Artificial intelligence is reshaping the telecommunications landscape as we know it. Rather than being overtaken by this wave of transformation, the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB) has chosen to stay ahead of it. Since Wednesday morning, a cohort of TRB staff has been engaged in an intensive seminar led by leading experts, designed to equip them with the tools and mindsets that the AI era demands.

The TRB's multipurpose hall at the Platinum Building served as the setting for the opening of a three-day training seminar held under the theme: "Artificial Intelligence and Regulation in the Telecommunications Sector: Communicating, Anticipating, Monitoring and Restoring Trust." The initiative reflects the Board's resolve to remain at the forefront of the technological shifts that are redefining global communications.

The opening session was chaired by Alain Parfait Mveng Ekodo, Director of Human Resources, representing Director General Prof. Philémon Zoo Zame. In his address, he made the case for the seminar with clarity: artificial intelligence is no longer a distant prospect — it is an operational reality that is transforming, in real time and in depth, the communicational, managerial, and regulatory practices of institutions worldwide. Faced with this quiet but unstoppable revolution, the TRB is compelled to respond with the rigour and proactivity that define its standing as a central player in Cameroon's Information and Communication Technology sector.

To lead the three days of intensive exchange and learning — scheduled from 8 to 10 April 2026 — the TRB assembled a panel of experts whose complementary profiles ensure a blend of theoretical grounding and practical application. Among the facilitators are acclaimed journalists Alain Belibi and Chetah Bilé, widely recognised for their command of public and media communication. They are joined by Ferdinand Nana Payong, a marketing specialist who will anchor the sessions in current realities, by Dr. Nganguene Mballa Aline Berthe, PhD in Private Law and Expert in Intellectual Property, and by Chedjou Kamdem, an internationally recognised expert in artificial intelligence and social media management, who will bring a global perspective on the technological challenges shaping the sector. This calibre of expertise has been deliberately assembled to meet the demands of a regulatory body operating in an increasingly complex environment.

This seminar does not emerge from an institutional vacuum. It reinforces a strategic vision that the TRB had begun to articulate well before its peers in the sub-region. The Board holds the distinction of being the first telecommunications regulatory organisation in Central Africa to establish a dedicated department for innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence — a move that affirmed its standing as a pioneering institution with a clear-eyed understanding of the forces reshaping the ICT sector. In this respect, the seminar represents another milestone in the deliberate cultivation of an internal culture of innovation.

By the end of the three days, TRB staff will be better equipped to integrate AI tools into their daily practice, sharpen their communication reflexes in crisis situations, and develop the forward-looking and monitoring capacities essential to modern regulation.
At the institutional level, this kind of capacity-building yields tangible results: improved operational efficiency, higher-quality engagement with stakeholders, and enhanced credibility for a body that, now more than ever, is committed to being a pillar of trust within Cameroon's digital ecosystem. An investment in human capital — which, when all is said and done, remains the most enduring of all.
 

ESMA