Landmark PACT for African Amateur Radio Response
/A new agreement between the African Telecommunication Union and the International Amateur Radio Union is being hailed as a landmark agreement on the African continent. Jason Daniels VK2LAW has those details. Praising ham radio for its responsiveness in a crisis, the secretary-general of the African Telecommunications Union signed an agreement with the International Amateur Radio Union advocating for expanded use of ham radio during emergencies in African nations. The agreement places a special emphasis on ham radio's role in the 51 African countries that belong to the ATU. Both organisations pledged to cooperate when preparing for and responding to crises. A large part of the pact involves coordinating workshops and training programs and stepping up promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education in Africa through the use of amateur radio.
“This is our first step to initiating a collaborative approach that is keen to find solutions and to ensure a conducive environment for amateur radio operations in the region.”
Sylvain Azarian, F4GKR, the president of IARU Region 1, said that the agreement would also have an impact on regulatory changes that are needed for amateur radio in Africa.
