BIOGRAPHY OF ATU SECRETARY GENERAL MR. ABDOULKARIM SOUMAILA.

Mr. ABDOULKARIM SOUMAILA is the current Secretary General of African Telecommunications Union (ATU) since January, 2011, having been elected at an Ordinary Session of ATU Plenipotentiary Conference held in Brazzaville, Congo in September, 2010. He is leading the Continental body entrusted with building consensus within African countries and coordinating African Common Proposals in international fora.

Born in 1965, Mr. Soumaila holds a Master of Science in Operational Telecommunications from the University of Coventry, England and Telecommunications Application Diploma from National Institute of Posts and Telecommunication in Rabat, Morocco. He started his high school preparatory years at Tahoua High School in Niger and did his Baccalaureate Series C in Mathematics and Physics. He is a national of Niger.

Since then, he has grown through the ranks in both private and public sector where he has acquired wide experience in managing the intricacies of decision making processes both locally and internationally and most importantly built useful relationships with many telecommunications institutions, companies and administrations all over the world.

Prior to being elected the Secretary General of ATU, he was the Director of Posts, Telecommunications and New Technologies then Director of Information Technologies at the Ministry of Communication, New Information Technologies and Culture in Niger from 2007 to 2010.

In 2002 – 2007, he was the Head of Policy and Administrative Supervision of Operators Department at the Ministry of Communication

In 1996 – 2000, he was Head Telecommunication (Department of Posts and Telecommunications Regulation at the Ministry of Communication)

In 1995 – 1996, he was in charge of the frequencies management board

In 1994 – 1995, he was in Study and Planning Department (SPD)

International experience

ATU related activities:

Actively participated in a large number of ATU meetings:

–       Conference of the Plenipotentiaries (2006) as head of the Niger delegation

–       11^th Session of the Board of Directors (2010) as observer

–       2^nd preparatory meeting of WTDC-10 Africa Region as well as the workshops and seminars

Activities of RASCOM:

Head of Niger delegation to the 9th and 11th Meetings of RASCOM Assembly Parties

Activities of the ITU:

• Deputy head and then Head of Niger delegation to the World Telecommunication  Development Conference (WTDC-10, Hyderabad 2010) ;
• Head of Niger delegation to the World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly  (WTSA, Johannesburg 2008);
• Head of Niger delegation to the World Radio communication Conference (WRC, Geneva 2007) ;
• From 1997 he regularly participated in the works of the study Groups 1 and 2 of the BDT as well as the study Group 3 of TSB;
• He also participated at the ITU Telecom Forum and Africa Telecom ;
• Actively participate in workshops, seminars and regional meetings of Africa Region, organized by the ITU.

Mr. Soumaila consequently has a very good knowledge of the international telecommunication institutions;

At the sub-regional level

From 1997 to current, Mr. Soumaila actively participated at the elaboration of all the community texts in the fields of ICTs pertaining to the following institutions:

• Economic Community of west African States(ECOWAS) :
• West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) ;
• West African Telecommunications Regulators Assembly (WATRA) ;
• Member of the  Board  of the Multinational High Institute of Telecommunications (ESMT) of Dakar;

Other Consultation Activities:

National ITU Consultant for the feasibility study of the Niamey – Mali border and Niamey – Chad border optical  fiber  ITU project;

• National Correspondent for Telecommunication indicators to the ECOWAS;
• National Expert for the elaboration of the sub-regional telecommunication network chart of the ECOWAS to the International Telecommunication Union.
• National Expert for the elaboration of legislative and regulatory texts at the ECOWAS and WAEMU levels;
• Member of the committee in charge of the restructuration of the Multinational High Institute of Telecommunications (ESMT) of Dakar;
• National Coordinator for the execution of community telephone booths ITU project for women in Niger;
• Member of Regional Tariff  Group for Africa (TAF Group);
• Member of the committee in charge of the national plan of numbering of the Multidisciplinary Regulation Agency (ARM) in 2006;
• Member of the committee in charge of the global license granting to Orange Niger in 2007;

Mr. Soumaila in his 16 years as a Telecommunication expert and  professional, has acquired a solid experience in Management of Telecommunication networks and services development strategy and has contributed immensely to the implementation of sectorial policies and innovative investment projects in several African Countries.

He is proficient in two official languages of the Union: French and English that help him in negotiating and brokering agreements in several international arenas

He is married with two (2) children.