MOGADISHU, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Somalia's Senate or Upper House on Monday approved the National Communications Act to regulate the country's telecommunication sector.
Engineer Abdi Ashur, Minister for Posts, Telecoms and Technology said the Bill which was earlier passed by the National Assembly on Aug. 9, makes the first act that is approved by this new House to Somalia's legislative system.
"The Act was approved with 39 of the 40 sitting members voting in favour after serious discussions in the last couple of days," Ashur said in a statement issued in Mogadishu.
The president is expected to sign this bill into law very soon before it becomes effective.
"It is an important Act for Somalia. This was the bill that all stakeholders were eagerly looking forward to," Ashur said while discussing the bill in Upper House,
"It is another historic day for Somalia and a giant step towards establishing a regulatory framework for our vibrant telecom industry, because this was the oldest bill that remained idle before the parliament for more than 10 years," he added.
He said the current leadership of the ministry has made passing of this Act as one of the priorities of the ministry by drawing a new, successful strategy that involved all stakeholders.
The law will help the government increase revenues and contribute to security. It will also improve rights of the consumers and attract more investment for the sector, among other benefits.
The telecommunications bill calls for the creation of telecoms regulatory authority, development of the country with telecommunications technology, protecting corporate and consumer rights and more participation by private sectors in developing the sector.
