Resilient and Responsible AI | IGF 2023 Town Hall #105

Mariam Jobe

The Africa Youth Internet Governance Forum was recently held, highlighting the significant role of young people in shaping the digital future. The forum covered various topics, including cyber security, data privacy, digital inclusion, and the need for comprehensive data laws. One key argument was the lack of knowledge among young people about these important issues, emphasizing the need for educational outreach efforts.

The forum also emphasized the importance of internet access and digital literacy in underserved and rural communities. It recognized that improving internet access and digital literacy is crucial to ensuring equal opportunities and promoting socio-economic development.

Discussions addressed the issue of cyber crimes and the need for safe spaces to report such problems. The importance of an ethical framework surrounding artificial intelligence was also highlighted. It was noted that some countries lack comprehensive data laws, hindering their ability to effectively address cyber crimes.

An intergenerational session between the youth and Members of Parliament (MPs) fostered collaboration and highlighted the importance of government-youth partnerships. Involving young people in policy development and decision-making processes is crucial.

In conclusion, the Africa Youth Internet Governance Forum underscored the pivotal role of young individuals in shaping the continent’s digital future. Increased education and awareness, inclusivity, ethical considerations, and citizen participation were identified as crucial components. Internet access and digital literacy in underserved communities were recognized, along with the need for collaboration between the youth and the government. The forum provided a platform to address pressing issues and generate innovative solutions for Africa’s digital transformation.

Audience

The analysis covered a range of topics discussed by various speakers. The first speaker expressed a disagreement with the commonly held belief that advanced tech elements such as AI and blockchain are the keys to innovation and development. Instead, they emphasized the importance of isolating, understanding, and tackling diseases like COVID-19. The speaker pointed out their seven years of engagement with individuals afflicted with COVID-19 and emphasized the importance of isolation in dealing with such diseases. They considered AI and blockchain distractions when it comes to public health crises.

Another speaker focused on the role of traditional forms of innovation and governance in driving improvement. They highlighted the contributions of African engineers and economists who are actively tackling COVID-19. The speaker emphasized the crucial role played by telecommunications regulators and considered traditional forms of governance, such as the rule of law, essential for improvement.

The role of AI in technological advancement was also discussed by a speaker with 40 years of experience in technology. They cited the example of human genomics and how integration of technology did not eliminate medical jobs but enhanced precision medicine. The speaker viewed AI as just another technology that should be adapted and integrated, rather than feared.

Legislators’ role in adapting technology and their potential to get distracted by job loss fears were highlighted by another speaker, who was both a lawmaker and technologist. They emphasized the importance of focusing on adapting technology quickly to avoid being left behind.

The importance of sharing reports and learnings with the leadership of each respective National Assembly was emphasized by a participant who presented a report in Abuja. They urged not to turn legislative participation into a mere holiday or jamboree but to make meaningful contributions.

Another participant suggested the need for a directory of ongoing initiatives at the continental level to be shared among all parliamentarians. They mentioned learning about several initiatives at the continental level for the first time during the meeting.

The need for international development partners to customize their support based on the priorities of each country was emphasized by a participant. They believed that generic support often does not address the priorities of individual countries and asserted that each country should determine its own priorities and approach development partners accordingly.

Concerns were raised over the limited participation of African countries in hosting the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), with less than 20 out of 54 African nations being active in hosting it. The speaker expressed the need for African nations to be more involved and accountable in terms of hosting IGF.

The establishment of an accountability framework within IGF for multi-stakeholders and countries was advocated by a speaker. They urged the need for a mechanism to hold stakeholders accountable.

The need for a vision and strategic plan for growing and strengthening IGF within Africa was also highlighted by a speaker. They emphasized that having such a plan would be instrumental in achieving the goals of IGF.

The potential contribution of assistive technologies to the GDP was mentioned, highlighting the importance of utilizing these technologies to serve disabled communities.

It was noted that African meetings and conferences often neglect the discussion on disabled communities, indicating a lack of attention and inclusivity in these forums.

The utilization of traditional African communal values to ensure the realization of IGF goals was suggested by a speaker, emphasizing the importance of cultural context in achieving the goals.

Overall, the analysis highlighted the need for innovation, inclusive policies, and partnerships to achieve sustainable development goals. It shed light on the importance of integrating advanced technology responsibly, prioritizing country-specific priorities, and ensuring inclusivity in decision-making processes. The speakers’ perspectives provide valuable insights into various aspects of development, governance, and technology, contributing to the ongoing discourse on achieving sustainable development.

Martin Koyabe

The analysis provided covers several key points related to cyber capacity building and cybersecurity in Africa.

The first point discussed is the AU-GFCE collaboration project, which aimed to build resilience and ensure cyber capacity building within the continent. This project focused on three key areas: assessment of priorities for African countries regarding cyber issues, sustainability through investment in expertise, and establishment of institutional memory. The analysis highlights that significant investment has been made in digital infrastructure due to the increased demand for these services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The next area of focus is the need to enhance security in Africa through investing in training and developing cyber skills. It is mentioned that protecting infrastructure is a high priority for African countries. The GFCE has established the Africa Cyber Experts Community, which consists of over 80 experts from 37 countries. Additionally, there is a call to facilitate opportunities and development of cyber skills for individuals in marginalized areas. The GFCE and AU have also established the network of African women in cyber.

The importance of political will and funding in boosting cybersecurity is emphasized in the analysis. It is noted that many projects in Africa lack sustainable funding or resources, leading to their discontinuation or inadequate sustainment after the primary funding ends. The analysis argues that countries need to internally invest in cybersecurity to ensure the sustainability of projects. Furthermore, there is a critical need for sensitization at various political and decision-making levels to enhance cybersecurity efforts.

The analysis also mentions an upcoming meeting in Ghana, where cybersecurity experts and capacity building development partners will discuss cyber-related issues. It is highlighted that this meeting is of significant importance as it is the first of its kind.

The situation of AFRINIC, an organization facing challenges and undergoing issues, is also addressed. The analysis mentions that AFRINIC is currently under litigation and requires the resolution of its problems. However, it is recommended to reserve extended comments on this situation and let the process take its due course.

Finally, the importance of sustaining mechanisms for auditing authentic organizations is emphasized. This is seen as crucial in ensuring the effectiveness and credibility of these organizations.

Overall, the analysis focuses on the need for cyber capacity building and cybersecurity in Africa, highlighting the importance of various factors such as collaboration, investment, political will, funding, and sustainability. It also provides insights into specific initiatives and challenges, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

Chidi

The African IGF (AIGF) emphasises the importance of a multi-stakeholder approach to ensure its success. This approach involves collaboration from various stakeholders including government, civil society, academia, and the private sector. The AIGF recognises that for effective addressing of the challenges and opportunities of the digital landscape, involvement of all these stakeholders in decision-making is necessary.

Creating an enabling environment is a key factor for the success of the AIGF. This refers to the need for policies and regulations that support the growth of the digital economy and ensure equal access to digital technologies for all. It is also crucial to enforce instant cyber laws to protect individuals and organisations from cyber threats and ensure the security of digital systems.

In addition to an enabling environment and instant cyber laws, political will is essential for shaping the digital landscape. The AIGF highlights the importance of political leaders showing commitment to promoting digital inclusion and embracing technology for development. This includes providing necessary resources and support for digital initiatives.

Another important aspect discussed is the need for inclusivity and ethical AI principles. The AIGF argues that an inclusive digital environment should be created to ensure everyone benefits from technological advancements. This includes addressing the issues of digital divide and ensuring no one is left behind. The AIGF also highlights the importance of a legislative framework to promote ethical AI principles and prioritize inclusivity.

Nigeria is recognised as a country playing a pivotal role in shaping the trajectory of technological advancement. The country has put in place strategic objectives, initiatives, regulatory instruments, and platforms to foster the growth of the digital economy. Nigeria has also taken major steps towards harmonising rights of way, which are crucial for the development of ICT infrastructure.

However, Africa still faces challenges such as inadequate visibility of individual countries’ activities and insufficient collaborations within the African region. It is imperative for African countries to share information in real-time and work together to achieve their technological goals.

Investment in research and development for emerging technologies is seen as a fundamental step towards technological advancement. The AIGF urges stakeholders to seize the opportunity and increase research capacity to drive innovation and stay at the forefront of emerging technologies.

AFRINIC, responsible for managing internet resources in Africa, is mentioned to be in a state of crisis or dysfunctionality. This raises concerns about its impact on internet security and sustainability in Africa. The source of the internet, considered a commodity, lies with the IP networks.

Another key argument made is the importance of Africa taking charge of its internet infrastructure to maintain cybersecurity. The AIGF highlights the need for African countries to have control over their internet infrastructure to effectively combat cybersecurity issues. This requires strengthening internet governance and building strong institutions to ensure the security and stability of the internet.

In conclusion, the African IGF advocates for a multi-stakeholder approach, an enabling environment, instant cyber laws, and political will to shape the digital landscape. Inclusivity and ethical AI principles, backed by a legislative framework, are also considered essential. Nigeria plays a crucial role in technological advancement, but challenges such as inadequate visibility and insufficient collaborations persist. Investment in research and development is necessary, and concerns are raised about the crisis within AFRINIC and its impact on internet security in Africa. Taking charge of internet infrastructure is crucial for cybersecurity on the continent.

Moctar Seck

Africa is facing significant digital challenges that hinder its progress in the digital age. One of the main obstacles is the deficit of connectivity, with infrastructure issues preventing 6% of the African population from accessing the internet. This lack of connectivity acts as a barrier to economic development and social inclusion. To overcome this challenge, Africa needs to ensure that broadband is accessible to everyone on the continent by 2030, which would require substantial investment from the private sector.

Another crucial challenge is the gender digital divide. Presently, only 45% of females in Africa are connected to the internet, compared to 85% of males. Bridging this divide is essential for achieving gender equality in the digital era. It is worth noting that the internet market in Africa has the potential to reach $180 million by 2025, further highlighting the economic opportunities that can be unlocked by addressing the gender digital divide.

Furthermore, the lack of legal identity for 500 million Africans poses a significant obstacle to digital transformation. Without legal identification, individuals are unable to fully participate in the digital economy and access essential services. Resolving this issue is crucial to ensure that every African can benefit from the opportunities presented by the digital age.

Cybersecurity challenges are also prevalent in Africa, with the cost of cybersecurity issues amounting to 10% of the continent’s GDP. Additionally, terrorists are increasingly exploiting digital avenues, underscoring the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect individuals and institutions in Africa.

While artificial intelligence (AI) presents opportunities for growth and innovation, it also brings challenges that require regulation. Africa’s young population, projected to constitute 70% of the continent’s population by 2050, needs to be prepared for advancements in AI. Implementing regulations around AI is necessary to harness its potential benefits while mitigating associated risks.

The Global Digital Compact, which will shape the future of digital development globally, necessitates African input to ensure equitable sharing of digital technology benefits. Active participation from Africa in shaping this compact is essential.

Resolving the AFIRINIC issue, considered of utmost importance, requires a meeting between the African Economic Community (AEC), the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and Smart Africa. The resolution of this issue is crucial for the development of the continent’s digital infrastructure.

Network access and control are vital for digital transformation, particularly for Africa’s large youth population, accounting for 42% of global youth. Lack of access and control stifles progress, hindering the continent from fully harnessing the potential of digital technologies.

The reliance on AI and its perpetual usage of network data raise concerns about privacy and security. Establishing a regulatory framework is important to address these issues and ensure responsible and ethical use of AI.

Capacity building for regulators is essential to keep up with rapid technological advancements, such as AI, blockchain, IoT, and nanotechnology. Regulators need to stay ahead of these developments and understand their implications to effectively safeguard users’ rights and interests.

The African Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is a growing multi-stakeholder forum where key issues related to digital technology are discussed. It distinctively differs from the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) forum, where government decisions are made. Increased participation from government, the private sector, and civil society in the African IGF is necessary for a more inclusive and comprehensive discussion on digital technology.

The organization of the IGF in Africa depends on the renewal of its mandate. The successful hosting of the IGF in Ethiopia highlights the potential for its further expansion in Africa. However, the renewal of its mandate by 2030 is crucial to ensure its continuity and effective contribution to digital governance in the region.

In conclusion, Africa faces significant digital challenges that need to be addressed for the continent to fully participate in the digital age. These challenges include the deficit of connectivity, the gender digital divide, the lack of legal identity, cybersecurity issues, opportunities and challenges posed by AI, and the need for capacity building for regulators. Active participation by Africa in shaping the Global Digital Compact is crucial, while the resolution of the AFIRINIC issue is of utmost importance. Furthermore, the African IGF provides a platform for important discussions on digital technology, and its expansion and inclusive participation are necessary for effective digital governance in Africa.

Sam George

The analysis focuses on discussions among speakers regarding various topics related to data policies and digital infrastructure in Africa. One key point highlighted is the important role played by parliamentarians in bridging the gaps between civil society, the technical community, and the government. By attending events such as the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSEEG) and the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), parliamentarians gain insights into the challenges and opportunities in the digital realm. They can then initiate or support the government in developing legislation to implement data policies.

Another crucial aspect emphasized is the need for harmonisation of data policies across African countries. The case of the Nigerian company Jumia operating in multiple African nations illustrates how challenges can arise without proper data flow across borders. Without harmonisation, these challenges can hinder the growth and development of businesses operating across countries. Therefore, speakers argue for the adoption of consistent and coordinated data policies across the continent to promote a conducive environment for cross-border data flow.

The importance of prioritising funding for digital infrastructure also emerged as a key point. In upcoming budgeting cycles, it is recommended to improve funding for digital public infrastructure. This infrastructure would serve as a secure space to house data and support the stability and growth of digital services in Africa. Given the increasing importance of digital technology in various sectors, adequate funding for digital infrastructure is seen as crucial for the continent’s socioeconomic development.

Regarding the intersection of state security and digital rights, a neutral stance is taken. While it is recognised that the state has the right to secure data, it should not infringe upon the digital rights of citizens. Striking a balance between these two aspects is necessary to ensure the protection and privacy of individuals’ data while maintaining an environment of national security.

Another noteworthy point is the significance of building the capacity of parliament members through civil society engagement. Deepening knowledge on legislative subjects and engaging with parliamentary portfolio committees are seen as important steps in empowering parliamentarians to effectively address the complex challenges of data policies and digital infrastructure.

Lastly, the analysis also highlights specific stances taken by some speakers. One speaker supports the implementation of the Automated Union (AU) data policy framework and emphasises the need for legislation to support its implementation. Additionally, the speaker suggests the importance of data policy harmonisation across the African continent.

Another speaker advocates for increased funding towards digital public infrastructure. The Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance aims to improve funding allocation, and it is noted that most parliaments will be resuming work in a few weeks, providing an opportunity to further push for increased funding.

In conclusion, the analysis highlights the key points and arguments made by speakers on various aspects of data policies and digital infrastructure in Africa. These include the vital role of parliamentarians, the need for harmonised data policies, prioritisation of funding for digital infrastructure, and the balance between state security and digital rights. Civil society engagement and capacity building for parliament members are also seen as crucial. The implementation of the AU data policy framework and increased funding towards digital public infrastructure are supported. Overall, the analysis provides valuable insights into the discussions surrounding data policies and digital infrastructure in Africa.

Moses Bayingana

Digital transformation is considered critical for Africa’s development and plays a significant role in achieving Agenda 2063 and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The African Union Commission has developed strategies to drive digital transformation and boost Africa’s digital economy. Over the past decade, Africa’s contribution to GDP has increased from 1.5% to over 3% due to advancements in the digital sector. This growth highlights the potential for further economic development through increased digitisation.

To facilitate the digitisation process, the AU has adopted the AU Data Policy Framework to ensure the smooth flow of data. Moreover, support has been extended to Internet Governance Forum organisations, demonstrating the commitment to fostering a conducive environment for digital transformation.

Investing in Africa’s youth is crucial as they hold the potential to drive Africa’s digital economy. With approximately 60% of the continent’s population below the age of 25, Africa’s youth play a significant role in shaping its future. Additionally, it is projected that Africa’s population will reach 2.5 billion by 2050, further emphasising the importance of youth empowerment to harness their potential in the digital sector.

The need to bridge the digital divide is also addressed. Efforts are being made by the African Union Commission to develop strategies and frameworks to regulate digital transformation and ensure the continent’s digital future. The adoption of the AU Convention on Cyber Security and Personal Data Protection is a notable step in safeguarding Africa from cybercrime, as it is identified as a prime target due to its low awareness rate.

In terms of implementation, an institutional architecture and information framework have been devised to monitor the progress of the digital transformation strategy. Member states have nominated focal points for digital transformation, ensuring a collective and coordinated approach towards achieving the set goals. Engagement with all actors across the continent is planned to foster collaboration and support in the implementation process. Furthermore, a comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for 2025, which will provide insights into the progress made and identify areas that require further attention.

Finally, a consultative approach is being employed to grow the African Internet Governance Forum. Recognising the importance of partnerships, strategies are developed through a consultative process, and collaboration is maintained with the European Commission and other stakeholders.

In conclusion, Africa recognises the significance of digital transformation for driving development and achieving its strategic goals. With a focus on youth empowerment, bridging the digital divide, regulating digital transformation, and monitoring implementation, Africa is positioning itself for a prosperous digital future. The efforts of the African Union Commission, coupled with collaboration from key stakeholders, demonstrate the commitment to harnessing the power of digitisation for the benefit of the continent and its people.

Moderator

The African Internet Governance Forum (IGF) discussed various key topics related to internet governance in Africa, including the role of parliament members as a bridge between civil society, the technical community, and the government. It was emphasized that parliament members play a critical role in initiating or supporting government efforts to implement data policy frameworks. Harmonized data policies across African countries were also identified as necessary for seamless data management and operations of companies like Jumia. Furthermore, the forum highlighted the need to increase funding for digital public infrastructure, and the importance of civil society’s engagement with parliamentary portfolio committees for effective legislation. The pivotal role of youth in shaping the digital future was emphasized, as well as the need for advocacy for changes in the digital landscape involving all stakeholders. The forum also stressed the importance of improving internet access and digital literacy from grassroots levels, and the need for safe spaces to report cyber crimes and ethical frameworks tailored to the African context. Investment in Africa’s young generation for driving the digital economy and sustained funding for cybersecurity projects were identified as crucial. The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) dysfunctionality was acknowledged, while Nigeria’s readiness to host the global IGF was welcomed. The forum also highlighted the need to address the gap in internet penetration in Africa. Overall, the African IGF provided a platform for valuable discussions and emphasized collaboration, policy development, and investment in various areas of internet governance. The active monitoring of the digital transformation strategy for Africa was also highlighted as a positive step.

Lillian Nalwoga

The African Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has seen increasing interest and participation from African stakeholders. The effectiveness of the multi-stakeholder approach in the African IGF has become evident, with support from parliamentarians, ministers, and the private sector. The presence of the parliamentarian network and African Parliamentarian Symposium highlights the importance of collaboration in shaping internet governance in Africa. Additionally, governments and the private sector at the regional and national levels have shown interest in engaging with the IGF.

One key argument is the need to implement recommendations and discussions from the IGF at the regional and national levels. These recommendations, discussed in Choto and Abuja, should be applied to enhance internet governance practices across Africa.

There has been an increase in interest and participation of African stakeholders in the Internet Governance (IG) processes. Statistics from the host country show that 3,100 people registered for the IGF, both onsite and online. The eagerness of countries to host future forums indicates the growing importance of these conversations in Africa. This increasing interest reflects the recognition of effective internet governance’s impact on achieving Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9) and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17) in Africa.

It is concluded that the IGF should continue to support and partner with African stakeholders, with significant support received from global partners through the UN IGF Secretariat. This support acknowledges Africa’s potential in the digital future and encourages collaboration and learning opportunities for the continent’s development.

In summary, the multi-stakeholder approach in the African IGF is effective and relevant. Implementing recommendations at regional and national levels is vital, considering the increasing interest and participation of African stakeholders in IG processes. Continued support and partnership between the IGF and African stakeholders are essential for the digital future of Africa.

Moderator:
Good afternoon, everyone. We just give ourselves 30 seconds. We should be on. As we wait, I want to confirm that our online panelists are there. Are you there? Yes, I am. Thank you. Perfect. Thanks. Moses, are you there? Moses from African Union Commission, are you there? Yes, I am. I’m connected. Thank you, Moses. So good afternoon again, and welcome to the African Union Open Forum 2023. We are delighted that you are all able to join us, and considering we have already taken a few minutes, we’ll just go into the program. And to start with, I will have Dr. Chidi Diogo, who will be giving us an overview or a highlight of what happened in the Africa IGF that was held in Abuja. And he is the head, New Media and Information Security, Nigeria Communication Commission. Dr. Chidi, the floor is yours.

Chidi:
Thank you very much. This report refers to the African Internet Governance Forum that was held between the 19th and the 24th. of September 2023 in Nigeria. To do my presentation, I prepared an outline that is written as follows. Distinguished guests, honorable delegates, ladies and gentlemen, we express our appreciation for the cooperation displayed during the recently concluded African Internet Governance Forum held in Abuja, Nigeria, between the 19th and the 21st of September 2023. Now the details of the forum are as shown on the board. The theme of the forum was transforming Africa’s digital landscape, empowering inclusion, security and innovation, followed by the facilitators of the program, which included the government of Nigeria and specifically the National Assembly, through the efforts of the various committees led by Senator Shuaibu Afolabi-Salusi and Honorable Adedjiji Stanley Olajide, and the Ministry of Communications and Innovations, the Nigerian Communications Commission and other relevant stakeholders. In general, the forum had an impressive turnout, recording nearly 3,105 participants, and then 700 of those were in person, while about 1,600 were virtually participated. Throughout the forum, there have been various activities leading up to the main celebration. First, there was African School of Internet Governance between the 13th and the 18th September 2023. The trust of the school was to build Internet governance in Africa, focusing on the African Union data policy framework. This was closely followed by African Parliamentary Symposium, and the trust for that was the contribution of the parliamentarians to shape digital trust on the African continent. Lastly, there was an African Youth Internet Governance Forum on the 18th of September. The trust was basically emerging technologies, leveraging innovation for sustainable development and youth empowerment. There were various sub-themes, numbering up to 40, but then the major caps had to do with cybercrime, human rights and freedom, universal access and meaningful connectivity, cyber security, digital device and inclusion, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies. So we had a very fruitful time in Nigeria, and then very meaningful deliberations we are undertaking, the summary of which I’m presenting as follows. Multi-stakeholder approach is key and required for the AIGF. The need for enabling environment cannot be overemphasized. Enforcement of instant cyber laws are very necessary, and the display of political will to shape the digital landscape is required. Not to mention the legislative framework, which in essence would promote ethical artificial intelligence principles and make inclusivity a data priority. And there’s a need to develop a strong foundation of digital identities across the continent. And lastly, the adoption of an African payment and settlement system. These five pillars were entirely agreed upon by the forum. And now to localize our efforts in Nigeria, the federal government of Nigeria, and just as we believe that so many other countries are doing, is playing a pivotal role of multi-stakeholderism in shaping the trajectory of technological advancement. And in doing so, it has put in place strategic objectives, initiatives, regulatory instruments and platforms for all stakeholders to come together from time to time to assess where we are, and then to most importantly determine where we’re going. And in overall, this ensures inclusivity, security, and innovation. Nigeria, like most countries that we have heard about, has also taken major steps towards the harmonization of rights of way across the 36 states of the federation, which means that the barrier to entry to play in our industry has been lowered. It also ensures that there’s a thorough connectivity and that there’s fair competition amongst the players, which also translates to ease of licensing intended operators. And of course, the price regime has been regulated, is open access and non-discriminatory. And finally, all these have contributed to what you might call the universal access and service obligations of the commission. As a continent, our work is just beginning in a very simple way, and we need to continue to work together to make Africa a shining example of digital progress. Together we’ll overcome the challenges and insist the opportunities that are emerging in our markets. While some countries have made significant progress, other countries cannot be said to have made similar progress. We identify some challenges that we must overcome as a continent, and these include inadequate visibility of individual countries’ activities, which can create problems in terms of sharing information. While our different countries are working tirelessly to ensure that our digital footprints are all over, it’s very important that we come together to share information in a way and a manner that will be real-time and achievable. We also fear that there’s insufficient collaborations within the African region. This second point somehow points to the first one, which means there’s need for continuous handshake amongst the various continental stakeholders. It did appear that research and development are inadequate across the favourite units. We all know how disruptive the emerging technologies can be, and then the speed with which we are eroding our everyday life, and therefore the need for collaboration, for research efforts to be made, cannot be overemphasized. What we don’t want to do is to continue to dwell in crying about the disruption of the OTTs and the other emerging technologies, where we can literally seize the opportunity to increase our research capacity and get funded. And lastly, there have been concerns raised about the inadequate platforms for capacity development, especially for the digital grassroots. So with the appreciation that I rendered at the beginning of this, I would like to conclude by saying that the African Internet’s Governance Forum held in Abuja in September attracted good participation across the entire Africa. As the host country, we are grateful for all those that attended. And we are even more grateful to those who took out the time to write to us to express their profound gratitude and to say to us how beautiful our country is. And so having talked about the prospects that we all stand to benefit, especially in research and collaborations, and then also identify the few challenges, it is very important that, as Africans, we’ll do what is needed for us to be able to compete effectively in the digital world. Thank you very much.

Moderator:
Thank you, Dr. Chidi, for that elaborate report about the Africa IGF. I’m now going to ask Honorable Sam George just to give key highlights from the parliamentarian symposium. Thank you.

Sam George:
Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and to the honorable members in the house, Big Mommy, Madam Mary, and everyone gathered here. For us as members of parliament, it was a very long IGF because we started with the AfriSEEG, the African School on Internet Governance, which was not a school. It was a boot camp. It was a boot camp that really stretched members of parliament. We started at 8 AM, closed at 8 PM, and had to submit our assignments by 5 AM the following day, thanks to Henriette. She’s not a very big friend of members. of Parliament. But we put out a very important document from that session that led us into the parliamentary track and and what that did for us was to highlight the opportunities that exist for members of Parliament to begin to act as the bridges between civil society, technical community and the executive or government in ensuring that we don’t leave anyone behind and we close the digital gap. Part of the key things that we discussed was the role of and highlighted in our parliamentary sessions was the role that members of Parliament have to play in ensuring that we either initiate or support executive government to bring legislation that will help with the implementation of the AU data policy framework because for us we realize that it’s important that as a continent we need to have harmonization of our data policies across the board. And one of the things that we realized was that data policies do not necessarily end, data policies do not necessarily just end with data protection legislation but also with the necessary harmonization and synchronization and one of the big examples we used was a Nigerian big tech company called Jumia. Jumia works as a Nigerian company but works across about 16 African countries including Ghana. So if we do not have proper data flows across African continents across the African continent we’re going to have challenges. So the issues of data sovereignty and data cross-border data flows came up highly and how as members of Parliament we need to ensure that even as we look at protecting critical and sensitive national data under the precepts of data sovereignty we also need to realize that we are increasingly connected and that we cannot survive on our own without cross-border data flows. Another key thing that we also looked at was the need for us to prioritize funding. Funding for digital infrastructure, digital public infrastructure is a very key thing that we need to look at in our country. So we’re looking to see how well we can improve the funding that goes to digital public infrastructure. We’re looking to see how well we can improve the funding that goes to digital public infrastructure. And that’s a key thing that African Parliamentary Network and Internet Governance is looking to do in terms of the budgeting cycle that’s going to happen in our various countries when parliaments resume the next few weeks. Most parliaments are resuming in about a week or two. So we’re looking to see how well we can improve the funding that goes to digital public infrastructure and the free flow of data. If you don’t have the infrastructure in your country in the first place to house the data, that houses it in a secure manner. Another key thing we discussed was the issue of that fine line between state security and digital rights of citizens. We recognize as members of parliament that the state has a right to have access to the data, to have access to the information, to have access to the data. However, the state must do so in a manner that does not infringe on the digital rights of citizens. So these are some of the things that as members of parliament we left Abuja with. And we’re very confident that as a network of members of parliament, we can pat ourselves on the back that most times they say MPs don’t sit in a room for very long. They don’t sit in a room for a very long time. They don’t sit in a room for a very long time. And we’re more passionate about internet governance than the tech community themselves. And you’ve got champions. You’ve got champions for you. But one of the big takeaways, which I’ll end on, if you leave me as a politician, we’ll talk beyond, until tomorrow, one of the key takeaways we left Abuja with was the fact that civil society and technical skills are very important to the people of the world, and that they don’t help build the capacity of members of parliament. And we’re very confident that as members of parliament, we can pat ourselves on the back that most times they say MPs don’t sit in a room for very long time. And we’re more passionate about internet governance than the tech community themselves. And you’ve got champions for you. But one of the key takeaways we left Abuja with was the fact that civil society and technical skills are very important to of parliament. You can only push legislation based on how deep your knowledge of a subject is. And so if civil society does not engage with parliamentary portfolio committees and members on those committees, and if we wouldn’t do a sample here, many people from civil society and ask them to mention five members of the portfolio committees in their national parliaments, many of them cannot. If you don’t build relationships with these members of this portfolio committees, you can only continue to cry outside but you won’t have the change that you want to see. And it was refreshing for us that we had members of parliament like Honorable Stanley Adediji from the Nigerian House of Reps and the chairman of the Senate committee. We’re told Nigerian senators don’t like to sit in meetings, but I mean they’ve shown us that they have first competence and secondly they’re willing to work if they are engaged. So civil society, you have champions of internet governance in parliamentarians, work with us to get what you need from government. Thank you very much.

Moderator:
Thank you Honorable Sam for those insights and we challenge you next year, same time we want to see what has been done in those areas. Now I give the floor to Mariam Jobe to give highlights of what happened in the youth session.

Mariam Jobe:
Hi, good afternoon. I’m Mariam Jobe as she already introduced and I will just highlight some of the key takeaways that we had from the Africa Youth Internet Governance Forum held a day before the main Africa IGF and it brought together a very diverse set of new voices in the youth perspective and you know we address critical issues related to internet governance, youth empowerment and emerging technology and we highly emphasize the pivotal role that young people play in shaping digital future and they’re important in their policy development and enforcement in this regard. We urge everyone, you know policymakers, relevant stakeholders including the members of Parliament, civil society and government, irrespective of their positions honestly, to advocate for changes in the digital landscape. We also address a very concerning issue which is the lack of knowledge among young people about issues around internet governance, particularly cyber security laws, data privacy, digital inclusion and you know continuous outreach efforts to educate and empower youth who are unaware of internet governance issues and how it affects them in their daily lives and their daily usage of the internet and participants call for initiatives to integrate internet governance and technology into the education system in our various African countries and especially the underserved communities and the rural communities. We also highlighted the importance of improving internet access and digital literacy from the grassroots level. Another key highlight that was made during the session was that we delved into discussions around artificial intelligence and the need for safe spaces to report problems and cases that are cyber crimes for instance and the importance of ethical framework works that are tailored to the African context, and the lack of comprehensive data laws in some countries. I know that Nigeria has, you know, made a progress in that, but there’s some countries, many African countries, that still lack comprehensive data laws that require a lot of attention. And we also, you know, concluded the event with an intergenerational session between the youth and the MPs, where we had an open dialogue where we talked with the MPs. The MPs heard what the youth want, what they want, what we want them to consider, and we talked about how they can support youth and their visions. While specifics were not fully detailed, you know, we talked about fostering collaboration between the youth and the government, and representatives emerged as a crucial step in addressing digital challenges. In conclusion, overall, I think we talked most, the key highlights was that we need to have increased education and awareness, inclusivity, ethical considerations, and citizen participation in order to build a sustainable digital future for Africa. Yes, thank you.

Moderator:
Thank you, Maria, that we need collaboration, we need innovative views of engaging our youth, and we need to ensure that we are all holistically moving together in capacity building, safety online, and the like, so we all have to work together. Now, my next speaker is online, Mr. Moses Biyangana, the acting head, Information Society Division, African Union Commission. Moses, can you take the floor? Yeah, thank you, Mumbula.

Moses Bayingana:
Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the African Union Commission, I welcome you all to this AAU Open Forum. Let me use this opportunity to thank the government in Nigeria and the African IDMACC for the successful organization of 23 editions in Abuja, Nigeria. Our leaders have recognized digital transformation as a driver for development and critical to the attainment of Gender 2063 and UN Sustainable Development Goals, developing the digital transformation for Africa as a master plan that will drive our digital agenda up to 2030. Across Africa, the digital economy is on the rise. In the past decade, its contribution to GDP has brought in many economies from 1.5 percent to more than 3 percent. While there is progress, there is still a lot to be done. Connectivity currently has its usage in Europe, and Africa’s race for cybercrime remains low, making it a prime target for cybermen. At the continental level, the AECU has made progress in the digital environment to facilitate and implement partners across the continent to build on these common strategies and frameworks to regulate Africa’s digital transformation. These strategies and frameworks will also facilitate harmonization across the continent. This includes the development and adoption of the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa that sets out a vision to build an inclusive digital society and economy in Africa. Sectoral digital strategies in the critical sectors of education, agriculture, health, and e-commerce have also developed to facilitate and scale up access to smart digital technologies and associated data-driven services across all sectors. Furthermore, the AU Data Policy Framework has been adopted to facilitate the flow of data across sectors and borders. The Interoperability Framework for Digital Union has also been adopted to facilitate the development of digital solutions that are inclusive, trusted, and interoperable. The African Union has also developed a broader policy and empowerment policy and conducted a study on the cyber security in Africa. develop a continual cyber security strategy. I am pleased to inform you that King AU must adopt the AU concept on cyber security and optimal data protection, which anchored its entry in court. This item gives impetus to our endeavors to promote cyber security while advancing the digital. With regards to internet governance, through the first phase of WIDA, support has been extended to the organization of the Internet Governance Forum, national, regional, and NGOs. And together with the European Union, we are working on the second phase of WIDA. Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen, moving forward, the continent’s useful population factor is the demographic dividend that could be a game-changer in accelerating access to digital platforms and boost economic development, create jobs, and improve lives. Recent statistics show that 60% of Africa’s population is below 25 years old. By 2050, Africa’s population is expected to grow to 2.5 billion people. And this will undercut of the world’s youth. We’ll be in Africa. Africa’s youth are there for an opportunity to drive Africa’s digital economy. Hence, the need to invest in them. a key development to relate innovation growth on the continent. In conclusion, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the organization of the AU Open Forum, and invite all stakeholders to work together to bridge the Afro digital divide, have the Indiagra close, and secure Africa’s digital future.

Moderator:
Thank you, Moses, for those insightful highlights. And for the documents that Moses mentioned, they are in the AUC websites, and we can consult them. Our next speaker is Dr. Mark Tasek. He’s the Chief of Section Innovation and Technology, United Nation Economic Commission of Africa. Dr. Tasek, can you take the floor?

Moctar Seck:
Thank you. Good afternoon, and good morning, wherever you are. I think we have some people connected online, and it’s still morning there. Just as a beginning, I would like to thank all of you to attend this Open Forum organized by African Union. And also, I would like to thank the federal government of Nigeria for the successful organization for the African Internet Governance Forum. In the first presentation, the two first presentation, they highlight the key funding of this very interesting. the world. We have a very strong African community, and we have a very interesting forum organized in Africa. But let me try to highlight the outcome on the work we are doing now at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. As you know, one of our key missions is to support African development. And when we support African development, it’s not only about Africa, it’s also about Africa as a whole. So we have a very strong health sector, as well as statistics, and as a sector. And we try in our sector, in digital technology, how we can leverage all this sector through digital technology. Why it is very important to listen to the presentation done by the government of Nigeria, and Ms. On this, why it is important for Africa? Well, let me get start on the first point. As you know, there is a deficit of connectivity in Africa. We have 6 percent of our population offline. This is due to several problems. The first one is infrastructure. We need to make sure that we have the infrastructure to provide broadband to everybody by 2030. We need to make sure all people will be connected by 2030. And for this, we need to involve the private sector and also have a sound regulation to attract investment in the development of the infrastructure in the continent. We need to make sure that we have the infrastructure to make sure that we have the infrastructure to work with our regulator to look at the way we regulate now the new system, because there is an advance of digital technology around the world. Second, the continent, the digital divide, I’m going to focus only on the gender digital divide. As you know, we have a connectivity. Foreigners who come to Jackie it is a market that is rich in technology, it 85% of connected compared to people at 45% 40% it is a gap of 11% and it is very important to involve the women and youth in the technology sector. Why? It is very important to have the women and youth in the technology sector. It is $1.5 trillion. It is something very important if you want to take benefits of the digital technology. Because we have several studies to highlight estimated the cost of the internet market in Africa will be $180 million in 2025. It is very important to have the women and youth in the technology sector. It is a very important amount. It is important to put in place activity and policy to make sure we get all people included in this digital era. Third point, we talk a lot about cyber security. As you know, cyber security is very important. We have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of work to do on cyber security. We have a lot of work to do to make sure our continent is secure. And the cyber security remains a big challenge because it costs now 10% of our GDP. We have 10% of African GDP, how many schools you can build, how many hospital you can build, how many people can be moved from this poverty. So we have to be very careful. We have to be very careful. We have to be very careful to fight this cyber security as well as we have this issue of terrorism using this cyber security to kill people. is something very key in this continent. The fourth point, it is the issue of people offline. We have 500 million people in the continent without any legal form of identity. These people doesn’t exist anywhere. And we can’t do any planification without these people. We need to take into consideration the issue of digital ID, to provide digital ID to all, to see how we can interoperate with our system. Since it’s a service system, digital ID system, health system, license ID system, passport system. We need to work on this digital ID to make sure these people have identity and can participate to this digital information. Last but not least, it is emerging technology. I will focus only on this artificial intelligence. It is a big opportunity, but we need to be very careful. We need to build the capacity of our new generation. How we build the capacity? Why we are building the capacity of our new generation? Because we have this demographic dividend. By 2050, 70% of our population will be under 35 years. If you would like to participate in this digital era, we need to build their capacity to be ready to participate to this for industrial revolution. And also, we need also to look at the regulation of this artificial intelligence. Because otherwise, we can miss some sector. The sector on reading, booking, or developing, booking, we have to look at this sector carefully with this artificial intelligence. The artificial intelligence can offer a lot of opportunity, but we have also a lot of challenge with this artificial intelligence. We need to look at this carefully. And what we do in ECA? to overcome all these challenges and to support African countries. I’m going to highlight some of our key activities. In 2018, we have set up a Center of Excellence on Digital ID, Digital Threats, and Digital Economy to support African countries to use digital technology for their sustainable development. And now we are supporting African countries to implement the African Digital Transformation Strategy developed by the African Union in collaboration with UNECA and other partners. And this strategy is a blueprint for the African digital sector from 2020 to 2030. Now a lot of countries have benefited from the support of ECA. On cybersecurity, we organized two years ago the first African Summit on Cybersecurity in Togo. One outcome of the cybersecurity summit was the declaration of Lomé. And since the declaration of Lomé, we have seen a lot of progress. Now we have 15 countries who ratify this African Union Convention on Cybersecurity called Malibu Convention. And also we are establishing now a Center of Cybersecurity in Togo. On digital ID also, we are supporting a lot of countries to develop their digital ID program. We can give an example of Nigeria in the region of Kaduna, Gambia, and other countries also benefit from this support on digital ID. On capacity building, we talk about we need to build the capacity of the young generation. Why? We already established an African Center on Artificial Intelligence in Congo, Congo-Brazzaville. This center is functional since last year. And last week, this week, they have their academic, I think, for 2023 starting. I think we can build to be more relevant, more performant in the sector of artificial intelligence, applicable to the sector of health, environment, climate change, and industry and economy. Another point also, we support African countries, it is to promote the youth generation. We have several initiatives for youth generation, one, it is an STI forum we are going to organize, we organize every year, and to have a lot of young innovators to promote some innovation ideas in the continent. We have also this foremost program for girls, African Girl Recruiting Camp, and focus on the girl age from 12 to 25 years, and we provide them skills in several areas, artificial intelligence, web gaming, and now the program has trained around 35,000 girls across the continent. Another issue also, for the Parliamentary also, we have a program for the Parliamentary, an important program focused to build the capacity of the Parliamentary on the making decision also, it is very important for them to understand the issue of this digital technology, because at the end, it is them to adopt the rule and the regulation for the digital technology, and this training focus also on FinTech, we have one program with Alibaba, and also in cyber security, we have the Global Forum of Cyber Security Experts. We need also to promote the voice of Africa, why we have several forums, the one forum, several UN-led forums, one it is WSIS Outcomes for Africa, World Summit Information Society Forum for Africa, we organize every year in Africa, and to focus on the 11 action lines of the WSIS, to see the progress made by African countries in the implementation of this 11 action line, going to the role of the government, the cyber security development infrastructure issue. Africa, but also, we are focused on the African digital compact as a service and as an activity. And also, we support the organization of the African Internet Governance Forum every year, and now we are focused on this global digital compact. I’m going to stay to focus one minute before I conclude on this global digital compact, because it is, it will be one of the key framework for the world. So, we are focused on the African digital compact. We are focused on the African digital compact. How we can participate is not just to attend the meeting. Now, we are in the consultation period, and we need to provide input. I think all sectors we discuss, we can provide input based on the need of Africa. We talk about this digital public infrastructure, this access affordability. We talk about capacity building, emerging technologies, and we need Africa to be a part of this. We need Africa to be a part of this. We need Africa to provide, and this global digital compact is open to everyone. Private sector, government, civil society, academia, everybody should be involved, because this global digital compact will define the future we want on the development of technology for the world, and we need Africa to be part. We need Africa to be a part of this global digital compact. We need Africa to be a part of this global digital compact. We already have one African input developed at the meeting organized by ECA in July 2023 in the Cap Town, South Africa, and the document is available on our website, but you can still provide your input before final submission. We need Africa to be a part of this global digital compact, and we need Africa to be a part of this global digital compact. We need Africa to be a part of this global digital compact, and to think about also on the WSIS plus 20. We are going to organize the WSIS plus 20. We start the reflection to organize WSIS plus 20 in November, early December in Victoria and then continue to sort through Africa, but that’s something also to investigate. I understand that that has been the 1946 proposal for Africa for the continuation of WSIS beyond 2025 and to look at also what is, the benefit, the impact that it will have on the world and exports. I think it is something I would like to highlight to share with you. And thank you very much for involving ECA on this important forum. And we invite also to attend the several side event. We start organizing since Saturday, but we have some side event tomorrow and after tomorrow, and I would like to invite you all to attend. And I would like to invite you all to attend this side event. Thank you.

Moderator:
And I would like to invite all of you to attend this side event. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dr. Seck, for reminding us that we need to focus on women among the many things you have said, and for us to contextualize the issue, we need to analyze and get the opportunity cost of this issue, and we need to get the opportunity cost of this issue. And we need to be intentional and innovative to be able to address this issue. And this can only be supported if we have the facts and statistics, and we are able to, again, link it with the livelihoods opportunities. My next speaker is online as well, that is Dr. Martin Koyabe, senior manager, African Union, Global Forum on Cybersecurity Project.

Martin Koyabe:
And first of all, thank you so much for inviting me, and also for giving the GFCE an opportunity to share some of the aspects of this intervention. Secondly, I want also to pay tribute to the speakers who have just come before me in some of the issues that they have articulated going forward. As I said before, my name is Martin Koyabe. I actually lead the GFCE on cyber security. And I also coordinate the activities between the AU and the GFCE. Some of the issues that I’ll highlight on have also been contributed by our partners. And that is the AU development agency, that’s Aouda Nepad, and also colleagues within the GFCE ecosystem. If you allow me, let me just give you the context of what we’ve been doing with the AU. And this refers to the AU-GFCE collaboration project. This project has actually come to an end, and we’re now moving to the next phase of this particular project, where we were looking at how do we build resilience and ensure that African countries have the capacity to sustain what we call cyber capacity building within the continent. There were three areas that we were looking at. And these areas were very, very pertinent. One was the issue around taking an assessment to really look carefully and look at what are the priorities of African countries when it comes to issues of cyber. Remember, COVID really interfered with many of the plans of many of the African countries, and therefore, there was a shift from cyber capacity building to cyber capacity building. And we were looking at how do we build resilience and ensure that African countries have the capacity to sustain what we call the areas where they had planned, for example, in the digital infrastructure and other areas which actually saw a massive investment since there was a need, and also with other ministries such as health, which saw a massive increase in terms of funding. So, therefore, the priorities of African countries really shifted along the path. The other aspect was to look at how do you sustain capacity within the continent. And as I said earlier, it is true that by 2050, the continent will have roughly about 2.5 billion people, and out of that, actually a good chunk will be young people. So, therefore, there was a need to make sure that there was an investment, especially in looking at the expertise that exists within the continent. So, therefore, the issues around sustainability through the resources, especially the expertise of the government, was very critical. And then, thirdly, was the issue around institutional memory. How do we make sure that we establish the issues around knowledge so that we can be able to have many institutions, citizens, and also participants to be able to learn about cyber in the future? So, therefore, the development of what we call knowledge modules was very critical. So, these are what you call best practice or what you call good practice type of platforms that enable people who are in cyber to either learn about experiences in different parts of the continent, but more importantly, to be able to share their expertise and also new ideas on specific areas. When it comes to the areas of interventions and also the lessons learned, Madam Chair, if you allow me, I’ll just go very briefly, very quickly. There were several areas that came up and several interventions that we saw. It is important that the area of especially the need to sustain and to be able to protect the infrastructure became very, very, very high in the priorities of many countries. So, therefore, establishment of SADS, enhancement of CSADS and SADS became very, very high in the agenda of many of the African countries. And in this aspect, it was an issue around how do you ensure that we actually have the knowledge and the expertise to ensure that we actually beef up the capacities of SADS in many of the African countries? Because some of the people who get trained move on to other jobs and, therefore, many African countries struggle to maintain the capacity, to maintain the skill sets that are required. So, therefore, an issue around SADS and the critical national infrastructure was very high in the agenda. Some of the areas that were proposed as the way forward is to ensure that we have what we call an identification of critical infrastructures in these countries. These countries require that people or rather the institutions or the agencies to identify what is critical. It is also important to conduct what we call the risk assessments of the critical infrastructure so that we know how much investment we need in those particular areas. But more importantly, it was to develop what we call the critical infrastructure. So that countries can understand what they need to do going forward in terms of protection of the critical infrastructure. This was also exacerbated by the fact that many countries depend on the digital infrastructure for most of the services that we see today and that is why that was very, very critical. The second dimension was the issue around development of skills, and I really support some of the sentiments that have been expressed by some of the countries. The GFCE through the project actually with the AU has established what we call the Africa cyber experts community. This is a community that comprises of over 80 experts and some of them, I can see them in the room. They are from roughly about over 37 countries. And they have a lot of experience in the field of cybersecurity and they have a lot of experience in the field of cyber security and they have a lot of experience in the field of cyber security and they have a lot of experience in the field of cyber security and they have done a lot. They traveled to zoos and they And we call them the continue from going from strength to strength in order to establish what we call the Southern to Southern expertise, which can actually be able to help many of the countries to be able to converge and be able to address some of the issues that they have. So for example, if you have an expert who is good in certs, in Malawi and the country that probably requires that expertise in North Africa, surely there’s a, there’s no need of going to the North to seek such an expert. Therefore, if we have experts within the continent that can be established and known for their, for their development, it makes a lot of sense to build that particular capacity in order to support future need in those particular areas of need, especially when it comes to cyber capacity building. So therefore the development of skills is important. There’s a need to provide the opportunities, especially for individuals in marginalized areas. I think this is something that came out within the project and also strengthening cyber diplomacy and the understanding of normality and that process. And this is something that we’ve discussed in detail. There is a need for African countries to understand what is the process for being involved in the discussion of cyber diplomacy. What are the tenets of the understanding of the basics that are required within this area? And then thirdly, there’s a need to also promote what we call diversity and inclusivity. And I like the presentation that was given earlier by the member of parliament and also by the Nigerian minister to make sure that we can build this diversity. And these are sentiments that were expressed at the IGF Africa for those of us who are there, that we need to make sure that all communities, especially the diverse communities are built within this. So therefore we need to encourage the need for the young people and both old and other people who are actually vulnerable within the community to be able to be involved in these areas. Within the GFCE and in the collaboration project, we’ve established the network of African women in cyber. This network has grown from strength to strength. Thank you, Madam Chair. Since you are the co-founder for this particular organization, you have moved it from where it is to the next level. And I think that is one area where we’ve seen a lot of effort being put in a good edge, that more effort is put in, as Markta said, that when you have more than 50% of the population is women, then it’s obvious that we need to have women and girls in cyber, you know, taking their role and being able to support the efforts. As I come to wind up, there were areas of concern, especially when it comes to resources and funding. And this is something that is not new. Many of the projects that we’ve seen in the continent do not necessarily have what we call the sustainment built into those particular projects. So therefore, after the funding is over, these projects normally either end or these projects are never sustained to the level that is expected. There is a need for the African countries to also invest more in terms of funding. So therefore when you develop cybersecurity strategies, or when you develop these particular interventions, it’s important to factor in how these countries can be able to sustain some of these particular projects. We know there are some good examples in the continent of countries that have been able to sustain their certs, or they’ve been able to sustain specific projects internally without necessarily seeking external funding. So therefore in terms of budgeting, especially for parliamentarians and other decision makers who are in the room, it’s important that we think about funding as a critical component when it comes to issues of cyber capacity building. And then finally, Madam Chair, the issue around the political will cannot be emphasized any further. And I really want to emphasize what the representative from parliament from Ghana just said just a few minutes ago, that the political will is important. And the reason why this is important is because many of the political leaders, many of the legislators do make decisions that affect you and I, especially when it comes to the continent. So therefore the issue around sensitizing the executive, sensitizing members of parliament, sensitizing people who make decisions that might not necessarily be the decisions that can actually have an impact now, but might have an impact in future. It’s very important that we really sensitize those levels or those echelons in the society so that they can understand what are the critical issues when it comes to cyber. As I finalize Madam Chair, there are some interventions that the GFCE continues to make, and we really want to thank some of the partners that are in the room that we’ve worked together. I know we’ve been able to actually support some of the IGF regional capacity development, especially when it comes to issues of the school on internet governance and other areas. We’ve also been able to work in tandem with some of the organizations in order to push specific areas of cyber capacity building forward. In summary, and as I come to a conclusion, Madam Chair.

Moderator:
Sorry, Dr. Koyabe, you only have 30 seconds.

Martin Koyabe:
Okay. So the last bit here is the upcoming meeting that is coming up in Ghana. And I know many of you are looking forward to it. There will be, for the first time, we shall have the cyber security experts and cyber capacity building development partners coming together in Ghana on the 29th to the 30th of November to talk about an issue of cyber. But thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Moderator:
Thank you, Dr. Koyabe. We are now going to the Q&A session and I want to ask all the participants, if you ask a question, please state who should answer the question so that we are able to align ourselves. We have about 15 minutes for that. Kindly only one question per person and don’t make it as if it’s another presentation so that we save on time. And to start with, I’ll ask Dr. Chidi next to me to start.

Chidi:
Yes. It’s actually a question. Thank you, Dr. Martins Koyabe, for your beautiful and intelligent presentation. Okay. We talked about critical resources or infrastructure that are required to undertake all the massive projects that you mentioned. But for us as regulators in Nigeria, we’ve received inquiries from a good number of stakeholders, which had to do with AFRINIC. the internet and the internet in Africa, to which we have not been able to give substantive answer to. And in all your presentation, I have not heard you mention the crisis or the problem or the dysfunctionality within the AFRINIC. The reason being that to sustain the internet and to fight cyber security, it is very important that the continent takes charge of the internet and the internet is the source of the internet. So, the internet is the commodity, the bandwidth, which is the IP networks. Thank you very much. » Thank you, Dr. Chidi. We’ll take two, three more questions before the panel start answering them. » Thank you very much, James. I would like to really use the opportunity to commend AU for starting African IGF 2011. I was in the room that day and it was quite tough, but the dividend is for us to see today. And also to appreciate NCC for the opportunity to host the global IGF. And to actually say that Nigeria is ripe to host the global IGF. Do you agree? Yes. Yes. Yes. So, now to the question. Dr. MacTarr provided us that data, which we know that we are really behind the global average with regard to internet penetration. I want to ask, how about the use of the data and the use of the data to actually, I mean, how can we use that to really reach the under south, the tools, the technical know-how, it’s available. I hear people say we don’t have the capability, the technical capability. We have the technical capability, we can deploy a lot of infrastructural tools. My company, we have data centers, we So digital wide spaces from the digital dividend is just there for us to use. With a bandwidth of 100 megabits per second, we can reach the underserved. So what is holding us? Thank you.

Moderator:
Thank you. Any other question? As we wait for more question, I give the floor to Dr. Koyabin to answer the first question and Dr. Marksek for the second one.

Martin Koyabe:
Thank you very much. I don’t know whether I’m on the chopping board here, but let me try and be very, very, very careful in how I respond to this issue of AFRINIC. But more importantly, I think we all agree that the continent requires consistency, it requires organizations that can be able to deliver in some of these aspects that we are discussing if we are to make a difference. It’s very, very unfortunate, especially from what I understand, and I want to be very, very careful here on the situation around AFRINIC because I think the challenge has been the litigation that has been launched in terms of the challenge of the problem that AFRINIC has. I really don’t want to go into the details of that because I know it’s in the public domain. And if you allow me another go, I want to make sure that we really assist where we can to make sure that the organization comes back to what it’s meant to be because the continent requires that organization. But more importantly, let’s build some, what we call sustainment in terms of how these organizations can function in future so that we know how we build mechanisms for auditing, mechanisms that can be able to create what we call an authentic organization that can be able to serve the people and the continent. So for now, I’ll want to reserve my extended comments if you allow, but to let what we call the process take its due course as AFRINIC tries to unsolve its issues as we all know it. Thank you very much.

Moctar Seck:
Thank you, Martin. I think I’m going to start with the AFRINIC problem. It is a big issue for the continent now. We have seen two days ago the resolution of the court and we need to take seriously into consideration this resolution. Now we can’t say anything more, but we are going to call a meeting between AEC, ECA and Smart Africa to see how we can do to sort it out with this problem. Because when you talk about this digital transformation, job creation, FinTech opportunity, e-commerce, if you don’t have your IP address, what are you going to do? Nothing. Yeah, it is a problem. And the CCTL, TCTL, This is a problem in several African countries. There is no digital sovereignty in several continents. We have our young generation, digital dividends, 70% of youth, to represent 42% of the youth in the world. But if you don’t have the access, if you don’t control your network, anything will happen. It is something we have to take into consideration. Second, regulation, it is a big problem. It is not something easy now. Before, it was easy when you have only the telecommunication sector, we have this mobile and some added value service, it was easy to regulate. But now you have this artificial intelligence. We don’t know where we are going with this artificial intelligence. It is very clear. Even for the development of all the world, they don’t know where we are going with this artificial intelligence. You want to write a book, just you ask a GPT to write for you the book, you can write. Yeah, what is the problem? Everything you can do, you can ask this artificial intelligence. It is something like, what call it in French, a lavage fall. A lavage fall, because there is no electricity, there is no electricity, there is no electricity, there is no electricity. Lavage fall, because this cow eat other cow. But now artificial intelligence use the data from all network and the use of the data of the artificial intelligence, of the service provided by artificial intelligence. We don’t need what happened now. We are not safe in this. We are not safe in this. We are not safe in this. The issue is cyber security. Now, when you use this cryptography, all this software, to save your network, the issue is you are this quantum computer now. You can’t block anything with this, it’s clear. We need to work closely with the African government, with the African government, and we can find any code you put in your system. And with this artificial intelligence, it will continue. We need to work closely while we have this working group, AUC, on artificial intelligence to see how, what we can do in Africa, what kind of framework we can put in place, what kind of measure we can put in place, what we can do in Africa, what we can do in Africa. So, even for the spectrum, it is very important to look at the issue of spectrum with the development of the 5G. Maybe later 6G will come, and we are not ready for 5G. We are not ready. Because some people use this, what call it, this 4G. But, we have to increase the 4G to make sure, to make it is like 5G. It’s not 5G. Yeah. It is generally what the operator did. We have to see this allocation of this bandwidth, also this spectrum. Regulator now has a big role to play, and it is important also all regulators to start building their capacity on this emerging technology. We have artificial intelligence. We have this blockchain. We have all this Internet of thing. Tomorrow, nanotechnology will be there. We have this quantum computer. We don’t know what’s happening in the world. Yeah. I’m going to stop there. Thank you.

Moderator:
APPLAUSE . Sorry. Thank you, Dr. Seck. I think we have time for one more question, and then we’re going to have more questions.

Audience:
Thank you, madam. My name is Katia Sarajeva. I come from Spider at Stockholm University. I would slightly disagree with the previous speaker. Just a comment. Do not get distracted by AI or blockchain. Spider has been working for seven years and has been working engaging individuals, individuals with COVID, it is not isolation. It is still spectrum. It is still a living disease, and that’s why the being of isolation is so important. That’s, you’re right, one of the key parts of my point, because if the second component of isolation is a biological respirator that’s infrastructure sharing and all of these things are done by African engineers, economists and software engineers that are locally in Africa and are constantly working on this. It is complicated and it is hard but everybody’s doing it so please remember your regulators and also your judiciary because everything rests on the rule of law so it’s not AI. It’s a lot of interesting work and good work that’s being done on national level but also in regional harmonization and working together on the basic stuff. Everybody’s talking about AI and how blingy it is. It’s just a dream. A lot of the work and a lot of the progress is being done is done right now by really highly skilled experts on the African continent and by supporting those people who are working on the bolts and nuts that are not glamorous. That is the everyday work of the telecom regulators. You are actually spreading both connectivity and use and empowering a lot of people as we speak and a lot of it is done in meetings like this. Just everybody’s struggling. It’s not just Africa. In Sweden, the north of Sweden didn’t get connectivity on their own. It’s the people who had to make it happen. So the problems are everywhere and Africa is no different and you’re doing really good because I work with these people. Sorry.

Moderator:
Thank you for the comment. I will give Honorable Stanley then two more questions and answers and the finalists. Probably to save on time, can you kind of just stand behind the mics because we have them.

Audience:
challenges. Thank you, everybody. Permit me to stand on existing protocol. I am Honorable Adedeji Stanley Olagide, House Committee Chairman for ICT and cybersecurity, also representative Nigeria. I think we’ve been having, I’ll cite an example. When we started this whole world of human genomics, where we have to do a lot of analytics around DNA for precision medicine. A lot of doctors were agitating, will this thing take away medical doctors role? What is it going to do? Is computer simulation or analytics going to take away all of our jobs? It is not true. I’ve been around technology for almost 40 years. I want to say this, let’s not get distracted with what AI is just another technology. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a technologist and now a lawmaker. Let’s not get distracted. Let’s focus and keep our eye on the ball. And the ball is how we are going to make this integrated into the future. Either we take it and run with it, or you just keep running and we’ll be behind. So as legislators in the House, let’s not get distracted. We will skin this cat. There’s so many ways we are going to skin this cat. We are going to unravel it. It’s just the reality. But the question now is, how quickly are we going to train ourselves to catch up with the rest of the world? Let me stop right there. Thank you.

Moderator:
Thank you. I give you the floor. I give Onika and then the last one.

Audience:
I have three interventions and I’m going to do it in two minutes. One is at national level, one is at continental level, and one is at global level. On the national level, we were in Abuja, had a very beautiful report that had been presented by Dr. Chidi, complimented by Honorable Sam and Marian. The first thing I believe we need to do as legislators and participants, when we go back, let’s put this together as a report and share it with the leadership of each respective National Assembly. Otherwise, this report will be circulating amongst us. No one else will know that a wonderful job took place in Abuja and has been complimented Don’t let us turn this participation into a holiday or a jamboree. The only way we can get meaningful things out of this is in our view. Let’s put this report together, let Nigerian senators share with the president of the Nigerian Senate, let the Ghana parliamentarians do so with the Ghana parliamentarians, let us also do so with representatives of our various countries in inter-parliamentary unions like ECOWAS parliament and African Union. This is one way to ensure that what we are discussing here gets traction among others. That’s number one. Number two, I listened to a number of initiatives being done at global level, at continental level. The truth of the matter is that I am hearing some of them for the first time. You cannot be a champion or an advocate of something you are not aware of. Can we have a directory of ongoing initiatives at the continental level to be shared by all parliamentarians? That is the only way you can mainstream it into your national agenda. If there’s something that has taken place in Malawi that needed to be domesticated, it cannot happen until the parliamentarians are aware of it. And to not be aware of it, unless we have a directory of it. So the gentleman who spoke about, from the CE, yeah, he spoke about some initiative going on. The man from, he spoke about something going on. Do we have a directory? Of saying, these are the ongoing initiatives at African level, at African Union level, and let’s share with the parliamentarians, and let us become the evangelists and champions in our various countries. The last one. The last one, we must be grateful to international development partners. GIZ, yeah, a number of them are here. They have been supportive of initiatives in Africa. But that’s a caveat. Sometimes those supports do not address our priorities. Those supports come in a generic manner. Malawi requires supports for education. That will become a template for the rest of Africa. I want to beg of you, let each country determine its own priorities. And let us approach those development partners with our priorities. Let the funding, let the support be tailored to the priorities of each country. That’s where we make the maximum of it. And lastly, I thank you for coming to Nigeria. We are open again.

Moderator:
Thank you for the, thank you for the comments. We have Onika Denzanyo.

Audience:
Good evening, Onika Makwakwa. I am asking a question more specifically around a concern of what is the vision and the strategic plan for growing Africa IGF. I think it’s really troubling that we’ve got, what, 54 nations? And less than 20, if I’m not mistaken, that are actually active and hosting IGF. If we have a vision of hosting more global IGFs in Africa, in Nigeria or wherever is going to take us actually showing up en masse and holding each other accountable. I think what’s been missing with IGF is an accountability framework amongst the multi-stakeholders that are involved, but also amongst us as countries within the continent. So I’d like either ECA or AU to speak to what is the vision and the strategic plan for growing and strengthening IGF within the continent. Thank you.

Moderator:
Thank you, Onika. Thank you. Thank you.

Audience:
Good afternoon, everyone, and evening, morning to everyone around the world. My name is Zanyu Ntatisiasare, CEO of Digitally Legal, and standing on existing protocols, and also I think the questions and comments that were articulated. I’m really excited to hear that. But mine is more around, there are a lot of statistics given today and a lot of vulnerable groups that were mentioned. But I think as Africa, we need to be honest about one thing. When we have meetings of this kind, we really neglect our disabled communities. And the reason why I’m saying this is if you look at use cases, and I won’t even mention where, I’ll actually give you the homework to do that yourselves, the potential of effectively using assistive technologies in your country has the immense potential of one, not just obviously fighting equality and all the really good stuff that we all say we’re here for, but actually injecting to your GDP. So I think with the leaders that are sitting here, that’s one of the questions that I would like you to sort of research for yourself and ask yourself in the context of your country, your communities, even your own hometown, what has been done from that perspective? That’s the first one. The second one is more of a comment, I think, Honorable, just bootstrapping on what you said. We’re Africans, and we’ve got our own norms, our own cultures. There’s an English saying that says you can take a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. We are Africans. If your brother, your cousin, your sister, your child, whoever cannot drink that water themselves, you make sure that water goes into that body. And I’d like to leave that as an actionable item for each one of us here to know that if whatever is required for us to achieve our goals from an IGF perspective, as Africans, is that water conundrum of water drinking horses, what, what, we make our horses drink in Africa. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you.

Moderator:
Thank you very much to all of us. Most of these have been comments. We are going to continue with these discussions going forward. I’ll give now the floor to Lillian, who will attempt probably to answer some of the questions, but then also give our vote of thanks. Okay, Mata, 45 seconds. Okay. I’m counting.

Moctar Seck:
I think IGF, African IGF, is growing in the continent. As you have to know exactly what is IGF, it is a multi-stakeholder forum. It’s different to the WSIS forum, where government come and make decision. Here, it is just to discuss on the key of the issue, key issue on the digital technology around the world. It is very important to forum, one of the outcome of the WSIS 25, and now I think everybody can discuss about issue related to Africa, to the world. You have seen several opinion when we talk about artificial intelligence. People coming from the north have their own idea, but we have our own idea on what’s happen in the continent, because we know very well what’s happen on this continent. And we’ll work with African Union to try to make up more successful African IGF, and to involve more government, more private sector, more civil society. I think we have seen this very good participation in. I think next year we will get more participant to the next African IGF, but in the meantime we discuss between all key actors to see how we can make better African IGF functional in the benefits of the continent. Internet governance, the global one, we already have one last year in Ethiopia. It was very successful, but we can’t organise it, because the IGF will end in 2025. By 2025, it will not organise in Africa. Maybe if the mandate is renewed by 2030, we can see this African country, when African country can organise. But it is a competition to organise also this Internet Governance Forum. Thank you.

Moderator:
Thank you, Makta. I realise we didn’t give Moses time to, chance to answer any questions, so Moses, I give you one minute.

Moses Bayingana:
Yeah, thank you. I just wanted to make a quick comment. I will be brief. One is on the issue of initiatives on the continent, and I want to thank the distinguished speaker for raising it up. Yes, as part of monitoring the implementation of the digital transformation strategy for Africa, we have put in an institutional architecture and information framework, where we have identified who is doing what to implement into a plan. As part of the monitoring evaluation framework, we have also appointed, we requested member states and member states have nominated focal points for digital transformation. So we will be collecting initiatives from member states, from all actors across the continent who are supporting us to implement the digital transformation strategy. And in 2025, we will do a comprehensive, the monitoring of course will be early, but as a mid-term comprehensive evaluation, we will also do one in 2025. Regarding the strategy to grow African IGF, I think my colleague, Makta, is right, we have to be very, very careful, and I thank my colleague, Makta, with respect to that. You know, strategies are always a consultative process. At least your inputs are also welcome, but we will continue working with the EC and other stakeholders so that we can continue to grow the African IGF. There is always room for improvement, but it will be a consultative process involving everyone in the spirit of the multi-agenda process. Thank you.

Moderator:
Thank you, Moses. And finally, we have run over time, but I’ll ask Lilian to give our final remarks.

Lillian Nalwoga:
Thank you so much, Madam Moderator. It’s only kind of ironic that I have just one minute to say something, but it’s also wonderful and a good opportunity, being the MAG Chair for the African IGF, to hear all these kind of nice recommendations and deliberations from the actors from the region, very far, far away from our continent. I think to me, when I was listening in, and part of the things that I was seeing coming out of the multi-stakeholder approach, where we are seeing some of the recommendations or some of the resolutions that we got from Abuja already happening, you know, the issue of exercising political power all to shape the digital economy. to a future for Africa. We already have the parliamentarian network. We had the Africa Parliamentarian Symposium. We had quite a number of ministers participating in the regional, in the continental forum. But also when we do a quick kind of lens, we zoom into the regional, the sub-regional forums and the national forums, we already seeing that governments are taking interest in these conversations and so is private sector. So for me, I’m seeing that the multi-stakeholder approach is already there. So I think one of the recommendations that we got from Abuja was to further strengthen that. The role of the MAG and from Onika, we’ve had the vision is there, the plan is there. When the Africa IGF was launched in 2021, 2011, oh God, sorry, 2011, we started off with fewer countries participating, but it has grown. And if we go back to the statistics that were given from the host country, from the four days, we had about 3,100 people who registered. On site, we had 1,414 participants and online we had 1,683. This is interest, that people are interested in this, partners are interested in this and we have some of our key partners who have been with us for the past years and they’re still continuing to see that we are strengthening and growing our continent and conversation. So these are good things. These are good things that we are seeing and we are hoping that, like Honorable mentioned, that we don’t just stop at having conversations in Choto or in Abuja. We need to be able to take the recommendations and take back whatever has been discussed and see how we can implement this at the regional and national level. So the vision we’ve had for Africa is there. Of course, our role as the MAG is to see how can we strengthen the coordination of the forum, but also to increase participation of African stakeholders in the IG processes, whether it’s a national, regional or subcontinental level. So this is what we are working on and listening on to all the conversations that have come through. These are things that we are going to take on. You see that next year is even bigger than Abuja. I’m glad that Nigeria is already expressing for us to go back there, but in the spirit of my stakeholderism, we need to go to another country. Unless all factors are being held constant and there’s not any other host, then we can come back to Nigeria. Already we’ve had conversations from, interest from South Africa to host from Benin. So there’s already interest and we are seeing that the community is increasingly interested in hosting and taking these conversations to these countries. So through you, moderator, I would like to thank members, our partners at the global level, at the UN through the UN IGF Secretariat, who have been able to join us today, bring our conversations all the way from Abuja to Tshoto to be able to listen on to the outcomes. But we also encourage you to continue supporting us to see how we can grow, but also learn from what you’re doing and help, not help, but partner with us in making the digital future for Africa more successful and more wonderful for the development of the continent. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Moderator:
So thank you very much to our panelists, to our participants, and we look forward to working with you and making our next open forum to show output, outcome, and show how we have improved as it has been said. Many thanks and bye from all of us. Bye. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Apologies for the next session. So let’s kindly move out or we join them to listen to them.