IDG News Service —

The European Union has given the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) £20 million (US$31 million) for an ICT regulatory and policy harmonization program in the region. The program is aimed at removing constraints to ICT usage among COMESA member states in order to promote regional integration.

Claes Rosvall, program manager for COMESA's Regional Support Program, said that the money is to be used over three years. The program, however, will run for 20 years due to ongoing negotiations with government officials in the region.

Once completed, the program will level the playing field and end monopolies by government-owned telecommunication companies, said Rosvall.

The ICT policy harmonization program will also enable COMESA member states to establish IT courts that will have the power to settle matters relating to communication disputes and arbitrate among service providers in the telecom sector. Currently, most COMESA members settle these disputes through communication regulatory authorities.

Some member countries, including Zambia and Uganda, however, have not yet begun policy harmonization and argue that they do not have judges knowledgeable in IT issues.

Rosvall answered that national working groups have already been established in each country to oversee the process of policy and regulatory harmonization in order to standardize IT laws and regulations in the region.

"The program will contribute to COMESA's regional agenda for economic integration, and we are also hoping that the program will result in improved access to information by the public," Rosvall said.

COMESA is a regional economic bloc in Lusaka, Zambia, with 21 member countries, including Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.