Hamadoun Touré
Encyclopedia
Dr. Hamadoun Touré of Mali
has been Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), the specialized agency of the United Nations
dedicated to information and communication technologies (ICTs), since 2007. He was re-elected for a second four-year term in 2010. Since 2007, he has worked to fulfil ITU's mandate to 'connect the world' and help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. He actively promoted the ITU Connect series of events, with the first one, Connect Africa, being held in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2007. Connect Africa raised US$ 55 billion in investment pledges to improve Africa's telecommunications infrastructure over seven years. In the first two years, 2008 and 2009, US$ 22 billion was invested in ICT infrastructure, mainly for mobile communications.
Dr. Touré serves as co-vice-chair of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development
which was launched in May 2010 by ITU and UNESCO
, with Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and Carlos Slim Helú, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso, as co-chairs.
, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) from the Moscow Technical University of Communication and Informatics (MTUCI), in Russia
. Dr Touré was Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau from 1998 to 2006. Prior to joining ITU he had a distinguished career in the satellite industry. Dr Touré is married, with four children and two grandchildren.
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
has been Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union
International Telecommunication Union
The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
(ITU), the specialized agency of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
dedicated to information and communication technologies (ICTs), since 2007. He was re-elected for a second four-year term in 2010. Since 2007, he has worked to fulfil ITU's mandate to 'connect the world' and help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. He actively promoted the ITU Connect series of events, with the first one, Connect Africa, being held in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2007. Connect Africa raised US$ 55 billion in investment pledges to improve Africa's telecommunications infrastructure over seven years. In the first two years, 2008 and 2009, US$ 22 billion was invested in ICT infrastructure, mainly for mobile communications.
Dr. Touré serves as co-vice-chair of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development
Broadband Commission for Digital Development
The Broadband Commission for Digital Development was established in May 2010 as a joint initiative by the International Telecommunication Union and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization...
which was launched in May 2010 by ITU and UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
, with Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and Carlos Slim Helú, Honorary Lifetime Chairman of Grupo Carso, as co-chairs.
Biography
Dr Hamadoun Touré was born in 1953 in the Republic of Mali. He studied at the Technical Institute of Electronics and Telecommunication of Leningrad (LEIS), receiving a Masters Degree in electrical engineeringElectrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
, and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) from the Moscow Technical University of Communication and Informatics (MTUCI), in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Dr Touré was Director of ITU's Telecommunication Development Bureau from 1998 to 2006. Prior to joining ITU he had a distinguished career in the satellite industry. Dr Touré is married, with four children and two grandchildren.
External links
- http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/2008/0805201425.asp?A=HOME&O=FPMN