Algeria’s Minister of Post and Telecommunications, Sid Ali Zerrouki, convened a high-level African ministerial summit bringing together ministers and officials from across the continent, alongside representatives of regional and international organizations, regulatory bodies, and development finance institutions. The summit was held within the framework of the Global Africa Tech 2026 Forum, hosted in Algiers from March 28 to 30, 2026.
The summit’s deliberations focused on strategic discussions around digital sovereignty and integrated connectivity in Africa, considered crucial pillars in the path toward comprehensive continental integration.
The proceedings culminated in the adoption of the “Algiers Ministerial Declaration on African Communications Sovereignty and Integrated Connectivity”, a continental political document comprising fourteen articles. It sets commitments in areas such as universal connectivity, protection of critical digital infrastructure, data sovereignty, and human capital development.
These commitments are designed to be implemented over the period 2026–2030, in full alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
The declaration enshrines the principle of “sovereign inclusivity” as both a philosophical foundation and a practical orientation, rejecting any artificial contradiction between the need to connect peoples and the requirements of continental digital sovereignty. It emphasizes that expanding access and strengthening strategic autonomy are inseparable objectives. The declaration also establishes a continental framework for developing data centers, internet exchange points, sovereign cloud solutions on African soil, enhancing cybersecurity, and supporting homegrown technological ecosystems.
To follow up on these commitments, participants agreed to establish a coordination secretariat known as SPAS-GAT, tasked with facilitating cooperation among member states, promoting information exchange and best practices, monitoring priority projects, and mobilizing technical and financial partners. Its governance, operations, and hosting arrangements will be determined in consultation with member states, in harmony with existing African mechanisms.
In his address, Minister Sid Ali Zerrouki stressed that Algeria, through this forum, offers a genuine continental model of joint action, based on the vision “All networks, one convergence”, aimed at achieving full interoperability of Africa’s terrestrial, maritime, and space infrastructures. He underlined that telecommunications infrastructure is no longer a narrow sectoral issue, but a strategic pillar of sovereignty, resilience, and inclusivity, and an indispensable foundation for continental economic integration.
Participants expressed deep gratitude to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for his steadfast commitment and ongoing efforts toward building a strong, integrated, and influential Africa, founded on a collective vision of development and continental solidarity. This commitment was reflected in Algeria’s political and institutional support for hosting the forum, its consistent drive to strengthen African integration, consolidate cooperation among states, and establish structured and interconnected continental infrastructure.
At the conclusion of the summit, participants agreed to present the ministerial declaration to the next African Union Summit for consideration and adoption, thereby reinforcing its continental character and embedding its orientations within the core of Africa’s strategic agenda.
