The East African Community (EAC) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Secretariats are set to develop a joint regional roadmap to translate new commitments on spectrum management into concrete policy, regulatory, and institutional reforms.
- •The move follows a Joint Spectrum Management and Knowledge Exchange Workshop in Kigali, Rwanda, where leaders and technical experts from nine Eastern African countries agreed to fast-track regional spectrum harmonisation to strengthen cross-border digital integration.
- •Currently, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have assigned an average of 387 MHz of spectrum, compared to a global average of 574 MHz, limiting the expansion of affordable broadband networks.
- •In Kenya, while the Communications Authority (CA) has made strides in spectrum planning and the rollout of 4G and 5G frequencies, gaps persist in underutilised rural spectrum and fragmented allocations across operators.
“Spectrum is not merely a technical asset; it is the oxygen of digital transformation,” said Didier Nkurikiyimfura, Director of Emerging Technologies and AI at the Smart Africa Secretariat. “How we manage it will determine how fast Africa can connect its citizens, innovate, and grow its digital economy.”
Spectrum, which powers mobile networks and hence is the backbone of digital transformation, is severely under-utilised and fragmented in the region. This has created challenges for cross-border communication, even for subsidiaries of the same telecommunications companies, and also complicated roaming and network expansion.
Daniel Murenzi, EAC–EARDIP Project Coordinator, described the workshop as “a pivotal moment in the region’s digital journey.” He noted, “Spectrum harmonisation is the backbone of a connected, competitive and inclusive Eastern Africa. It’s how we move from fragmented national markets to a single regional digital economy.”
The fragmentation and underutilisation of spectrum, coupled with limited cross-border coordination and other challenges such as high licensing costs, have constrained efforts to extend affordable broadband in the region.
Kenya’s CA has allocated bands for mobile broadband, yet large parts of these frequencies remain idle in rural areas due to high deployment costs and limited investment incentives.
Aligning Kenya’s spectrum management with regional harmonisation could reduce duplication, lower costs, and enhance cross-border roaming, especially as regional data traffic and mobile money ecosystems continue to expand.