Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Emma Theofelus, had a busy first day at ANGOTIC 2026 in Luanda, Angola, on Thursday.
From strengthening bilateral cooperation to sharing Namibia's digital transformation journey, the minister participated in a series of engagements aimed at advancing connectivity, innovation and regional collaboration.
The day began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation (MoU) in the field of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)between Namibia and Angola.
The agreement seeks to strengthen collaboration in areas such as digital transformation, connectivity, innovation and ICT development.
The minister also held discussions with South Africa's Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Mondli Gungubele.
The two leaders reflected on an ICT cooperation agreement signed in 2017 and discussed opportunities to strengthen digital collaboration between Namibia and South Africa.
Theofelus later joined a panel discussion on Trust in the Age of AI, Authenticity, AI Standards and Machine Learning, where she highlighted the importance of building public trust in digital services by protecting citizens' data and critical information infrastructure while ensuring that regulations do not hinder innovation and emerging technologies.
"One of the pillars outlined in our National Digital Strategy is digital government. If you have systems that are automated and civil servants that are able to efficiently do their work through the support of technology, you are then able to support the entire economy. Another important pillar is ensuring that we leverage emerging technologies such as AI while creating an environment that allows innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive," says Theofelus.
In a second panel discussion focusing on critical digital infrastructure, the Minister addressed Namibia's connectivity challenges and the need to connect remote communities through a combination of technologies, including satellite solutions.
She also pointed to the potential of regional cooperation and lessons from Angola's Angosat programme.