THE BARCELONA COMMUNIQUÉ

G6 Alliance Pledges ‘Digital Sovereignty’ for Africa at MWC26

BARCELONA, In a landmark display of corporate diplomacy, the chief executives of Africa’s six largest telecommunications groups, collectively known as the G6, convened at Mobile World Congress (MWC) to finalize a unified strategic framework for the continent’s digital future.

Lead by Ethio Telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamru, the alliance (Airtel, Axian, Ethio Telecom, MTN, Orange, and Vodacom) inaugurated the first-ever Africa Pavilion, signaling a shift from individual competition to collective infrastructure development.

The Strategic Pivot:

Central to the discussions was the launch of an AI Language Models Initiative. Moving away from reliance on Western-trained models, the G6 demonstrated the first open Swahili reasoning model. Developed in partnership with MeetKai, the model is designed to facilitate local-language digital services, from e-government to mobile banking.

"Secure digital infrastructure is no longer a luxury; it is the prerequisite for African sovereignty in the AI era," Tamru stated during the keynote.

The alliance also finalized protocols for cross-border interoperability, aimed at making mobile money as seamless as cash across the 54 African borders.

SOURCE :

TechAfrica News — “Ethio Telecom CEO and G6 Leaders Launch First-Ever Africa Pavilion at MWC Barcelona” (Published March 4, 2026).

TechReviewAfrica — Detailed reporting on the inauguration and the push for African-centric AI.