The West Africa Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) recently welcomed the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), led by its Secretary General, Mr. Rodney Taylor, on a courtesy visit to its Abuja Secretariat. The high-level meeting marked a significant step toward fostering strategic ties between the two regions, aimed at addressing shared challenges and driving innovation in the telecommunications sector.
WATRA’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Aliu Aboki, described the visit as a defining moment for regional and sub-regional collaboration. “Your presence here demonstrates our shared resolve to strengthen ties, advance regulatory frameworks, and create meaningful engagement that benefits both West Africa and the Caribbean,” he stated.
Discussions during the meeting focused on spectrum management, broadband expansion, satellite services, and Internet governance. Both organizations highlighted the importance of joint efforts to tackle modern telecommunications challenges while unlocking opportunities for mutual growth.
Mr. Taylor expressed optimism about the collaboration, commending WATRA’s achievements. “We are here to learn from your experiences and explore ways to collaborate for mutual growth. Together, we can achieve remarkable progress,” he noted.
The meeting also addressed shared challenges, including funding constraints, state sovereignty, and organizational limitations, which were framed as opportunities for innovation and creativity. Mr. Aboki emphasized Nigeria’s leadership in spectrum trading and direct-to-device technology as examples of transformative solutions that could inspire the partnership.
CTU Deputy Secretary General Mr. Nigel Cassimire and Director of Business Development Mr. Gary Kalloo shared insights on implementing Roaming Regulation and achieving regional alignment through bilateral agreements between operators. They also explored WATRA’s regulatory framework for Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) services as a potential guide for the Caribbean.
Dr. Joseph Emeshili, Co-Chair of WATRA’s Infrastructure Working Group, presented the sub-region’s spectrum harmonization efforts, which sparked an engaging exchange of ideas. WATRA agreed to share Nigeria’s spectrum roadmap and frequency allocation data with CTU, while the CTU announced plans to form a working group to prepare Caribbean regulators for the upcoming World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC).
Looking ahead, Mr. Taylor invited WATRA to participate in CTU’s Regulators Forum in Jamaica and pledged to consult with Caribbean member states on submarine cable issues before Nigeria’s upcoming submarine cable summit. Discussions also explored the possibility of formalizing collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between WATRA and CTU, with potential involvement from the Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL).
“The opportunities for collaboration between the Caribbean and West Africa are vast,” Taylor emphasized. “This visit has laid the foundation for deeper engagement through joint workshops, technical exchanges, and unified strategies.”
Both organizations reaffirmed their commitment to leveraging telecommunications as a driver of economic development and social progress. Mr. Taylor pledged to report the meeting’s outcomes to Caribbean Heads of Government and examine the feasibility of establishing a regional regulatory body inspired by WATRA’s model.
This historic meeting signals a new era of collaboration between West Africa and the Caribbean, with both regions poised to achieve transformative advancements in the telecommunications sector.
