Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) organised a validation workshop on the ICT Market Definition and Significant Power Assessment report.
The event was held at the Senegambia hotel in Kololi and graced by a cross section of stakeholders from the ICT sector.
The ICT sector in The Gambia continues to make significant growth since the liberalisation of the sector in the 2000s. According to Pura, the ICT Market Assessment Report is a pivotal step towards promoting, developing, and enhancing fair competition and equality within the ICT market.
The study will also provide the regulator a comprehensive understanding of the ICT market in the Gambia and scale up its regulatory mandate.
Speaking at the opening of the validation ceremony, Pura’s director of economic regulations, Burama Jammeh, said the market assessment study marks a crucial milestone in Pura’s road of regulatory mission. “The intention is to strategically position the authority in meeting the capacity of an infrastructure demand of a 5G environment,” Jammeh said.
This is the first ICT market assessment study conducted in The Gambia since 2016 and it is supported by the World Bank-funded ‘Gambia Fiscal Management and Development Project GFMDP’ which aims to among others support the updating of the legal and regulatory framework for the ICT sector to account for the newly restructured telecoms companies and assets.
“With this report in hand Pura is better equipped to lead the charge towards a unified and consistent regulatory practice. Our aim is to strive for simplicity and offer flexibility in approach and maintain a neutrality that fosters a level playing field for all industry participants. In doing so we hope to provide the much needed catalyst for growth, innovation and equitable competition in the ICT sector,” director Jammeh said.
According to the manager of the Gambia Fiscal Management Development Project, Anta Taal, the ICT sector in the Gambia is being revamped to address the systemic challenges, difficult legacy issues and to meet the ever evolving technological advances to ensure the sector is better fit for purpose.
She encouraged Pura to further strengthen the findings of the study to ensure it provides the regulatory independence for the development of the sector that will not only address the challenges of the past but also meet the rapid technological advances.
Pura’s director general, Yusupha Jobe informed stakeholders that the authority is open to dialogue and engagement to ensure the report serves all every player in the market. “Together we have ventured to new territory paving a way for a transparent, competitive, innovative, dynamic, equitable and free and fair ICT market in The Gambia.”
