Lesotho will host the 24^th African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI) Governing Council Meeting at Maseru Sun Cabanas on July 31 to August 2.According to a press statement from the Lesotho Telecommunications Authority (LTA), the meeting is expected to be officially opened by the Minister of Communications, Dr Mamphono Khaketla.

  The 24^th AFRALTI governing meeting will focus on the issues related to the general management and administration of the center of Excellence, in particular the progress on the implementation of the center of Excellence activities, report of the Finance and Membership Committee and report of the promotions committee of AFALTI.

The meeting will be preceded by a meeting of the Finance and Membership Committee of which Lesotho is a member, on July 29 to 30. This meeting will be attended by representatives from members states which include Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Seychelles, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

It is expected that delegates from non-member states and some Telecommunications organisations will also attend as observers.

Since its establishment AFRALTI has been conducting courses in Access Networks, Network Planning and Management, Digital Technology, Management studies and Information Technology. Participants from member and non-member countries have already benefited from the courses.

In efforts to speed up the development of telecommunication in Africa, the International Telecommunications Union chose AFRALTI to be one of the nodes for its programme in Centre of Excellence, in telecommunications in Africa. Consequently, AFRALTI was officially launched as Centre of Excellence in February 2002 for all the English-speaking countries.

23 July, 2002.