"In 2011, working with the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA),1 the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in cooperation with the European Commission (EC) published a toolkit on universal access funding and universal service implementation to provide guidance on how to establish, manage and ensure good governance of universal access and service funds. It also offered advice on sources of traditional and new financing mechanisms with relevant good practices and country experiences.
[.] Over the past decade, countries have taken different approaches to universal access and service funding. Ongoing, and in some cases worsened, socio-economic conditions have meant bridging the digital divide is more difficult – the Covid-19 pandemic, systemic poverty and global political uncertainty have all taken a toll.
By the end of 2023, of the 14 CRASA Member States, all part of the Southern African Development Community known as “SADC”, 11 had reported having operational access and service funds. In these countries, laws have been passed establishing funds and setting out specific mandates, the scope of funding, eligible beneficiaries and the governance frameworks for fund operations. The toolkit has been updated to reflect ICT sector changes, such as the evolution of universal access and service, and a wider scope of universal access funding that now covers not only connectivity but also adoption, innovation, and inclusivity. The revised SADC toolkit also addresses the different institutional and legal setups across CRASA Member States and the diverse roles and responsibilities of fund managers. Some of the challenges experienced by fund managers and how these could be addressed are also considered." (Summary)