Visiting Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) Akossi Akossi urged Saturday African countries to work together to reduce the "digital divide" between Africa and the developed world.

"The information and communication technology is the center of globalization," said Akossi.

The ATU was glad to see Africa's political leaders were increasingly aware of the need for unity and the risk of being marginalized in the global information and communication marketplace, he added.

Akossi praised Libyan leader Muamar Ghaddafi for "embracing the key telecommunications sector with priority focused on reducing the digital divide."

He announced that Libya would host the second ordinary session of the conference of plenipotentiaries of the ATU in July 2006.

The 46-member ATU, a successor to the former Pan-African Telecommunications Union, was established in December 1999 with the aim of promoting rapid development of info-communications in Africa.

Source: Xinhua