Day 0 Event #55 Sharing and Exchanging Compute: New Digital Divisions

Summary

This session focused on addressing digital divides and promoting equitable access to computing resources, particularly in developing countries and marginalized communities. Participants discussed various challenges, including inadequate infrastructure, high internet costs, and lack of digital literacy, especially in rural areas and among women. They emphasized the need for multilingual approaches to digital education and the importance of localizing development efforts.

Speakers highlighted the role of collaboration between governments, private sectors, and civil society in bridging these gaps. They stressed the importance of creating favorable policies to attract investment in digital infrastructure and promote cross-border data exchange. The discussion also touched on the potential of emerging technologies like AI and blockchain, while acknowledging the need to prioritize basic digital literacy for many communities.

Capacity building emerged as a crucial theme, with participants emphasizing the need to categorize and tailor digital literacy efforts to different skill levels. The importance of mentorship and continuous learning was highlighted, along with the potential of community-driven initiatives like community networks. Speakers also discussed the ethical considerations of technology use and the need for people-centered approaches.

The session concluded with participants envisioning a fully digital world characterized by connectivity, empowerment, accessibility, and shared computational resources that uplift all rather than deepen inequalities. Overall, the discussion underscored the complex challenges in achieving digital equity and the multifaceted approaches required to address them.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– Digital divide and inequalities in access to technology, especially in developing countries and rural areas

– Need for digital literacy and capacity building initiatives, tailored to different levels

– Importance of infrastructure development and affordable connectivity

– Multi-stakeholder collaboration and policy frameworks to support digital inclusion

– Localization of digital solutions and content to reach underserved communities

The overall purpose of the discussion was to explore ways to bridge the digital divide and ensure more equitable access to computing resources and digital technologies, particularly for developing countries and marginalized communities.

The tone of the discussion was passionate and solutions-oriented. Participants shared personal experiences and perspectives from their countries, creating an atmosphere of mutual learning. The tone became increasingly action-oriented as speakers proposed concrete ideas for addressing challenges. There was a sense of urgency but also optimism about the potential for positive change through collaboration and targeted efforts.

Speakers

– MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Coordinator for the youth IGF in Tanzania, ITU generation connect youth envoy

– NOAH ABDELBAKI: Instructor in the PAYAIG in the Arabic cohort, Engineer from Egypt

– ATANAS BAIZIRA: Software engineer, Coordinator for the youth IGF in the Democratic Republic of Congo

– CHRIS ODU: From Nigeria

– MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI: African youth ambassador in Internet Governance, Binti Digitale ambassador from Tanzania

– DR. MONOJIT: Researcher at internet governance, works at a think tank of the government of India

Additional speakers:

– OSEY KEGHYA: From Ghana

– KENDI KOSA: From Mozambique

– SOBY ABRAHAM FIFI:

– RAZEN ZAKARIA: Abayag ambassador from Egypt

– RAPID SUN: From Cambodia

– GRACE: From Cameroon

Expanded Summary of Discussion on Bridging the Digital Divide

This session brought together a diverse group of speakers from various countries to address the pressing issue of digital divides and promote equitable access to computing resources, with a particular focus on developing countries and marginalized communities.

Introduction of Speakers and Their Backgrounds

The discussion featured speakers from different regions, including:

– Atanas Baizira from Uganda

– Millenium Anthony from Nigeria

– Matilda Moses-Mashauri from Tanzania

– Soby Abraham Fifi from Cameroon

– Kendi Kosa from Kenya

– Dr. Monojit from India

– Chris Odu from Nigeria

– Noah Abdelbaki from Egypt

– Osey Keghya from Cameroon

Each speaker brought unique perspectives based on their experiences in their respective countries.

Recognizing the Digital Divide

Chris Odu emphasized the importance of first identifying and accepting the problem of the digital divide before seeking solutions. This set the tone for a frank discussion about the challenges faced in different regions.

Key Challenges in Digital Access and Literacy

The speakers identified several significant challenges hindering digital inclusion:

1. Infrastructure and Connectivity: Atanas Baizira highlighted the lack of digital infrastructure in rural areas, while Millenium Anthony pointed out the high cost of internet access as a major barrier.

2. Gender Inequality: Matilda Moses-Mashauri shared her personal experiences from rural Tanzania, emphasizing the disparity in access to digital resources between genders. She underscored the need for targeted efforts to ensure equal opportunities for girls and boys.

3. Language Barriers: Atanas Baizira noted that language differences pose a significant obstacle in accessing digital content and education.

4. Basic Digital Literacy: Soby Abraham Fifi stressed the widespread lack of basic digital literacy skills, particularly in underserved communities.

Strategies for Bridging the Digital Divide

The discussion yielded several proposed strategies to address these challenges:

1. Multilingual Approaches: Atanas Baizira advocated for digital literacy training in local languages to make content more accessible and understandable. He highlighted the PAYAIG program’s approach to providing training in multiple languages.

2. Public-Private Partnerships: Kendi Kosa suggested leveraging partnerships between the public and private sectors to develop digital infrastructure.

3. Localized Capacity Building: Matilda Moses-Mashauri emphasized the importance of tailoring capacity building efforts to local needs and contexts, drawing from her experiences in Tanzania.

4. Cross-Border Collaboration: Dr. Monojit proposed increased collaboration between countries to share best practices in digital development.

5. Mentorship Programs: Chris Odu highlighted the value of mentorship and guidance for technology learners. He also suggested utilizing resources like ITU Academy and YouTube for learning about technology.

Role of Different Stakeholders

The speakers agreed on the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration but had varying emphases on the roles of different actors:

1. Government: Chris Odu stressed the government’s role in creating favorable policies to support digital inclusion.

2. Private Sector: Noah Abdelbaki focused on the need for private sector investment in digital infrastructure.

3. Civil Society: Millenium Anthony highlighted the crucial role of civil society in grassroots digital literacy efforts.

4. Youth: Osey Keghya emphasized the importance of youth involvement in shaping digital policies and the need for continuous learning and innovation in addressing digital divide issues.

Emerging Technologies and Developing Countries

The discussion also touched on the potential and challenges of emerging technologies:

1. Data Exchange Frameworks: Noah Abdelbaki called for the development of policies to support data exchange between countries.

2. AI and E-commerce: Chris Odu and Atanas Baizira discussed the potential of AI and e-commerce for development, while also acknowledging the need for ethical considerations in technology use.

3. Mobile Banking: Atanas Baizira highlighted opportunities for innovation in mobile banking.

4. Adoption Challenges: Rapid Sun raised questions about the difficulties in adopting advanced technologies like AI without basic infrastructure in place.

Ethical Considerations and People-Centered Technologies

Atanas Baizira emphasized the importance of ethical use of technology and the need for people-centered technologies that address local needs and contexts.

Audience Questions and Concerns

The discussion included questions from the audience:

1. Grace from Cameroon asked about how to start learning about technology.

2. Razen Zakaria inquired about internet justice and equality in countries affected by war.

3. Rapid Sun questioned AI infrastructure development and collaboration between developing countries.

Visions for a Fully Digital World

The session concluded with each panelist sharing their vision of a fully digital world, emphasizing themes of inclusivity, equal access, and the transformative power of technology for development.

In conclusion, this discussion highlighted the complex challenges in achieving digital equity and the multifaceted approaches required to address them. The speakers emphasized the need for collaborative, localized, and culturally sensitive strategies to bridge the digital divide and ensure that the benefits of digital technologies are accessible to all.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: So, welcome to the session, to our day zero session on sharing and exchanging compute new digital divisions. My name is Millennium Anthony. I am from Tanzania. I am the coordinator for the youth IGF in Tanzania, and I’m also an ITU generation connect youth envoy, and today I’m going to be moderating this amazing session. So I have here with me joined the three speakers and the others who are going to be joining us soon. But before we move further in our discussion, I would like to just give a concept of whatever that we’re going to be discussing for the next one hour. As we all know that we have all this, the new technologies like AI, all this, the robotics and all that, so, and then we also know that there’s this one group that is able to access all these tools easy, but then considering countries like the global south countries, they’re still having difficulties to get connected, to stay online. And this has been contributed by different factors. For example, the high cost of the internet bundles, people can’t access. Some other group, they can’t access the tools, let’s say, have access to computers or mobile phones and all that. So today we are going to have a discussion with my panelists here. We’re going to explore different aspects on how we can ensure, like, people from the global south, but also this other larger group that is left can become online, despite that we have all these emerging technologies that are really coming up high, right? Yeah. So before I go in the discussion, I would like to welcome my speakers. So they’re going to introduce themselves and then I can ask them the questions and then each one of them can respond. So I’ll start with you, Noah.

NOAH ABDELBAKI: Thank you, Millennium. So hi, everyone. Good morning. My name is Noah Abdelbaki. I’m from Egypt and I’m an instructor in the PAYAIG in the Arabic cohort. I’m an engineer by profession. Thank you.

ATANAS BAIZIRA: Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone. I’m Atanas Baizira from the Democratic Republic of Congo. I’m a software engineer by profession and I’m the coordinator for the youth IGF in the DRC. And I’m very happy to be here.

MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI: Hello. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. My name is Matilda Moses-Mashauri from Tanzania. I’m also an African youth ambassador in Internet Governance. I’m a Binti Digitale ambassador. And it’s such a very amazing and a great chance to be here in this very productive and interactive session. Looking forward to collaboration in case of any questions. ideas, we get to talk with others. It’s a very informative session and I can’t wait to get into it. Thank you very much.

CHRIS ODU: Hello, good morning ladies and gentleman, my name is Chris Odu from Nigeria. Sorry I just walked in, we are trying to just get ourselves together. We are looking forward to this session, thank you very much.

DR. MONOJIT: Hi, my name is Monojit, I am a researcher at internet governance, it is pleasure to be here and I am looking forward to this session. Thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you. Okay, thank you very much. So I’m going to be asking questions to my speakers in no particular order. Like I’ll just ask in any order, so just be ready to contribute, yeah? And so I’m gonna start with, first we need to explore some of the challenges. So I’ll start with you, Matilda. In your experience, what are the most significant invisible barriers that contribute to compete disparities in the region, especially that you’re from the African region, and how do you see they’re going to be addressed in the near future?

MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI: Thank you very much, Millennium, for a very insightful question. The challenges are so many, compared, I mean, especially the fact that I’m working very closely with the women and young girls in my country. And I can tell you, I have been, I did these projects not only in the city, but I did go deep, I did the projects in Kigoma, so I was able to see the challenges. I myself was affected, there’s so many challenges in the young girls, and you can see the disparities are a lot. So if you told me, as a young girl, being born as a girl in Africa, in the rural area, that’s a challenge already, you know? And then trying to engage that young girl into the digital world, that’s also another challenge, because we do not have those digital infrastructures, and I’m speaking facts from my country, because I do this, and I did this, you know? So the challenges are so many for young girls. And if you ask me about what we can do, Millennium, to, like, what we can do to overcome the challenges, or to, there’s so much we can do for a young girl. First of all, we do need this gender equity into, like, the proper gender equity into the digital literacy. Whatever the young boy can access should be exactly what also a young girl can access. Same. But then in Africa, for example, I’m telling you, in Kigoma, I went, I met a dropout kid, a 16 years old dropout kid, with two babies. But then if you ask her routine when she was going to school, she has to wake up in the morning, do the home chores, and then go to classes, come back early, make lunch, because she also has kids, go back to class again, come back again. Earlier, later evening. Do the chores again, you know, they didn’t have it. But what’s what about the boy child? He wakes up in the morning goes to school comes back goes to play games or football whatever so you can already see so first we need to treat the same same exact opportunity than the chances that the Young boy gets or that a boy gets should be exactly what I should get what you should get But a younger in Kigoma should get but in my country start to be honest It’s really difficult. The digital infrastructure is poor, you know, the digital infrastructure is poor We do not have this digital infrastructures. We go even if we go we’re gonna go to do with this The session like this the programs, you know, it’s not even about teaching It’s about trying to engage them into this tech technical world people are very they have amazing and confident works People want to be like they have vision But then they do not know even how to dream about those dreams because how can they dream of something that they do not know? So they do not know what is technology. They do not even know what is digital digital interest digital world Never saving a smartphone in their lives Then how am I supposed to teach that young girl that you know what you can be a software developer you can be or a Graphic designer you can be a whatever an engineer if so, there’s so many things to to to there’s so many things you have to do For Tanzania for Tanzania. There’s so much that we have to do so much From the government level from the from the government level from the school from the curriculum itself There’s so many cultures we have to unlearn we have this this this this this this this this this this this this this Cultures that affect us young girls from different. I’m also coming from from a lake zone tribe So I understand but thanks to you know for me It’s different now because at least my parents at least I was able to go to good schools at least I was able to live In the city so for me you can’t sell much, but what about that person who cannot go to those good schools? What about that person whose parents cannot even afford to take them to good schools? You know so it’s a it’s very complicated millennia, but we are trying the heading there So thank you very much in there, and I really love whatever involves young girls and women. Thank you Wow

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you so much for telling that was impressive for me Especially that you talked about gender inequality in terms of accessing all of these resources when it comes to, like, young women and, like, young boys. So there’s that inequality that currently exists. And picking up from the same discussion, I’ll come to you, Noah. Now we have talked about all this marginalized group. How do you think we can ensure that the marginalized communities have access in shaping the voices of, like, policies and solutions to reduce these disparities?

NOAH ABDELBAKI: Yeah, thank you, Millennium. So I guess that everyone needs to have a say in drafting these policies because we need to attract investors to invest in our, like, countries. Africa and the Middle East are very central in the world, but we, like, big tech companies are not heavily investing in this area at all. We don’t have, like, big data centers in our region that would, like, provide many computation resources and enough computation resources for us to use the technology and also design technology that is suitable for us as Africans, as Middle Easterns, as people from the global south. But we don’t have enough resources to do this. So when drafting the policies, we need to, like, ensure having, like, of course, first it needs to be we need to adopt a multi-stakeholder approach, invite everyone to the table to have a say in this and drafting the frameworks. We need to ensure having, like, proper infrastructure to support, like, technology that is growing each and every day. Because we, for example, in Egypt, we still don’t have the LTE or 5G network. We just got the license. I’m sure it’s the same situation most of the African countries. So we need to have the proper infrastructure to support the tech that is that we are using and that is growing each and every day. We are in the age of data and AI. So we need to support this. Also I’m calling all the governments to draft the policies to support the data exchange between the countries and also the data production laws because this will attract tech companies, cloud service providers, internet service providers to invest in our countries. And this will affect our GDP in a positive way and will also attract other investors and we will retain the talent in our countries instead because we are losing our talents. They are leaving our countries. They’re looking for jobs elsewhere, including women. It’s not only the male talents we’re losing. So I need to I hope we can create a better future by having the proper data frameworks and policies to support our future of computation.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: All right. Thank you so much, Noah. So investing and allowing proper policies on the cross-border data transfer. So we have the marginalized group, Atenas. So we have been discussing about digital literacy and all that, especially that you come from PAYAIG where we impact the community with the internet governance knowledge. What would be your contribution on how we can incorporate digital literacy into formal and informal education so that we may ensure that we have sustainable benefits for everyone?

ATANAS BAIZIRA: Thank you so much, very good question and just that you mentioned it’s very important to really rethink the way we see digital literacy not only in the formal way like the normal curriculum when it comes to high school, university and postgraduate but it’s also in the informal way how we can build capacity of the people who are already on ground. Sometimes we talk about marginalized communities, they are not only the youth, they are not only in rural areas, sometimes they are also the old generations that they are already in business for years but then digital technologies are coming to, you know, interfere with the way they deal with business and now they are very marginalized. They are even, when it comes to cyber security questions, they are really very easy to get in this sense so that we also need to rethink literacy in a sense that we do not only reach the people who are at school but also the people who are already working so we give them enough capacity to navigate the digital world very well. So one of the things we are doing is an initiative that came out of Africans to build capacity of African people around internet governance and what is interesting about this program is that the language barrier is something in all the regions we have a lot of languages but then most of the technologies they come with predestination of languages they come with and also discussions around those technologies also will be around most of them happening in English, the IGF one of the good cases. So what we did with PAYAIG is train people in languages that are very close to them, so they will understand very well the stakes of the digital space, they will understand the stakes of internet governance in languages that are very close to them. So we did, we are doing trainings in five languages which include Arabic, Portuguese, French, English and Swahili. So what is original in this program is now we have African languages that are incorporated in this digital literacy initiative and people, from the feedback we are getting, you see that after the training, the people have been trained, are ready to enter the ecosystem, they’re already doing great. If the entrepreneurs you see now, they’re leveraging on the digital technologies because they are more aware of the opportunities that are around. So I think it’s very important to start investing in digital literacy. We don’t have to wait for when everything will be alright because it takes time to make sure everything is aligned, but we start from where we are. Even on your personal capacity, you can start by making sure you preach the gospel of the literacy of the digital space around you. Make sure when you are with people, some of us have knowledge about some of these cases we are having. You can use smartphones, you can use now AI, you can use quantum technologies are coming and they will not wait for when we are ready for them to develop. So they are already developing. So we need to start from where we are, starting to, you know, balance between our other priorities. that are different from regions to region, but also getting into the space, taking enough knowledge so that we can keep the pace and go towards the digital future that we all want. Back to you, Millennium, thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you so much, Adonis. That was very, I liked the multilingualism part, especially considering countries like, let’s say countries like my country, like Tanzania, we have 121 languages. So you can imagine we have some communities, our national language is Swahili, but then we have these other groups that don’t even speak Swahili. So you can imagine we have like all these new technologies like AI, then we want to teach, let’s say in English, people don’t even understand our own national language, how can you teach in English? So it’s really important when we’re doing all this digital literacy thing, the trainings, we do it in the language that our people understand so that we can bring everyone on board. So that’s how we ensure that nobody is left behind. So I’ll come to you, Dr. Monojit. So we have seen, we have talked about all this AI, the quantum computing, they’re really transforming the world and I really like it, but then we have these developing countries, like our countries, like the global south countries that we’re still not to the point that we are benefiting from all these technologies enough. So what do you see, we can, like how do you see we can ensure that all these innovations, like the AI, these all new technologies, are being, what do you say, like are helping or are succeeding in all these developing countries? How can we ensure that?

DR. MONOJIT: Yeah, you can hear me now? I’m so sorry. Technological disadvantage, you rely too much, you know, considering that it is on. Okay, thank you, Milena, so much. But firstly, I’d like to congratulate or thank the first speaker. I’m sorry about your name. But you see the change that you have brought. If you see in front, you’ll see a lot of women participants or representative, probably this is the hard effort that you guys have been doing for the past few years. You see the representation, they’re mostly equally in number or women to be more. Our moderator also has been a gracious lady who is leading the and spearheading. So continuing to the fact that, you know, the point which you have highlighted and my next female speaker, that on technological sharing, you know, I come from India and we are certainly one of the leading countries in terms of technology, if you see the digital payments and such. There are a few initiatives that I’ll tell you a little about just the background that I was previously into academia. I was a student, I did my PhD in Internet Governance. Then I switched to media and now I am in a very prestigious think tank of the government of India. Our main motto is that to flourish or ensure that the language is never a barrier, which again is a very key point highlighted by my panelists. So we have developed, you know, the government of India at large has developed a translation mechanism or a tool called Anuvadhini AI that ensures that we are outreaching the knowledge that we have into all 22 official languages of the country. So alongside this, what we have tried to ensure, and I’m just giving you this fact because what I wish here is that let this be an opportunity for collaboration, you are particularly, you all here present here, also in the audience. You know, you form a, not just for today, but in future also you’ll be a power that represents the country in any society, whether it is academia or such. So that from here, when we go back, we can explore possible collaboration. Now that I’m part of the government of India’s think tank, if at all I don’t represent, you know, in government capacity, but I’m sure the people of India and the government at large will be definitely very happy, you know, to share this knowledge. Now you see, recently what the government has done is ensuring buying or taking the subscription of all leading journals that are available globally and making it a repository. so that all the students from far-flung areas and also from the middle, who cannot get access by paying in their capacity, can get access to their depository, so that they can have access to the knowledge, which is a kind of fundamental right, that I can say. So this sort of, I am very much sure that collaborating with African Union and also African at large, or other countries, like my colleague is from Middle East, or representing the voice of Middle East, I can say, so we can definitely collaborate on that, because this session at large, we talk sharing and exchanging compute, so we can always focus on these areas, that we can, AI, whether it is AI, whether it is sharing of the resources, I think we can certainly collaborate, and India being a rich power in this aspect at least, we can explore collaborations, and I don’t see there is any hindrance to it, geopolitically, whatever the concepts may are, but ideas and innovations like this always are welcomed across the globe. So with this, I hand it over to Milenia once again, thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you so much, doctor. You have spoken about collaboration, in terms of like, the government and stuff, now I want to come to you, Chris. Like, Dr. Monojit has spoke about the importance of collaboration, now we have, let’s say considering we have different stakeholders, let’s say in the internet governance space, we have the governments, we have the technical communities, we have the civil societies, so how can we ensure, like, this multi-stakeholder we have, let’s say all this, the government and all that, the relationship between them is equitable, or is like, good, so that we may ensure we are driving change in all these developing countries, or just the world at large. Like, how can we ensure a good collaboration between the multi-stakeholders?

CHRIS ODU: Okay, so. Okay, give me that. Okay, thank you very much. So good morning once again. Thank you very much for the question. And before I just go ahead, I think I would like to appreciate this balancing, gender balancing. I think it’s territory, so we’re good. Good, so you talked about collaboration and doctor here, first of all, kicked off the pace. The first thing we need to do first is you need to identify do we have, have we accepted we have a problem? That’s the first thing. For instance, you cannot just, even if a doctor is trying to treat you, the patient must first agree that he or she is sick before he can actually receive treatment. So first of all, one of the things we are actually having, the issues we have is that we think, we know we have a problem, we know that we have a problem, but have we, all of us, all the various stakeholders, have we accepted and agreed that we need to solve that problem? Because for me to be able to work with you, we must actually agree. One of us must actually agree to work together. One of the key things I see, or I feel, because I’m going to speak in, is this better? Can you hear me? You can? I can’t, yeah. Please, let’s try to fix this because my moderator is not hearing me, so I need her to hear me. Okay. You can hear me now, better, okay. So I think sometimes, you know, technology just fails us, but we’re good now. So for me to be able to work with you, first of all, we must agree on something. There must be a mutual benefit between both of us. And the truth is, the government can’t do it all alone. We need partnerships. But rather, but the thing is, the government first must lay the foundation. And what’s the foundation? A good policy. Good, you cannot have a poor policy and you expect a private sector to come in. and do any collaboration with you. It’s not gonna work because, for instance, if I’m coming from the private sector, I want to know what’s in for me. That’s the thing, what’s in for me. So you need to have favorable policies for us to be able to work together in harmony. And I would just like to touch on something which is very key for me, which is capacity building. I think we’re actually lacking a lot in capacity building. And when I’m speaking, I’m speaking from my own primary constituency, which is Africa, you understand? We do have a lot of issues when it comes to capacity building. I’ll give you an instance. We’re talking about digital literacies, digital technologies. I’ll use blockchain as an example, okay? We’re in a time where blockchain is actually a thing. You go everywhere, you hear blockchain, blockchain, blockchain. But if you go back to Africa, a lot of people still do not understand what blockchain is you get. So it’s something, for instance, but technology is supposed to, we’re supposed to be speaking, when you’re talking about technology, we’re supposed to be speaking the same language. If I come here, even if you’re speaking Arabic, I’m speaking English, but we’re here to speak technology. So we should be able to communicate on something. And we should be able to speak on something. Something must connect us. And what’s that connection? Technology. So we need to actually build our capacity wherever you’re coming from. We must be able to speak the same language, which is technology. And that’s why I said it’s good, we now use this platform, and go back to our various regions, and ask that, how can I be a change? The change must start with each and every one of us. What am I going to do? Am I going to mentor? Am I going to teach? Am I going to guide? Well, how do I play my own part? Because as a stakeholder, all of us have a role to play. The government, the private sector, the business people, everybody has a role to play. So we shouldn’t just go back and say, we leave it for the government, or we leave it for this sector, no. Each and every one of us, once we leave this place, we should go with a mindset of. What’s that little thing I can do and contribute to my own constituency? How am I going to contribute and give my own quarter? For instance, I do a lot of mentoring. I do a lot of mentoring on digital literacy. Okay, trying to see how, because most times when we speak, we’re just speaking to those in the urban areas. How about the rural areas? That’s those at the bottom of the ladder. How are we going to bring them into these conversations? We’re talking about technology, technology, technology, but someone in a rural village, a remote village, does not really understand this technology. How can we bring them on board? So that’s actually part of collaboration. How can we collaborate and make sure that this group of people are not left behind? So my take is we should always champion change wherever we go. We should be the contributors too. Thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Wow, thank you so much, Chris. I was about to chip in a question when you were speaking, but then in the end, you ended up answering it. My moderator must hear me. Okay, so now, I think I want to move the direction to the floor. Now, I want, if you guys want to share something, especially in your specific countries, something that you have seen, the challenges that you have seen, or if it’s something that you have seen that is working in your country in terms of bridging this whole digital divide. So I want to open the floor if you want to share something like that. Yeah, I’ll start with you, Keghya.

OSEY KEGHYA: Hello. I hope I’m audible enough. Yes. Okay, thank you very much. My name is Osei Keghya from Ghana. A lot has been shared, and thanks to you for the insightful conversation. But my concern is that, I ask, who are we benchmarking? We are talking about sharing and exchanging. computing, new digital divisions. Every now and then, I know people are from Africa, Middle East, Europe, Americas. There are new challenges which are evolving every now and then. But who are we benchmarking? What way are we trying to develop digital literacy? These are the questions, the nuances we should look at. So, Chris also did talk about mentoring, which is very, very good. But one thing I have noticed in our countries, specific countries, is that it has become too robotic and mechanistic that it stifles innovation. So, if I’m imparting young people, in terms of mentorship, go my way, go this way. So, it’s no ground for innovation, birth my way. But we need to move from that area and see it as a wrestle and a dance, where there is information sharing, where we can continually innovate. And the one last thing is continuous learning. In this whole bridging the divide, trying to introduce computation and all, there must be continuous learning. And in this continuous learning, we talk of multi-stakeholder approach, which is very good. By government’s hold and a balance of power, are they ready to juggle with the people, private sector, and civil society. Our side is Bravity. Thank you very much. Wow, thank you so much, Keghya.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Is there? Yes, please.

KENDI KOSA: I don’t know if you can hear me. Yeah. My name is Kendi Kosa. I’m from Mozambique. I have some ideas here about the infrastructure development. Since we are, we’ve been facing challenges in building resilient and accessible broadband infrastructure and underserved and rural communities, as Matilde mentioned. To address these issues through public-private partnerships and innovation solutions, I brought here some ideas about infrastructure for telecommunications. I believe that an effective approach to ensure that these areas without broadband infrastructure can connect through the infrastructure sharing model, which is a strategy that involves cooperation among different telecommunications operators to use the same infrastructure such as towers, cables and fiber optic networks. I believe that for that, we must approach something for Africa, which is the cost reductions for the Internet. We have also accelerated the access for it and minimized the environment impact. Plus we have an improvement for service quality. Also for the implementation of these ideas, I think about a favorable regulation, which is necessary to have a regulatory framework that encourages infrastructure sharing. That would be clear to the guidelines to protect competition and consumer rights. We also need a partnership agreement, government involvement in this for the infrastructure part, and plus innovative business models. I believe in that. So thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Wow. Thank you so much. I really like the discussion that is going on here, especially, okay, I’ll come back to you one time, and especially I liked the telecommunication. I think for my country, I think I’ll say. the telecommunication companies, they haven’t been a very good collaboration between the telecom companies. At least every telecom company is trying, they’re competing, you know? So there is no, what do you say, cooperative effort that is done to ensure like, okay, our goal is just one. All of us want to bridge this divide, we want to provide service to our people, but then it’s just like rival, who will reach there first? But then if we do it all together, I think we’ll reach far. And, wait, yes, welcome.

SOBY ABRAHAM FIFI: Okay, all right, thank you. My name is Soby Abraham Fifi. Can you hear me? Yeah. Okay, all right. So, listening to some of the conversations that go on, I will focus more on the literacy aspect and capacity aspect on that. Chris was mentioning that at least we have to do some capacity, literacy models aspect. But I have two questions in this one. What actions are we taking? And which categories can we sort it out? The reason why I’m saying is that sometimes, let’s say, the people in this room may understand the concept of internet governance. So when we come, we discuss about emerging technologies, advancing technology, you all mentioned blockchain and other stuff, right? It’s a conversation on different categories. But when we come to the lower aspects of the category we’re gonna look about digital literacy, that’s where we see the gap, because people can come and discuss about AI, digital infrastructure, emerging technologies, blockchain, but most of those people who are listening to that conversation, some people don’t even understand basic computer literacy, how to even operate basic tools within the IT aspect. So come to think of. the AI. So what I want us to do is that, in terms of conversation among youth, we can close the gap by categorizing and prioritizing where we need to focus on. So there might be a group that we can group them, okay people who have advanced the stage of using basic technology tools, this conversation we can focus on them. Then we the youth can start developing models that is tailored to digital literacy training. How to even use basic things, because even some people don’t even know how to use Zoom. So if we are having a conversation on closing the digital gap, digital AIs and other stuff, how can they even connect to do that? So we need to start by prioritizing the categories of people that we are dealing with, and make sure that we try to put in this. And the people in the room, let me take the panelists as an, we cannot bring you to start learning how to use computers because you are advanced on that. So that conversation will go. So whilst we are going, we should also look up, look down to the people that we have below, so that we can train them in basic things. So whilst we are also catching up with advanced world in African youth, we can also bring people who don’t have any idea to start also from somewhere. Then we’ll be bringing them in along along. So I think some will be ahead of people, but you always get the chance to bring people included in the conversation and topics. Thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you, Fifi. Do you wanna respond, Chris, to that?

CHRIS ODU: Can you hear me? Yes. Good, okay. Fifi, thank you very much for that thoughts. I agree totally with you. I agree totally with you. That’s why you see, when I started the conversation, I said something. I said, we need to identify our problems. Before you visit a doctor, you must first of all, believe that you’re actually not feeling fine before even going to the hospital. So we must first of all identify the problems and how we’re gonna identify those problems is having this kind of conversations. That’s why, for instance, whatever the work you do, you are the grassroots, you know these problems, you know how to categorize them, okay? So we cannot all be on the same pace, it’s not possible. Everybody must be on a very different level, even in schools and everything, there are different classes where you categorize people. So first of all, we need to identify our problems. We need to accept that we have this problem. And what’s that problem? Capacity building, yes, we’ve identified that. Now, what exactly are we building? How, which categories? What, is it people that do not know how to use devices? Is it people that want to construct robots? Is it people that want to control blockchains? What exactly? So once we’re able to do this, and how do we do that? Is by each and every one of us taking that responsibility to say, yes, I want to contribute in this way. So thank you very much for that contribution of yours.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you very much. Atanas, you wanna say?

ATANAS BAIZIRA: Thank you so much. Very interesting conversation, actually. I wanted to say something quite interesting in this area, is that I have an example where we have seen a rise of literacy not coming from a special entity going to teach people, but the interest raising from actually the audience. What is interesting here, like the cases in India, what they have managed to do is to widen the digital infrastructure. And what happened is we have seen a rise in digital literacy in e-commerce, in mobile banking. So I believe internet infrastructure is an engine that will motivate the literacy to come also, and the pace when it comes to continuing with innovation. India now, when we talk about innovation in ICT, there is definitely an engine at some point. So I believe in our different countries, when we will be able to implement sustainable infrastructure that are reaching all the different areas, can it be the urban space or the rural areas, when we’ll reach all of them, they will definitely make use of the infrastructure they have, Sometimes it’s very interesting, they are very innovative, and use ways that we didn’t even think we were able to use. We have a case in many countries now that are sustainable infrastructure solutions that are known for profit, which we call community networks, whereby people around communities get together and say, we need internet, and we see it as a good, a force for good, an enabler. We are a community of agriculture, but we see that the internet will be an enabler in us selling our local products. So they get together, they connect to a certain access point, because the internet, what is it? It’s a network of networks. So they create, they have already their own interpersonal network, but then they connect to the internet at a certain place. And now you see trade will be moving around the space, quite interesting. And when you see the numbers, they get to do wonders with the access they have got. So I think we need to build capacity in infrastructure that will help us go with the pace. One person was talking about, you know, we have other priorities. In some countries, people are not able to feed themselves, and you see internet connection costs almost like half of their salary or something. So if you are them, you need to pay school fees of your children or connect to the internet. What is the choice you are going to take? So access to connectivity is very important. And for us to make sure this access is easy, we need to have infrastructure all around. When we have infrastructure, we need to have access. It will be cheap, and people will be able to actually, not only prioritizing, they will definitely prioritize the key aspect of their life, but they will balance, you know that we are moving with our natural challenges, but also we are not left behind. As we are solving our different challenges in life, we are leveraging the ICT, we are leveraging the digital solutions, so that we solve our challenges, helped by the digital solutions, and that will be very helpful for us to move together. So that’s what I wanted to bring to the table today.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: All right, Matilda, you have something to say?

MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI: You know, like, whatever involves capacity building, like I’m in love with it. So for the development to that, you know what I think? We do not even need like, it’s not like we need something like sustainable development. I think for my country in particular, since I am working very closely with the people in the rural areas, we need to localize, localize infrastructural development. Because if you see in there, we are like, what, using 5G already? 5G, eh? In, I was in Singida just a few, I think less than five days ago, there’s not even 2G there. And I’m supposed to teach those women capacity building. So we do these capacity buildings, really, at the urban areas, we do a lot, even in the rural areas. But then we go to the capacity buildings without the infrastructure for that capacity building. So if I have the 2G internet, and sometimes actually the 2G is until if I find any, I need to find a spot, climb on top of a tree, or sit somewhere across, around the mountain. You know, to try to balance the signal like frequency wave. So we need to localize this, the development. So the private sectors, the government, they really need to push their focus for the digital infrastructure development into the local areas, the rural areas. You know, speaking about it, you people, you think it’s worse than even how I’m explaining. It’s worse, I’m telling you. It’s a… I don’t know how… For my country, for Tanzania, it’s worse, guys. I’ve been in Kigoma, Kasulu, where the sand is literally red. You know, you just go there, I have white hair, by the way, so you can imagine with the dust how my hair was, with the 2G internet not working, trying to teach these women. The women do not even have… I went, for example, for Kigoma, these people, it was the women entrepreneurs, they were doing amazing job. Confidently, I’m telling you, perfect job. So we went there to, you know, give them the digital capacity building, how to engage them to the digital marketing. Mind you, we want to engage them to the e-commerce. Mind you, these people do not have a smartphone, never even seen one, can’t even write their names. You know, the e-commerce also comes, you’re, oh, my God. And oh, guys, the situation is bad. What I just wanted to say, the point should just be like we should localize this development to the rural areas, localize the infrastructure, the digital infrastructures, yeah, so we need this. And this is… Actually, for this situation, it’s actually different because I went there to teach the women entrepreneurs. But if I was doing for the women and men entrepreneurs, I’m pretty sure even the men will be facing the same challenge because it’s something they don’t know, something is not there, it’s like going… One day, you know, a lady once asked me, so you guys came here talking about dream, dream, dream. What is a dream to begin with? And someone doesn’t even know what is a dream to begin with. And then I’m about to tell this person, you know what? You can be a software engineer, you can do this, and the vision compact, it’s just terrible. So that’s what I wanted to say.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: All right, thank you so much. So you can do, like from this discussion that has been going on, so you can do digital, like capacity building or digital literacy without having proper infrastructures. So it’s really important to make sure that we invest on proper infrastructures so we can ensure like everyone can get access to all these things. So before I get to see if there’s any online contribution, I think there was one contribution back there. So I’ll go to it and then I’ll see online if I have a question or any contribution.

GRACE: Okay, can you hear me all? Good morning, I’m Grace from Cameroon. I want to be more practical about what you have said because I’m a learner. I don’t want to say that I’ve understood everything, but I’m here to learn. So you mentioned something like identify your problem. Okay, I love technology. I want to learn more about it. I want to solve problem. I want to make money from technology. But how? How can I start? Where am I starting? So I think one obsession like that is to help us to understand more what is all about technology and all the rest. So I would like to just have a small advice about it. Thank you very much.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: You wanna say? Okay, so I can have Chris respond to that and then we can move to one on site and then we can move online.

CHRIS ODU: I hope I’m audible now. Yes. Okay, so thank you very much my sister from Cameroon for that question. You know, I like going back to my analogy of the doctor. You know, when you have an illness, you would have to make inquiries. Where is this doctor? How can I treat this illness? Good, and one of them is what you have just done. Asking questions of how. Where, how can you start and all of that. that. I think just a little bit of linkage of what Fifi said. There are different levels, everyone is not on the same level and we are here as supposed experts, okay, we are still bigger experts and all of that. There are actually resources online where you can actually make those inquiries or how to learn. For instance, if you want to go into, let me just use the case of blockchain, someone might want to say, okay, I want to go into this blockchain, I want to actually know how beneficial it can be because blockchain is broad, okay, it’s come to solve problems that are existing. However, we are not using that blockchain to solve those problems. So you can now say, okay, you want to tap into that sector, so how can I now know about more about blockchain? There are a lot of resources online, one of them I can link you to is the ITU Academy website. Yes, it has a whole lot of good resources where you can actually learn. There are some of the paid resources, some are actually free. Yeah, ITU, that’s our International Telecommunication Union, that’s one of them and also one of the very good places which we always go to, YouTube. YouTube is our friend, that’s why I look at it, YouTube is our friend. I think we can, you can virtually see almost everything in YouTube but sometimes, what I like saying, that’s why I mentioned earlier about mentoring, okay. My friend here from Ghana also said something about mentoring, which is you would actually put the person on the same path as you. Well, I kind of also disagree with him on that because, for instance, when we’re all young, we needed parents to actually put us on the path. It doesn’t mean we have to be the same like them, we need someone to guide you on the path, first of all. So, okay, it’s always good to attach yourself to a mentor. You don’t have to be exactly as a mentor but he’s gonna put you because he has gone through hurdles already, so he’s gonna put you through so that you don’t go to the same hurdles as he or she has gone through. So, that’s why having a mentor is also key because they’re going to put you through whatever you need, direct you on the right path, and also direct you to where you can actually get these resources. So, I hope I’ve been able to answer that for you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you. Wow. Thank you so much, Chris. So, I’ll take, if you can take one minute, if you can, and then I’ll move on line because we’re out of time, and then we can close. Okay. So, one minute, one minute, and then one minute from online, and then we close with my panelists.

RAZEN ZAKARIA: Can you hear me? Yes. Okay. I’m Razen Zakaria from Egypt. I’m an Abayag ambassador. I have a very important question about the internet justice and equality. Nowadays, we see that, especially in the countries that have aborts, there’s not people that can have an access to the internet to reach out their voices to the world and to connect with the people around all of the world. Who are the sectors that have a right to manage, not control or prevent people to get access to the internet? So, who are the sectors that have a right to manage this internet rights to the people in this society that have a word? This is my question.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Okay. Is there anyone who wants to respond? If you can respond in less than one minute, I’ll appreciate.

ATANAS BAIZIRA: Very good question, actually, Razen. What is pretty much interesting is that every aspect of life, the digital technologies are being influenced and can influence. Things we are seeing currently, when you see people affected by war, definitely people using ICT technologies as war tools. But also we are seeing humanitarians using digital technologies to solve these issues. So if we take technology, we don’t have to take it and frame it in an area, but we need to see it as a tool that you can use for good and we advocate for the use of technology for good. It’s like a knife. A doctor can use the knife to help operate and save a life, but someone else can use a knife to kill someone. You get the point. The knife is not the problem. The problem is the people. So I think technologies that are centered around the people are definitely the ethical one and we need to use them in a sense that, you know, looking for what sense that is ethical and that’s the only way forward. From my perspective. Thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: All right. Thank you so much. I’m going to move online first and then I get to my last on site and then we close. So please, yeah. If you can take one minute or less, that’d be nice. Yeah, thank you so much, Lamayla. And please, the floor is yours.

RAPID SUN: Good morning. My name is Rapid Sun from Cambodia. So my question to the panelists from India. So can you elaborate more about the mechanism about that for the infrastructure setting, especially for AI development? And how… Hello? Do you hear? Yes. Okay. So how the developing country join the mechanism, for example, if you already have the mechanism in place for setting the infrastructure? Thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: All right. Dr. Manojit, can you answer in like… Have you… Yeah. Can you answer in like one minute or less?

DR. MONOJIT: Yes. Okay. So to beat the question, I’d like to… share that since we are almost close by neighbors, Cambodia and India are not very far, we can certainly explore the collaboration aspects in not just the governmental side but also the private players, you know. We’ll be interested to share the best practices and particularly given the fact that Cambodia and India share very close relations, we do have a very friendly relations between us, probably we can take this ahead, probably post-session or something, I think there are multiple avenues that we can collaborate and obviously given the fact that Cambodia and the relation with Africa, we all can be working together, at least disseminating the skills and the best practices can always be explored at any point of time.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Okay, thank you very much Dr. Marajit. I think we can, you guys can link up after the session too and then you can discuss further, right? So I would like to thank my panelists and of course the floor for participating in this session and I would like my panelists with one word to close this. How does a fully digitally world look like to you in one word? Like a fully digitally developed world look like to you in one word? I don’t know who is ready to start but whoever is ready to start just in one word, a fully digital world,

ATANAS BAIZIRA: how does it look like to you? For me a fully digital world, it’s about people who are connected

NOAH ABDELBAKI: and interconnected. Connection, connectivity, okay. For me it’s about empowerment and enablement.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Empowerment and enablement. Matilda? Yeah, I actually wrote something here, so I like

MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI: to leave you guys with the thoughts which is the compute divide is a challenge, we all agreed, but also an opportunity. So it is an opportunity to rewrite the rule. of digital engagement to ensure that computational power becomes a shared result that uplifts all, and not that privilege that deepens inequality.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: I like that word. A lot of words. One word.

CHRIS ODU: Chot, while we live here, let’s be the change that we seek to see.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Change.

DR. MONOJIT: For me, it will be accessible. That’s what our government of India is also looking for, to make sure every resource available on the internet is accessible for everyone, irrespective of the distance, like as I mentioned in my course, the far-flung area students are also getting everyone. So accessible should be that one word. Thank you.

MILLENIUM ANTHONY: Thank you very much. Thank you so much, everyone, for attending. I’d also like to thank my online participants. This was really amazing from the contribution that I received from the floor and online. Hope to see you around. Thank you so much. Have a nice day. Yeah, my panelists, please. Let’s take a picture before we leave. We can make it. Oh, that’s amazing. Congratulations. Good luck. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Agreement Points

Digital divide and infrastructure challenges

MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI

ATANAS BAIZIRA

MILLENIUM ANTHONY

KENDI KOSA

Lack of digital infrastructure in rural areas

High cost of internet access

Public-private partnerships for infrastructure development

Multiple speakers agreed that lack of digital infrastructure and high costs of internet access are major barriers to digital inclusion, especially in rural areas. They suggested public-private partnerships as a potential solution.

Importance of digital literacy and capacity building

MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI

SOBY ABRAHAM FIFI

ATANAS BAIZIRA

CHRIS ODU

Lack of basic digital literacy skills

Multilingual digital literacy training

Localized and targeted capacity building efforts

Mentorship and guidance for technology learners

Several speakers emphasized the need for digital literacy training and capacity building, highlighting the importance of localized, multilingual approaches and mentorship programs.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the importance of private sector involvement in developing digital infrastructure, either through direct investment or public-private partnerships.

NOAH ABDELBAKI

KENDI KOSA

Private sector investment in digital infrastructure

Public-private partnerships for infrastructure development

Both speakers highlighted the importance of cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing to improve digital literacy and development efforts.

ATANAS BAIZIRA

DR. MONOJIT

Multilingual digital literacy training

Collaboration between countries to share best practices

Unexpected Consensus

Ethical use of technology

ATANAS BAIZIRA

CHRIS ODU

Importance of ethical use of technology

Potential of AI and blockchain for development

While discussing different aspects of technology adoption, both speakers unexpectedly converged on the importance of ethical considerations in technology use and development, emphasizing the need for human-centered approaches.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement included the need for improved digital infrastructure, the importance of digital literacy and capacity building, and the role of multi-stakeholder collaboration in addressing the digital divide.

Consensus level

There was a moderate to high level of consensus among the speakers on the key challenges and potential solutions for bridging the digital divide. This consensus suggests a shared understanding of the issues, which could facilitate more coordinated and effective efforts to address digital inequalities in developing countries.

Different Viewpoints

Approach to digital literacy training

SOBY ABRAHAM FIFI

ATANAS BAIZIRA

Lack of basic digital literacy skills

Multilingual digital literacy training

While Soby Abraham Fifi emphasizes the need for basic digital literacy skills, Atanas Baizira focuses on multilingual training to overcome language barriers. This represents a difference in approach to addressing digital literacy challenges.

Unexpected Differences

Overall Assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement revolve around approaches to digital literacy training, the role of different stakeholders in infrastructure development, and the prioritization of basic vs. advanced technologies.

difference_level

The level of disagreement among the speakers is relatively low. Most differences are in emphasis or approach rather than fundamental disagreements. This suggests a general consensus on the importance of bridging the digital divide, with variations in proposed strategies. These differences could lead to a more comprehensive approach if integrated effectively.

Partial Agreements

Both speakers agree on the need for tailored approaches to digital literacy, but differ in their focus. Matilda emphasizes localization based on community needs, while Atanas focuses on language-specific training.

MATILDA MOSES-MASHAURI

ATANAS BAIZIRA

Localized and targeted capacity building efforts

Multilingual digital literacy training

Both speakers agree on the need for investment in digital infrastructure, but Chris emphasizes the government’s role in creating favorable policies, while Noah focuses on attracting private sector investment.

CHRIS ODU

NOAH ABDELBAKI

Government’s role in creating favorable policies

Private sector investment in digital infrastructure

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasized the importance of private sector involvement in developing digital infrastructure, either through direct investment or public-private partnerships.

NOAH ABDELBAKI

KENDI KOSA

Private sector investment in digital infrastructure

Public-private partnerships for infrastructure development

Both speakers highlighted the importance of cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing to improve digital literacy and development efforts.

ATANAS BAIZIRA

DR. MONOJIT

Multilingual digital literacy training

Collaboration between countries to share best practices

Key Takeaways

The digital divide remains a significant challenge, especially in developing countries and rural areas

Multi-stakeholder collaboration and targeted capacity building are crucial for bridging the digital divide

Infrastructure development and affordable access are foundational for digital inclusion

Digital literacy efforts need to be localized and consider language barriers

Emerging technologies like AI and blockchain present both opportunities and challenges for developing countries

Resolutions and Action Items

Explore collaborations between countries to share best practices in digital development

Implement multilingual digital literacy training programs

Develop public-private partnerships for infrastructure development in underserved areas

Engage youth in shaping digital policies and initiatives

Promote mentorship programs to guide technology learners

Unresolved Issues

How to effectively balance basic digital literacy needs with adoption of advanced technologies

Specific mechanisms for ensuring equitable access to digital resources in conflict-affected areas

Detailed strategies for making digital infrastructure economically viable in rural and remote areas

How to address the gender gap in digital access and skills across different cultural contexts

Suggested Compromises

Balancing investment in urban and rural digital infrastructure development

Combining top-down policy approaches with grassroots digital literacy initiatives

Adapting global technological standards to local needs and contexts

Finding a middle ground between rapid technological advancement and ensuring no one is left behind

We do not have this digital infrastructures. We go even if we go we’re gonna go to do with this The session like this the programs, you know, it’s not even about teaching It’s about trying to engage them into this tech technical world people are very they have amazing and confident works People want to be like they have vision But then they do not know even how to dream about those dreams because how can they dream of something that they do not know?

speaker

Matilda Moses-Mashauri

reason

This comment highlights the fundamental challenge of digital literacy in underserved areas – the lack of basic infrastructure and exposure that prevents people from even conceptualizing the possibilities of technology.

impact

It shifted the discussion towards the need for basic infrastructure and exposure before advanced digital literacy can be meaningful. It prompted others to consider more foundational issues in bridging the digital divide.

We need to draft the policies to support the data exchange between the countries and also the data production laws because this will attract tech companies, cloud service providers, internet service providers to invest in our countries.

speaker

Noah Abdelbaki

reason

This comment introduces the important role of policy and regulation in creating an environment conducive to technological investment and development.

impact

It broadened the conversation from just infrastructure and education to include the policy landscape needed to support digital development. It prompted discussion of multi-stakeholder approaches.

So what we did with PAYAG is train people in languages that are very close to them, so they will understand very well the stakes of the digital space, they will understand the stakes of internet governance in languages that are very close to them.

speaker

Atanas Baizira

reason

This comment highlights the importance of linguistic and cultural accessibility in digital literacy efforts.

impact

It introduced the concept of localization in digital education efforts, prompting others to consider how to make digital literacy more culturally relevant and accessible.

We need to identify our problems. Before you visit a doctor, you must first of all, believe that you’re actually not feeling fine before even going to the hospital.

speaker

Chris Odu

reason

This analogy effectively frames the importance of problem identification and acceptance before solutions can be implemented.

impact

It refocused the discussion on the need to properly diagnose and acknowledge digital divide issues before jumping to solutions. It prompted more nuanced consideration of the challenges faced in different contexts.

I believe internet infrastructure is an engine that will motivate the literacy to come also, and the pace when it comes to continuing with innovation.

speaker

Atanas Baizira

reason

This comment presents the idea that infrastructure itself can drive literacy and innovation, rather than the other way around.

impact

It challenged the typical order of thinking about digital development, suggesting that infrastructure investment could lead organically to increased digital literacy and innovation. This prompted discussion about prioritization in digital development efforts.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by broadening the scope of considerations in addressing the digital divide. They moved the conversation from a focus on just education and skills to include infrastructure, policy, cultural relevance, and the interplay between these factors. The discussion evolved to recognize the complexity of the issue, acknowledging that solutions must be multifaceted and tailored to local contexts. The comments also highlighted the need for a bottom-up approach, starting with basic infrastructure and cultural understanding before moving to more advanced digital literacy efforts.

How can we ensure gender equity in digital literacy?

speaker

Matilda Moses-Mashauri

explanation

Matilda emphasized the need for equal access to digital resources and education for girls and boys, highlighting the current disparities in opportunities.

How can we attract more tech companies and investors to Africa and the Middle East?

speaker

Noah Abdelbaki

explanation

Noah discussed the need for policies and frameworks to encourage investment in digital infrastructure in these regions.

How can we incorporate digital literacy into both formal and informal education?

speaker

Millennium Anthony

explanation

This question was posed to explore sustainable ways to build digital skills across different segments of society.

How can we ensure AI and other new technologies benefit developing countries?

speaker

Millennium Anthony

explanation

This question was raised to address the gap in technology adoption and benefits between developed and developing nations.

How can we improve collaboration between different stakeholders in the internet governance space?

speaker

Millennium Anthony

explanation

This question was asked to explore ways to enhance multi-stakeholder relationships for driving change in developing countries.

How can we categorize and prioritize different levels of digital literacy training?

speaker

Soby Abraham Fifi

explanation

Fifi suggested the need to tailor digital literacy efforts to different skill levels, from basic computer use to advanced technologies.

How can we localize digital infrastructure development in rural areas?

speaker

Matilda Moses-Mashauri

explanation

Matilda emphasized the need to focus on building digital infrastructure in underserved rural areas to enable effective capacity building.

Who has the right to manage internet access in countries affected by conflict?

speaker

Razen Zakaria

explanation

Razen raised this question to address issues of internet justice and equality in conflict-affected regions.

How can developing countries join or replicate India’s mechanisms for AI infrastructure development?

speaker

Rapid Sun

explanation

This question was asked to explore possibilities for international collaboration on AI infrastructure.