-leadership\/","title":{"rendered":"WATRA\u2019s 23rd AGM Charts a New Digital Future, Unveiling the 2026\u20132030 Strategic Vision Under Chairman Michel Galley\u2019s Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>New Council of Regulators Sets Ambitious Course for Regional Integration, Regulatory Harmonization, and Inclusive Digital Transformation Across West Africa<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Lom\u00e9, Republic of Togo, April 24, 2026<\/strong> \u2014 The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Association (WATRA) has concluded its 23rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) with the adoption of a landmark 2026\u20132030 Strategic Plan and the installation of a new Council of Regulators under the leadership of Mr. Michel Yaovi Galley, Director-General of ARCEP Togo.<\/p>\n<p>Held in Lom\u00e9 from April 20 to 24, 2026, the meeting brought together national regulatory authorities, development partners, and industry stakeholders to advance a shared regional agenda focused on regulatory harmonization, expanded connectivity, and accelerated digital transformation across West Africa.<\/p>\n<p>The Association underscored its collective commitment to building a more integrated and resilient digital ecosystem, anchored in cooperation, innovation, and harmonized policy frameworks aligned with global best practices.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28908\" src=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"769\" srcset=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-2.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-2-300x113.jpg 300w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-2-1024x385.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-2-768x288.jpg 768w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-2-1536x577.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Key Strategic Decisions and Outcomes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The 23rd AGM delivered a series of major decisions shaping the future of telecommunications regulation in the region:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Adoption of the 2026\u20132030 Strategic Plan<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Member States formally adopted WATRA\u2019s new five-year Strategic Plan, expanding the organization\u2019s mandate beyond traditional telecommunications to encompass the broader electronic communications ecosystem, including emerging and disruptive technologies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Strengthened Governance and Technical Frameworks<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Assembly adopted key technical guidelines and recommendations developed by WATRA\u2019s working groups, focusing on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Consumer Access and Quality of Experience<\/li>\n<li>Infrastructure Development<\/li>\n<li>Cybersecurity resilience<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These outputs reflect the completion of structured multi-year technical mandates aimed at reinforcing regulatory effectiveness across the region.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Establishment of Four New Ad-hoc Working Groups<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To address evolving regulatory priorities, the Assembly approved the creation of new working groups on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE)<\/strong> \u2014 improving service standards and regulatory benchmarking across Member States<\/li>\n<li><strong>NGSO Satellite Regulation<\/strong> \u2014 developing frameworks for non-geostationary satellite services<\/li>\n<li><strong>Infrastructure Sharing<\/strong> \u2014 optimizing regional infrastructure deployment and efficiency<\/li>\n<li><strong>Digital Financial Services Co-regulation<\/strong> \u2014 strengthening oversight of digital financial ecosystems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28911\" src=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-3.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-3-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-3-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Leadership Transition and New Council of Regulators<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A key highlight of the AGM was the installation of a new Council of Regulators following the completion of the outgoing mandate.<\/p>\n<p>The new leadership is composed as follows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Chair:<\/strong> ARCEP Togo (Mr. Michel Yaovi Galley)<\/li>\n<li><strong>1st Vice-Chair:<\/strong> ARCEP Benin<\/li>\n<li><strong>2nd Vice-Chair:<\/strong> ARCEP Burkina Faso<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This leadership transition marks a renewed strategic direction for WATRA at a critical moment in its institutional evolution and the implementation of its new five-year roadmap.<\/p>\n<p><strong> <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28914\" src=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1346\" srcset=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-4.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-4-300x197.jpg 300w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-4-1024x673.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-4-768x505.jpg 768w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-4-1536x1010.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Regional Connectivity and Roaming Milestones<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a significant step toward regional integration, the AGM also witnessed the operational launch of free roaming arrangements between:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Togo and Senegal<\/li>\n<li>Togo and Benin<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These initiatives represent concrete progress toward the establishment of seamless regional connectivity for citizens across West Africa.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Capacity Building and Stakeholder Engagement<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The meeting was preceded by high-level dialogues between regulators, operators, service providers, and civil society, fostering consensus on key sectoral priorities.<\/p>\n<p>A dedicated capacity-building workshop on regional roaming further strengthened Member States\u2019 technical and regulatory readiness, drawing on international best practices to support implementation across the sub-region.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-28917\" src=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1208\" height=\"606\" srcset=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-5.jpg 624w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-5-300x150.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1208px) 100vw, 1208px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Institutional Modernization and Sustainability<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Association also reaffirmed its commitment to institutional strengthening, including the ongoing review of its Headquarters Agreement with the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), to better align governance structures with operational realities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Shared Vision for the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Concluding the session, Member States reaffirmed their determination to translate adopted resolutions into measurable impact across the region.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWATRA is rising,\u201d Engr. Aliyu Aboki, WATRA\u2019s Executive Secretary, noted, \u201cto fulfill its mandate of harmonizing telecommunications regulation and fostering the cohesion needed to adapt global best practices to the realities of West Africa. This is just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28920\" src=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"624\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-6.jpg 624w, https:\/\/watra.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/frame-6-300x205.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 624px) 100vw, 624px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>About WATRA<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) is a regional body of telecommunications regulators from West Africa, dedicated to harmonizing regulatory frameworks and promoting affordable, accessible, and high-quality telecommunications services across the region.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/watra.org\/23rd-agm-lome-togo\/\">See more photos from the meeting here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New Council of Regulators Sets Ambitious Course for Regional Integration, Regulatory Harmonization, and Inclusive Digital Transformation Across West Africa&nbsp; Lom\u00e9, Republic of Togo, April 24, 2026 \u2014 The West Africa [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":28907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-desenvolvimentos-de-politicas-regulamentares"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28925"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28927,"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28925\/revisions\/28927"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/watra.org\/pt-pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}