• Senegal’s ARTP seeks deeper regulatory ties with ITU
• Strategic plan targets AI, climate, data, and network governance
• Digital growth continues with 121% mobile, 60.6% internet penetration

Sénégal’s Telecommunications and Posts Regulatory Authority (ARTP) is seeking to deepen its cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on regulation. The two organizations held discussions on the sidelines of the Global Symposium for Regulators, which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from Sunday, August 31, to Wednesday, September 3.

Dahirou Thiam (photo, right), ARTP’s Director General, presented the institution's future strategic plan to Doreen Bogdan-Martin (photo, left), the ITU’s Secretary-General. The plan includes an inclusive approach that incorporates the concerns of all stakeholders. As stated in an ARTP press release posted on its Facebook page on September 2, the plan will “based on a no-nonsense assessment, focus on major issues such as co-regulation, addressing climate change, data-driven regulation, artificial intelligence governance, and non-terrestrial network regulation.”

These efforts come amid accelerating digital transformation as the Senegalese government works to develop its ICT sector. According to DataReportal, the country had 22.7 million mobile phone subscribers at the beginning of 2025, a penetration rate of 121%, while internet users numbered 11.3 million, a 60.6% penetration rate.

In its 2021 report, “The impact of policies, regulation, and institutions on ICT sector performance,” the ITU highlighted that certain policies have already had a positive impact on investment. These include adopting national broadband plans, flexible licensing frameworks, authorizing spectrum sharing, implementing number portability to boost competition, opening up to foreign operators, and establishing competition authorities. Together, these measures promote expanded coverage, lower prices, increased service adoption, and ultimately, a macroeconomic impact on per-capita GDP.

The partnership between the ITU and ARTP remains in an exploratory phase. The precise terms of any potential collaboration have not been disclosed, and no agreement has been signed or announced yet.

Isaac K. Kassouwi