ATU Charts Virtual Future With Landmark Metaverse Governance Deal

Africa’s intergovernmental ICT policy body, the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) , and The Metaverse Institute  – made up of leading pioneers and thought leaders in the Metaverse, artificial intelligence, and smart cities related technologies, today inked a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at ATU’s headquarters in Nairobi.

The strategic partnership commits both organizations to establish an African governance and adoption framework for the metaverse – an integrative ecosystem of virtual worlds offering immersive experiences to users, that modify pre-existing and create new value from economic, environmental, social and cultural perspectives to the next generation of the 3D internet.

With a staggering USD 5 trillion specifically projected for training humanoid robots in safe, cost-effective virtual environments, the metaverse offers Africa a transformative pathway to overcome its most pressing challenges. This integrative ecosystem of virtual worlds provides solutions for issues that are currently too expensive—such as the iterative development of smart cities infrastructure—and too bold, like facilitating risk-free surgical training, medical simulations, or the safe training of humanoid robots.

It also addresses challenges that are too complex by enabling dynamic platforms for intricate climate change simulations, and tackles those that are critical for human capital, such as advancing food security through virtual agricultural planning and revolutionizing the quality and accessibility of education. This immersive 3D internet will bridge geographical divides, democratize access to world-class knowledge and skills, and thereby empower Africa’s burgeoning youth.

The partnership also provides for cooperation on capacity-building and joint project oversight. ATU Secretary-General John Omo and The Metaverse Institute, CEO Dr. Christina Yan Zhang, led the signing ceremony which was themed around the shared urgency to accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.

Under the MoU, the partners will further develop continent-wide policies and technical standards to guide metaverse development in various sectors. They will launch training programs to build virtual-reality and blockchain skills, and set up a joint oversight body to monitor pilot projects across the fifty-two (52) Member States of ATU.

John Omo called the agreement “a historic step in our digital journey that positions Africa to lead in the next generation of internet platforms.”

He added,

Our youth are entering a new world of opportunity. We must act now to build safe, inclusive virtual economies and communities.

– John Omo, Secretary-General, ATU

These goals are timely given the share of Africans using the Internet jumped from about 28.6% in 2019 to 38% in 2024, adding tens of millions of new users in just five years. The global organization representing the interests of mobile network operators, the GSMA, notes that 27 operators in 16 markets have launched 5G networks, and mobile technologies now contribute over 8% (about $170 billion) to Africa’s GDP. Conversely, Africa which accounts for roughly 18% of the world’s population holds under 1% of global data centre capacity.

With UN figures projecting that by 2100, nearly half the world’s youth will be African, our partnership with ATU is critical. We are honoured to comprehensively evaluate the impact of emerging technologies and the virtual worlds ecosystem on the continent, delivering pragmatic recommendations to maximize Africa’s global competitiveness. Together, we envision a digitally empowered Africa by 2063, a global leader in the digital revolution, where innovation serves humanity to forge a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable future for all.

– Dr. Christina Yan Zhang, CEO, The Metaverse Institute

The ATU and The Metaverse Institute will in the next few months convene joint working groups to draft the governance framework and launch training initiatives.