Honourable Ministers,

Members of the Council,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Members of the family of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO), It is an honour and pleasure to welcome you to this 60th meeting of the CTO Council, here in Marlborough House. Since the Council last met in Dhaka Bangladesh in October 2019, the World was ushered into a period of turmoil and uncertainty precipitated by the COVID-19.

The fortunes of CTO had been in decline for some time even before this virus manifested but the pandemic has exposed the inherent weaknesses of our organisation and brought it to a very precarious state of affairs.  We all have recognised that the world has changed irrevocably and continues to change at an unprecedented pace fuelled by rapid technological innovation. These phenomenal changes demand an appropriate response from nations, organisations and individuals, if they are to remain relevant and able to thrive in this new evolving world.

I believe CTO has the potential to help us navigate in a world of uncertainty and to be a trusted partner with us in selecting and effectively adopting the right technology solutions for our unique situations. But, the CTO is at a critical juncture in its 122-year history. It is emerging from the pandemic in a critical state and decisive, impassionate remedial action must be taken to ensure its survival and equipping to serve members better.

The appointment of the new Secretary General, Bernadette Lewis in August 2020 shed the much needed ray of hope for the organisation. Progress has been made, under very challenging circumstances since she joined, and more will be done to stabilise the CTO and to put it on a trajectory to become an organisation of global influence that delivers value-added services to its members with excellence, and has a measurable beneficial impact in the Commonwealth and beyond. 

In December 2020, the Secretary General unveiled a new course for the CTO – one that would enhance its value to members and support the Secretariat in accelerating digital transformation. This vision was endorsed by the Executive Committee and signalled the initiation of much needed work in the secretariat. You will be hearing the details of what has been accomplished this far but no further progress can be made without the unequivocal support of the Council for the plans that will be presented to us over the course of these two days.  

You may have heard about the poor culture of the CTO – no divided house can stand. Therefore,  we need to provide our full support to the Secretary General as the Head of the Secretariat and as she undertakes the necessary reforms needed within the Secretariat in order for it to be equipped to serve its mandate for the CTO members. 

The first two events of Digital Week have raised the hopes for a brighter future for the CTO. This third event, the 60th Council meeting will be pivotal in that it will determine whether the brighter future can be realised. There will be troubling revelations, distressing reports and difficult decisions to be made to reverse the fortunes of our organisation. I am going to ask that our deliberations be kept in strict confidence as this may well expose us to legal challenges.

My hope for this meeting is that we make the decisions that benefit the course for the CTO and enable it to fulfil its potential in helping our countries in effective ICT adoption and accelerating digital transformation.

I thank all of you for your participation in this meeting. I believe that it is a demonstration of your commitment to the CTO. Thank you for coming and let us move with determination to revive our organisation for the benefit of the citizens of the Commonwealth. 

Having made these few introductory remarks, I hereby call this 60th Council to order.