IGF 2025: Africa charts a sovereign path for AI governance

African leaders at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) 2025 in Oslo called for urgent action to build sovereign and ethical AI systems tailored to local needs. Hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the session brought together voices from government, civil society, and private enterprises.

Moderated by Ashana Kalemera, Programmes Manager at CIPESA, the discussion focused on ensuring AI supports democratic governance in Africa. ‘We must ensure AI reflects our realities,’ Kalemera said, emphasising fairness, transparency, and inclusion as guiding principles.

Executive Director of Policy Neema Iyer warned that AI harms governance through surveillance, disinformation, and political manipulation. ‘Civil society must act as watchdogs and storytellers,’ she said, urging public interest impact assessments and grassroots education.

Representing South Africa, Mlindi Mashologu stressed the need for transparent governance frameworks rooted in constitutional values. ‘Policies must be inclusive,’ he said, highlighting explainability, data bias removal, and citizen oversight as essential components of trustworthy AI.

Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa, called for urgent action to avoid digital dependency. ‘We cannot be passively optimistic. Africa must be intentional,’ he stated. Over 1,000 African startups rely on foreign AI models, creating sovereignty risks.

Koné emphasised that Africa should focus on beneficial AI, not the most powerful. He highlighted agriculture, healthcare, and education sectors where local AI could transform. ‘It’s about opportunity for the many, not just the few,’ he said.

From Mauritania, Matchiane Soueid Ahmed shared her country’s experience developing a national AI strategy. Challenges include poor rural infrastructure, technical capacity gaps, and lack of institutional coordination. ‘Sovereignty is not just territorial—it’s digital too,’ she noted.

Shikoh Gitau, CEO of KALA in Kenya, brought a private sector perspective. ‘We must move from paper to pavement,’ she said. Her team runs an AI literacy campaign across six countries, training teachers directly through their communities.

Gitau stressed the importance of enabling environments and blended financing. ‘Governments should provide space, and private firms must raise awareness,’ she said. She also questioned imported frameworks: ‘What definition of democracy are we applying?’

Audience members from Gambia, Ghana, and Liberia raised key questions about harmonisation, youth fears over job loss and AI readiness. Koné responded that Smart Africa is benchmarking national strategies and promoting convergence without erasing national sovereignty.

Though 19 African countries have published AI strategies, speakers noted that implementation remains slow. Practical action—such as infrastructure upgrades, talent development, and public-private collaboration—is vital to bring these frameworks to life.

The panel underscored the need to build AI systems prioritising inclusion, utility, and human rights. Investments in digital literacy, ethics boards, and regulatory sandboxes were cited as key tools for democratic AI governance.

Kalemera concluded, ‘It’s not yet Uhuru for AI in Africa—but with the right investments and partnerships, the future is promising.’ The session reflected cautious optimism and a strong desire for Africa to shape its AI destiny.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Internet Governance Forum marks 20 years of reshaping global digital policy

The 2025 Internet Governance Forum (IGF), held in Norway, offered a deep and wide-ranging reflection on the IGF’s 20-year journey in shaping digital governance and its prospects for the future.

Bringing together voices from governments, civil society, the technical community, business, and academia, the session celebrated the IGF’s unique role in institutionalising a multistakeholder approach to internet policymaking, particularly through inclusive and non-binding dialogue.

Moderated by Avri Doria, who has been with the IGF since its inception, the session focused on how the forum has influenced individuals, governments, and institutions across the globe. Doria described the IGF as a critical learning platform and a ‘home for evolving objectives’ that has helped connect people with vastly different viewpoints over the decades.

Professor Bitange Ndemo, Ambassador of Kenya to the European Union, reflected on his early scepticism, admitting that stakeholder consultation initially felt ‘painful’ for policymakers unfamiliar with collaborative approaches.

Over time, however, it proved ‘much, much easier’ for implementation and policy acceptance. ‘Thank God it went the IGF way,’ he said, emphasising how early IGF discussions guided Kenya and much of Africa in building digital infrastructure from the ground up.

Hans Petter Holen, Managing Director of RIPE NCC, underlined the importance of the IGF as a space where ‘technical realities meet policy aspirations’. He called for a permanent IGF mandate, stressing that uncertainty over its future limits its ability to shape digital governance effectively.

Renata Mielli, Chair of the Internet Steering Committee of Brazil (CGI.br), spoke about how IGF-inspired dialogue was key to shaping Brazil’s Internet Civil Rights Framework and Data Protection Law. ‘We are not talking about an event or a body, but an ecosystem,’ she said, advocating for the IGF to become the focal point for implementing the UN Global Digital Compact.

Funke Opeke, founder of MainOne in Nigeria, credited the IGF with helping drive West Africa’s digital transformation. ‘When we launched our submarine cable in 2010, penetration was close to 10%. Now it’s near 50%,’ she noted, urging continued support for inclusion and access in the Global South.

Qusai Al Shatti, from the Arab IGF, highlighted how the forum helped embed multistakeholder dialogue into governance across the Arab world, calling the IGF ‘the most successful outcome of WSIS‘.

From the civil society perspective, Chat Garcia Ramilo of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) described the IGF as a platform to listen deeply, to speak, and, more importantly, to act’. She stressed the forum’s role in amplifying marginalised voices and pushing human rights and gender issues to the forefront of global internet policy.

Luca Belli of FGV Law School in Brazil echoed the need for better visibility of the IGF’s successes. Despite running four dynamic coalitions, he expressed frustration that many contributions go unnoticed. ‘We’re not good at celebrating success,’ he remarked.

Isabelle Lois, Vice Chair of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD), emphasised the need to ‘connect the IGF to the wider WSIS architecture’ and ensure its outcomes influence broader UN digital frameworks.

Other voices joined online and from the floor, including Dr Robinson Sibbe of Digital Footprints Nigeria, who praised the IGF for contextualising cybersecurity challenges, and Emily Taylor, a UK researcher, who noted that the IGF had helped lay the groundwork for key initiatives like the IANA transition and the proliferation of internet exchange points across Africa.

Youth participants like Jasmine Maffei from Hong Kong and Piu from Myanmar stressed the IGF’s openness and accessibility. They called for their voices to be formally recognised within the multistakeholder model.

Veteran internet governance leader Markus Kummer reminded the room that the IGF’s ability to build trust and foster dialogue across divides enabled global cooperation during crucial events like the IANA transition.

Despite the celebratory tone, speakers repeatedly stressed three urgent needs: a permanent IGF mandate, stronger integration with global digital governance efforts such as the WSIS and Global Digital Compact, and broader inclusion of youth and underrepresented regions.

As the forum entered its third decade, many speakers agreed that the IGF’s legacy lies in its meetings or declarations and the relationships, trust, and governance culture it has helped create. The message from Norway was clear: in a fragmented and rapidly changing digital world, the IGF is more vital than ever—and its future must be secured.

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Children safety online in 2025: Global leaders demand stronger rules

At the 20th Internet Governance Forum in Lillestrøm, Norway, global leaders, technology firms, and child rights advocates gathered to address the growing risks children face from algorithm-driven digital platforms.

The high-level session, Ensuring Child Security in the Age of Algorithms, explored the impact of engagement-based algorithmic systems on children’s mental health, cultural identity, and digital well-being.

Shivanee Thapa, Senior News Editor at Nepal Television and moderator of the session, opened with a personal note on the urgency of the issue, calling it ‘too urgent, too complex, and too personal.’

She outlined the session’s three focus areas: identifying algorithmic risks, reimagining child-centred digital systems, and defining accountability for all stakeholders.

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Leanda Barrington-Leach, Executive Director of the Five Rights Foundation, delivered a powerful opening, sharing alarming data: ‘Half of children feel addicted to the internet, and more than three-quarters encounter disturbing content.’

She criticised tech platforms for prioritising engagement and profit over child safety, warning that children can stumble from harmless searches to harmful content in a matter of clicks.

‘The digital world is 100% human-engineered. It can be optimised for good just as easily as for bad,’ she said.

Norway is pushing for age limits on social media and implementing phone bans in classrooms, according to Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance Karianne Tung.

‘Children are not commodities,’ she said. ‘We must build platforms that respect their rights and wellbeing.’

Salima Bah, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, raised concerns about cultural erasure in algorithmic design. ‘These systems often fail to reflect African identities and values,’ she warned, noting that a significant portion of internet traffic in Sierra Leone flows through TikTok.

Bah emphasised the need for inclusive regulation that works for regions with different digital access levels.

From the European Commission, Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Future Networks at DG Connect, pointed to the Digital Services Act as a robust regulatory model.

He challenged the assumption of children as ‘digital natives’ and called for stronger age verification systems. ‘Children use apps but often don’t understand how they work — this makes them especially vulnerable,’ he said.

Representatives from major platforms described their approaches to online safety. Christine Grahn, Head of Public Policy at TikTok Europe, emphasised safety-by-design features such as private default settings for minors and the Global Youth Council.

‘We show up, we listen, and we act,’ she stated, describing TikTok’s ban on beauty filters that alter appearance as a response to youth feedback.

Emily Yu, Policy Senior Director at Roblox, discussed the platform’s Trust by Design programme and its global teen council.

‘We aim to innovate while keeping safety and privacy at the core,’ she said, noting that Roblox emphasises discoverability over personalised content for young users.

Thomas Davin, Director of Innovation at UNICEF, underscored the long-term health and societal costs of algorithmic harm, describing it as a public health crisis.

‘We are at risk of losing the concept of truth itself. Children increasingly believe what algorithms feed them,’ he warned, stressing the need for more research on screen time’s effect on neurodevelopment.

The panel agreed that protecting children online requires more than regulation alone. Co-regulation, international cooperation, and inclusion of children’s voices were cited as essential.

Davin called for partnerships that enable companies to innovate responsibly. At the same time, Grahn described a successful campaign in Sweden to help teens avoid criminal exploitation through cross-sector collaboration.

Tung concluded with a rallying message: ‘Looking back 10 or 20 years from now, I want to know I stood on the children’s side.’

Track all key moments from the Internet Governance Forum 2025 on our dedicated IGF page.

Onnuri Church probes hack after broadcast hijacked by North Korean flag

A North Korean flag briefly appeared during a live-streamed worship service from one of Seoul’s largest Presbyterian churches, prompting an urgent investigation into what church officials are calling a cyberattack.

The incident occurred Wednesday morning during an early service at Onnuri Church’s Seobinggo campus in Yongsan, South Korea.

While Pastor Park Jong-gil was delivering his sermon, the broadcast suddenly cut to a full-screen image of the flag of North Korea, accompanied by unidentified background music. His audio was muted during the disruption, which lasted around 20 seconds.

The unexpected clip appeared on the church’s official YouTube channel and was quickly captured by viewers, who began sharing it across online platforms and communities.

On Thursday, Onnuri Church issued a public apology on its website and confirmed it was treating the event as a deliberate cyber intrusion.

‘An unplanned video was transmitted during the livestream of our early morning worship on 18 June. We believe this resulted from a hacking incident,’ the statement read. ‘An internal investigation is underway, and we are taking immediate measures to identify the source and prevent future breaches.’

A church official told Yonhap News Agency that the incident had been reported to the relevant authorities, and no demands or threats had been received regarding the breach. The investigation continues as the church works with authorities to determine the origin and intent of the attack.

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Oakley unveils smart glasses featuring Meta technology

Meta has partnered with Oakley to launch a new line of smart glasses designed for active lifestyles. The flagship model, Oakley Meta HSTN, will be available for preorder from 11 July for $499.

Additional Oakley models featuring Meta’s innovative technology are set to launch later in the summer, starting at $399.

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The glasses include a front-facing camera, open-ear speakers, and microphones embedded in the frame, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. When paired with a smartphone, users can listen to music, take calls, and interact with Meta AI.

With built-in cameras and microphones, Meta AI can also describe surroundings, answer visual questions, and translate languages.

With their sleek, sports-ready design and IPX4 water resistance, the glasses are geared toward athletes. They offer 8 hours of battery life—twice that of the Meta Ray-Bans—and come with a charging case that extends usage to 48 hours. Video capture quality has also improved, now supporting 3K resolution.


Customers can choose from five frame and lens combinations with prescription lenses for an added cost. Colours include warm grey, black, brown smoke, and clear, while lens options include Oakley’s PRIZM and transitions.

The $499 limited-edition version features gold accents and gold PRIZM lenses. Sales will cover major markets across North America, Europe, and Australia.

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UK health sector adopts AI while legacy tech lags

The UK’s healthcare sector has rapidly embraced AI, with adoption rising from 47% in 2024 to 94% in 2025, according to SOTI’s new report ‘Healthcare’s Digital Dilemma’.

AI is no longer confined to administrative tasks, as 52% of healthcare professionals now use it for diagnosis and 57% to personalise treatments. SOTI’s Stefan Spendrup said AI is improving how care is delivered and helping clinicians make more accurate, patient-specific decisions.

However, outdated systems continue to hamper progress. Nearly all UK health IT leaders report challenges from legacy infrastructure, Internet of Things (IoT) tech and telehealth tools.

While connected devices are widely used to support patients remotely, 73% rely on outdated, unintegrated systems, significantly higher than the global average of 65%.

These systems limit interoperability and heighten security risks, with 64% experiencing regular tech failures and 43% citing network vulnerabilities.

The strain on IT teams is evident. Nearly half report being unable to deploy or manage new devices efficiently, and more than half struggle to offer remote support or access detailed diagnostics. Time lost to troubleshooting remains a common frustration.

The UK appears more affected by these challenges than other countries surveyed, indicating a pressing need to modernise infrastructure instead of continuing to patch ageing technology.

While data security remains the top IT concern in UK healthcare, fewer IT teams see it as a priority, falling from 33% in 2024 to 24% in 2025. Despite a sharp increase in data breaches, the number rose from 71% to 84%.

Spendrup warned that innovation risks being undermined unless the sector rebalances priorities, with more focus on securing systems and replacing legacy tools instead of delaying necessary upgrades.

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Brazilian telcos to push back on network fee ban

Brazilian telecom operators strongly oppose a bill that would ban charging network fees to big tech companies, arguing that these companies consume most of the network traffic, about 80% of mobile and 55% of fixed usage. The telcos propose a compromise where big techs either pay for usage above a set threshold or contribute a portion of their revenues to help fund network infrastructure expansion.

While internet companies claim they already invest heavily in infrastructure such as submarine cables and content delivery networks, telcos view the bill as unconstitutional economic intervention but prefer to reach a negotiated agreement rather than pursue legal battles. In addition, telcos are advocating for the renewal of existing tax exemptions on Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connectivity fees, which are set to expire in 2025.

These exemptions have supported significant growth in IoT applications across sectors like banking and agribusiness, with non-human connections such as sensors and payment machines now driving mobile network growth more than traditional phone lines. Although the federal government aims to reduce broad tax breaks, Congress’s outlook favours maintaining these IoT incentives to sustain connectivity expansion.

Discussions are also underway about expanding the regulatory scope of Brazil’s telecom watchdog, Anatel, to cover additional digital infrastructure elements such as DNS services, internet exchange points, content delivery networks, and cloud platforms. That potential expansion would require amendments to Brazil’s internet civil rights and telecommunications frameworks, reflecting evolving priorities in managing the country’s digital infrastructure and services.

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AI traffic wars: ChatGPT dominates, Gemini and Claude lag behind

ChatGPT has cemented its position as the world’s leading AI assistant, racking up 5.5 billion visits in May 2025 alone—roughly 80% of all global generative AI traffic. That’s more than the combined total of Google’s Gemini, DeepSeek, Grok, Perplexity, and Claude—doubled.

With over 500 million weekly active users and a mobile app attracting 250 million monthly users last autumn, ChatGPT has become the default AI tool for hundreds of millions globally.

Despite a brief dip in early 2025, OpenAI quickly reversed course. Its partnership with Microsoft helped, but ChatGPT works well for the average user.

While other platforms chase benchmark scores and academic praise, ChatGPT has focused on accessibility and usefulness—proven decisive qualities.

Some competitors have made surprising gains. Chinese start-up DeepSeek saw explosive growth, from 33.7 million users in January to 436 million visits by May.

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Operating at a fraction of the cost of Western rivals—and relying on older Nvidia chips—DeepSeek is growing rapidly in Asia, particularly in China, India, and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, despite integration across its platforms, Google’s Gemini lags behind with 527 million visits, and Claude, backed by Amazon and Google, is barely breaking 100 million despite high scores in reasoning tasks.

The broader impact of AI’s rise is reshaping the internet. Legacy platforms like Chegg, Quora, and Fiverr are losing traffic fast, while tools focused on code completion, voice generation, and automation are gaining traction.

In the race for adoption, OpenAI has already won. For the rest of the industry, the fight is no longer for first place—but for who finishes next.

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Google Photos new update adds AI editing

Google is marking the 10th anniversary of Google Photos by introducing a revamped, AI-powered photo editor aimed at making image enhancement simpler and faster.

The updated tool combines multiple effects with a single suggestion and offers editing tips when users tap on specific parts of a photo.

Instead of relying solely on manual controls, the interface now blends smart features like Reimagine and Auto frame with familiar options such as brightness and contrast. The new editor is being rolled out to Android users first, with iOS users set to receive it later in the year.

In addition, Google Photos now supports album sharing via QR codes. Instead of sharing links, users can generate a code that others nearby can scan or receive digitally, allowing them to view or add photos to shared albums.

With over 1.5 billion monthly users and more than nine trillion photos stored, Google Photos remains one of the world’s most widely used photo services.

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App Store revenue climbs amid regulatory pressure

Apple’s App Store in the United States generated more than US$10 billion in revenue in 2024, according to estimates from app intelligence firm Appfigures.

This marks a sharp increase from the US$4.76 billion earned in 2020 and reflects the growing importance of Apple’s services business. Developers on the US App Store earned US$33.68 billion in gross revenue last year, receiving US$23.57 billion after Apple’s standard commission.

Globally, the App Store brought in an estimated US$91.3 billion in revenue in 2024. Apple’s dominance in app monetisation continues, with App Store publishers earning an average of 64% more per quarter than their counterparts on Google Play.

In subscription-based categories, the difference is even more pronounced, with iOS developers earning more than three times as much revenue per quarter as those on Android.

Legal scrutiny of Apple’s longstanding 30% commission model has intensified. A US federal judge recently ruled that Apple violated court orders by failing to reform its App Store policies.

While the company maintains that the commission supports its secure platform and vast user base, developers are increasingly pushing back, arguing that the fees are disproportionate to the services provided.

The outcome of these legal and regulatory pressures could reshape how app marketplaces operate, particularly in fast-growing regions like Latin America and Africa, where app revenue is expected to surge in the coming years.

As global app spending climbs toward US$156 billion annually, decisions around payment processing and platform control will have significant financial implications.

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