Networking Session #51 Code and Constitution: Empowering African Parliamentarians

Summary

This networking session focused on empowering African parliamentarians in shaping digital policies and frameworks. The discussion centered around three main pillars: code as legislation, collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement, and Africa’s unique challenges and opportunities in the digital realm.

Participants highlighted the need for African countries to develop comprehensive digital frameworks, noting that many current laws are not adapted to the rapid evolution of digital technology. They emphasized the importance of parliamentarians engaging with scientists, technologists, and other stakeholders to create inclusive and practical policies. The lack of dedicated science and technology committees in many parliaments was identified as a gap to be addressed.

Key challenges discussed included limited internet access, especially in rural areas, expensive data costs, and the need for capacity building in digital skills. Participants stressed the importance of public participation in the legislative process and suggested using social media and other digital platforms to engage younger generations.

The discussion also touched on the borderless nature of the internet, highlighting the need for regional and global collaboration in addressing issues like cybercrime. Participants emphasized the importance of aligning educational curricula with digital needs and investing in digital infrastructure.

In conclusion, the session underscored the critical role of parliamentarians in driving digital transformation in Africa through informed policymaking, multi-stakeholder engagement, and addressing unique regional challenges while leveraging opportunities for growth and development.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– The need for African parliaments to engage more with technologists, scientists, and other stakeholders when developing digital policies and legislation

– The importance of building digital infrastructure and improving internet access across Africa, especially in rural areas

– Challenges around cross-border internet governance and cybercrime given the borderless nature of the internet

– The need to update curricula and build digital skills/capacity across African populations

– The role of parliamentarians in shaping inclusive digital policies that empower all citizens

The overall purpose of the discussion was to explore how African parliamentarians can effectively shape digital policies and legislation to support inclusive digital development across the continent.

The tone of the discussion was collaborative and solution-oriented. Participants shared challenges faced in their countries but focused on identifying opportunities and strategies to address them. There was an emphasis on the need for greater cooperation between parliamentarians, technologists, and other stakeholders. The tone remained constructive throughout as participants built on each other’s ideas.

Speakers

– Millenium Anthony: Coordinator from Youth IGF in Tanzania, ITU Generation Connect Youth Envoy, founder of STEM Heart Network

– Catherine Mumma: Senator from Kenya, member of the Speaker’s Panel, vice chair of the Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations Committee and the Justice, Legal and Human Rights Committee, representative of Kenyan Senate on the Inter-Parliamentary Union, member of APNIC (African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance)

– Lekhotsa Mafatle: Member of parliament from Lesotho, member of APNIC

– Daniel Molokele: Member of Parliament from Zimbabwe, member of APNIC

– Ke Gong: Former parliamentary member of China, serves the World Federation of Engineering Organizations

– Susan Dossi: Member of Parliament for Malawi

Additional speakers:

– Ayoban Ngao: Member of parliament in DRC

– Panelist 1: Gambia

Expanded Summary of Parliamentary Discussion on Digital Policies in Africa

This networking session brought together parliamentarians from across Africa to discuss the critical role of legislators in shaping digital policies and frameworks for the continent. The discussion centered around three main pillars: code as legislation, collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement, and Africa’s unique challenges and opportunities in the digital realm.

1. Code as Legislation: Digital Frameworks and Policies in Africa

A key focus was the urgent need for updated and comprehensive digital frameworks across African nations. Senator Catherine Mumma from Kenya highlighted, “While Africa has laws guiding all sectors, digital technology is evolving much faster than policy.” She emphasized the need to review existing sector laws in light of digital advancements, citing telemedicine as an example: “We need to review our public health laws to accommodate telemedicine.”

Lekhotsa Mafatle, a Member of Parliament from Lesotho, cautioned against adopting pre-modelled laws from Western countries, stressing the importance of developing Africa-specific policies. Daniel Molokele, a Member of Parliament from Zimbabwe, identified the lack of comprehensive data on internet penetration as a significant challenge, stating, “This data gap hinders targeted government interventions and effective policy-making.”

2. Collaboration and Multi-stakeholder Engagement in Policymaking

The importance of engaging diverse stakeholders in the policy-making process was a recurring theme. Catherine Mumma shared an insight from the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology: “Parliaments rarely engage with scientists.” This observation highlighted a critical gap in the policy-making process.

Daniel Molokele proposed innovative approaches to public engagement, suggesting that parliaments invest in communications teams utilizing social media platforms and community radio stations. Susan Dossi emphasized the need for parliamentarians to be involved in the law-making process from the beginning.

Ayoban Ngao, a Member of Parliament from the Democratic Republic of Congo, suggested making parliamentary work calendars and processes more accessible to the public to increase transparency.

3. Africa’s Unique Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Realm

The discussion touched on several challenges and opportunities specific to the African context. A panelist from Gambia mentioned the implementation of the African Union’s Digital Strategy 2020-2030, which provides a roadmap for the continent’s digital transformation. They also highlighted the need for mutual legal assistance laws and collaboration in cybersecurity.

Catherine Mumma pointed out the borderless nature of the internet as a significant challenge for policy-makers, stating, “While legislation is typically localized to a country, internet governance requires thinking beyond national borders.” She also raised concerns about potential exploitation in digital labor markets, particularly for African workers engaged in global digital platforms.

The need for investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building was emphasized. Catherine Mumma stressed the importance of investing in digital public infrastructure and providing basic digital skills training for all community members. Ke Gong, a former parliamentary member from China, mentioned the World Federation of Engineering Organizations’ initiative for engineering capacity building in Africa.

A panelist from Gambia highlighted the need to update education curricula to align with digital needs, underscoring the importance of preparing the workforce for the digital economy.

Catherine Mumma also emphasized the need for judiciary training on internet-related crimes to ensure effective enforcement of digital policies.

Conclusion

The discussion underscored the critical role of parliamentarians in driving digital transformation in Africa through informed policymaking, multi-stakeholder engagement, and addressing unique regional challenges.

Key takeaways included the need for updated and Africa-specific digital policies, the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement in policy-making, the critical need for investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building, and the necessity of regional and global collaboration in internet governance.

Moving forward, participants suggested developing a ‘model law’ through the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance (APNIC) to establish minimum standards for digital governance legislation. Catherine Mumma highlighted APNIC, ICANN, and IPU as platforms for parliamentarian engagement in digital governance. The implementation of the African Digital Strategy 2020-2030 was also emphasized as a guide for digital transformation efforts across the continent.

Millenium Anthony: Good morning. I hope everyone, I’m audible enough, and I hope the online participants can hear me. Welcome to the networking session titled Codes and Constitution, Empowering African Parliamentarians. My name is Millennium Anthony. I am the coordinator from Youth IGF in Tanzania, but I’m also an ITU Generation Connect Youth Envoy, but also a founder of STEM Heart Network. And today I’m going to be a facilitator for this roundtable discussion today. So this session is designed to foster a meaningful dialogue between African parliamentarians, multi-stakeholder participants, and policy experts as we explore the intersection between code and constitution principles. Our goal is to share insights, highlight challenges, and identify opportunities to create a robust digital framework for Africa. So first of all, just to give a highlight of the session overview, how we are going to conduct it. So first we’ll have introduction from our speakers here, and then we’ll have the two speakers here will give just a brief presentation, I mean, a brief contribution on the topic that we’re going to be discussing. And then after that, I’ll open the floor to the participants, and then we can have different areas that we are going to be discussing. And then in the end, we’re going to close by having a summary of key takeaways and next steps. So now I open the floor to my panelists here. If you are going to introduce yourself in the first round, and then I’ll open the floor for you to contribute. Thank you very much.

Catherine Mumma: Thank you very much. My name is Catherine Mumma. I’m a senator from Kenya, nominated senator. And at the Senate, I am a member of the Speaker’s Panel. I am also a vice chair of the Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations Committee and the Justice, Legal and Human Rights Committee. But I also represent the Kenyan Senate on the Inter-Parliamentary Union. And I’m a member of the Working Group on Science and Technology in the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group. I am also a member of APNIC. APNIC is the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance, which is, I think I can speak about that a little later. But that is what I am, who I am. Thank you very much.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you very much, Honorable.

Lekhotsa Mafatle: Hi, my name is Honorable Khoza Mafete, a member of parliament from Lesotho, a member of APNIC as well, African Parliamentary Internet Governance Network. In my parliament, I sit on a portfolio of prime minister’s ministries, which hosts ministry of ICT, labor, public service and others. Thank you.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you very much. So I would now like to welcome the floor to you, Honorable Catherine, if you’re going to tell us how is the current state of digital frameworks in Africa? What is the role that parliamentarians do in supporting the digital development and growth in Africa?

Catherine Mumma: Thank you very much. Now, that’s a good question asking about how are the digital frameworks in Africa. Now, Africa is currently has laws that are guiding all sectors. But as you are aware, digital technology is a technology that is cross-cutting. It is going to be relevant in every sector. And it has evolved much faster than policy has evolved. And as it has evolved, we have national executives that are trying to do something about it. But parliaments, I think world over, not just in Africa, parliaments are lagging behind. In the sense that as policies are made, as those who work in digital technology engage, they engage largely with the executive governments. And then the parliaments are now playing catch-up. And the legislative process usually takes a lot of time. It means somebody, the government will bring in a law, and the legislative process will take time, sometimes a year, even more. Or a private member bill will come, will address a particular issue. So you will find that currently, because of the levels of competences of parliaments, which is low, and I believe this is world over, the competences of parliaments on digital technology concerns are low. And because of that, the legal frameworks on digital technology matters are limited in many countries. So if you look at Africa… there is a variation. You’ll find that Tanzania will have different laws, Kenya will have different laws, Lesotho will have different laws, South Africa will have different laws. For instance, we have countries that have data protection laws, we have others that don’t have any. We have countries that have access to information laws, others don’t have any. So that is why when we started realizing the magnitude and the importance of actually engaging as parliaments on issues of policy, parliamentary policy, on digital technology, we formed the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance, precisely to share our views across board and to agree on the best way that we can actually share experiences, learn from each other. So APNIC is made of members from across Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, Western Africa, North Africa, of members who are passionate about trying to do something about policy on Internet Governance. We have come together and we are now looking to do capacities for our members. We are now looking to developing what we are calling a model law, quote unquote. And a model law is just about getting in place standard minimum, minimums that we think would make sense for purposes of legislation around digital governance. But bearing in mind, legislation is across board. So we want to learn, we want to engage in forums like the IGF, ICANN and any other so that as parliamentarians, we can have the capacities to be able to. from an informed point of view, contribute in our debates and be part of the solution in accelerating any law that would facilitate the proper facilitation of growth in Internet digital technology, as well as provide the safeties, the securities that are required within the sector.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you very much, Honorable, especially for highlighting institutions, I mean, organizations such as the APNIC, where we see that’s a platform for parliamentarians to engage themselves in all these digital works. And coming to you, Honorable, what are the unique challenges that we currently have when it comes to shaping, in Africa especially, digital policies across the continent? Are there any challenges that we currently have in Africa?

Lekhotsa Mafatle: Thank you. I think there’s a lot of challenges, she’s highlighted quite a few. But in my view is that for most of the laws that were expected to be put in place, most of them, they come in pre-modeled from Western countries, from wherever, as opposed to what Africa has been supposed to be doing. So like now we’re talking about capacity buildings, we’re talking about inclusivity, we’re talking about redoing whatever the system that we’re doing, especially now that we’re into AI or going into AI and digital policies. So my take is, what we need to do right now is, we just need to, as much as we can do a little freeze, but we now need to start. Getting in all stakeholders in point and Africa should be put on the forefront of whatever Plannings that are there as opposed to getting what is done. And then yeah, I think basically that’s that’s my take on On the challenge that we have we get things that are already done And now we cannot adopt to them because they are not modeled for what Africa is is doing. Okay

Millenium Anthony: Thank you very much. Honorable Okay. Now since this is a networking session, I wanted it to be most engaging and interactive and now I’ll open this floor to the participants both online and on site here and we’re gonna have a discussion and I would like to take contributions from each one of you and Our discussion is going to be on three main pillars. So the first pillar we’re going to be discussing is on code as Registration and then the second that we will take is collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement as Honorable has said the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement and then the last pillar that we’re going to be discussing is on The Africa unique challenges and opportunities. So now I’m going to start with the first pillar Which is called as registration and my question to you My participants is how can African parliamentarians effectively shape technology driven legislation to ensure inclusivity and innovation So if any of you is open and ready to contribute on this question, I Can pass the mic to you Yeah You have the same question Yes, so if I don’t have now I guess that maybe with my part here with the panelists and then we can come back to you.

Catherine Mumma: Okay. Thank you. I think that the answer to that question in my view lies in the question. She made reference to multi-sectoral or multi-stakeholder engagement. And my view is that this is the one area where as a legislator, I cannot purport to know what is right and just prepare a bill and take it to parliament. This is the one area where we need greater consultation among all affected stakeholders to define for ourselves what inclusion means. From the statistics that we were given in the opening plenary and from this forum, I think you will have realized that Africa has the least connectivity and also the most expensive. So access is quite limited for Africa. So as parliaments, we need to start asking ourselves, one, what should the role of government be in facilitating greater access? And what can we do as parliaments in that role? Now, parliaments have the role of representation, of legislation, of oversight, and we also have authority over budgetary allocation. So I think if we define for ourselves what is digital public infrastructure and what role government can play in that, the parliaments can help to invest, to deploy more resources towards facilitating digital public infrastructure across. the countries in order to have greater coverage and we must deliberately start picking the data that will tell us who is unconnected, who is under connected, whether it is women, whether it is senior citizens, whether it is those in the rural areas, whether it is the urban poor and define solutions but put budgetary allocations to ensure that we we get that. My view is that if we facilitate as government the digital public infrastructure then we leave the rest to the private sector and other stakeholders to actually move with it but similarly for us to do that policy we need to understand from the stakeholders on the key needs. So as we make this legislation we also need to find a way of not just moving as Parliament alone, as the executive alone, we need to find a ways in which we can get the experts to contribute and guide us on what looks like good law, what is good regulation, what is bad regulation so that we are able to to facilitate. That’s my view on that.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you so much Hanarabo. I mean I think for me I really like the point when you mentioned about data I think for me maybe taking for example in my country I think that’s really a serious issues like there are some areas that we still do not know like how to what extent has the internet penetrated in specific areas so even like when the government is trying to like to help those areas they do not know like what specific area, how much resources do we need to invest in a specific area for us to I mean help in providing internet access and wait we have any contributions now here

Daniel Molokele: Yes, my name is Daniel Molokele, Member of Parliament from Zimbabwe and a member of APNIC. I just want to contribute one or two points. In terms of parliamentarians facilitating inclusivity, I think one of the easiest ways is to make sure that the legal and policy framework is updated to the level that it accommodates all those who are excluded, making it obligatory for the state to set up the necessary infrastructure to increase access, especially to the internet. I have in mind our rural populations that are normally excluded. I think internet access is a big issue for them. Also that there can be mobile internet facilities in some rural areas so that people can access the internet. Also that MPs can fight during the budget period to make sure that the budget allocation towards ICT is increased in such a way as to advance some of the issues around infrastructural support for those who are traditionally excluded from the internet, access to the internet. The other issue which is big in my country, Zimbabwe, is the pricing of data. Data has traditionally been expensive, although I need to concede that Zimbabwe… They gave a license to Starlink and that has started to create a little bit of competition to the traditional internet service providers. But for the average citizen in Zimbabwe, especially those in local communities, and also in rural areas, data remains very expensive. And we have to push for policies that force the pricing of data to come down so that more average people, citizens, can have access to the internet. The other thing that we need to do is to increase, or call for policies that force especially the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to create awareness and education around internet. You will find that some people don’t even know how to use the internet, so around access to the internet, we need awareness. Even also through the Ministry of Communications or the Ministry of Broadcasting Services. Thank you so much.

Millenium Anthony: Wow, thank you so much, Honorable. Do we have any contribution here? Another contribution that someone would love to contribute before we move to our second pillar? Okay, so let me check with online. Do we have any online participants that want to contribute? Okay, I don’t have any hand raised, so I guess we can move to the second pillar. So our second pillar is on collaboration and multi-stakeholder engagement. So we know collaboration is the key to impactful digital policies. So now my question is, how can parliamentarians engage with technologists? civil societies, and private sectors to ensure policies are both practical and inclusive. So now maybe I can start from the audience. I can repeat the questions. How can parliamentarians engage with technologists, civil societies, and private sector stakeholders to ensure policies are both practical and inclusive? Yes, Harubo.

Lekhotsa Mafatle: Thank you. I think in that, my simple thought is hostility towards regulators from the private sector and hostility towards consumers from regulators, that’s where we have to start of where we have to find each other, where we say as parliamentarians and as developers, as people who are therefore pre-consumers, that we find a common ground where we say no amount of legislative law, it is intended to oppress the other, but it is rather to benefit everybody across the board. So as lawmakers in parliament, I think for most of the time we’re always open to receiving whatever input we’re getting from developers who are quite actually most resourceful as opposed to what we’re doing. So I think it is only a give or take situation where those on the one end provide to us and us on this end we receive and we give back to them what is most relevant to the public. I think that’s where we need to find each other. We just need to find inclusivity in everything that we do.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you very much, Harubo.

Catherine Mumma: So, when it comes to multi-stakeholder engagement, one of the things we found out at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology is that our parliaments hardly engage with scientists. So, you’ll find that parliaments have various committees, but we were yet to find a parliament that has a committee on science and technology. So, you will find the scientists in our country are doing their thing, innovating, moving ahead, and parliament is making policies that sometimes impact them, but we hardly have forums where you have parliamentarians and scientists meeting and talking, and what we are saying in IPU, and IPU is now developing a charter on the ethics of science and technology, what we are saying it is important now for parliaments to deliberately find the scientists and technocrats within their countries to engage with them so that as we do policies, we are able to factor aspects that are facilitating the growth of science and technology. But we are also able to engage on the ethical issues of human rights, of safety, so that the science, as the innovation happens, the innovation does not harm human life. So, one of the things we need to do, or one of the most important multistakeholders that we need to engage with as parliaments are the scientists and the technocrats. We also need to engage… with other interest groups and the example of Kenya and I believe it’s the example of many places in South Africa the principle of public participation is a key principle within Parliament where Parliament are supposed, even as they pass their laws, to conduct public participation so that members of the public whom they represent are able to the laws that they are passing. So if meaningful public participation is done by the Parliamentary teams as they pass legislation and policy, it means that we are then able to have that collaboration But there is also a trait that sometimes when we call for public participation, which we normally put in the newspaper You will find only maybe five people have sent in a memorandum So we want You cannot blame us for not taking on what the youth have done when we have advertised for a view on a draft bill on ICT and the youth have not sent in any any memorandum. The women have not sent in any memorandum. A particular interest group has not sent in any Memorandum. So that engagement means not just the Parliament, but even other stakeholders must be ready to do the homework and to be able to then when we want to pass a law, to bring in a petition and say in this law we cannot see a clause that is including women. In this law, we think what you have provided here is not good It’s going to to be obstructive to the growth of innovation. We think this regulation is unnecessary. So we need everybody to engage properly on both ends in order for this to work

Millenium Anthony: Wow, thank you so much. I think so from my take from your contribution is first engagement like engage the stakeholders parliamentarians needs to engage with the techno technocrats and the scientists you have another point okay but you wanted to add another point no okay here you go

Daniel Molokele: i think one of the ways that parliament um what happened one of the ways in which um parliament can improve or increase access to engaging other stakeholders especially local communities and thematic groups let’s say for disability for women for youth for rural communities and so on is to also accept that the traditional methods of meeting are no longer enough so we normally say people must submit position papers must submit petitions they must attend public meetings but that is not enough a lot of people now have to be engaged using the new media technologies so parliaments must invest in public relations departments or communications teams that then use uh facilities such as facebook such as twitter such as instagram such as tiktok because tiktok is where the young people are and they have to have a staff member who is youthful enough who engages young people for their views through live sessions on instagram or facebook or tiktok and that way they are able to engage those communities. WhatsApp groups are very popular. Telegram is popular. So we must go to where the people are, and then we’ll be able to access them easily. Because if we just use the traditional methods, it won’t work. Also now we’ve got community radio stations. We can use them also to have live sessions where people can even phone in. It increases our ability to engage the communities. Thank you so much.

Millenium Anthony: All right. Thank you. I hope you can hear me. I can’t hear myself, but I hope you can hear me. Yes. Yeah. So I think my take to you is like, look at our current status, our current needs, how much resources we have, and then utilize them to reach our people. Like the social media, if we want, let’s say, to engage with the young people, we have to look at where young people are now, which is like the social media, and then engage them. Do we have any other contribution? Yes. It’s not working. It’s not working. It’s OK? Yeah. I have no signal. Just switch it on. Switch it. Switch it on. It’s OK? I can start? OK. Switch it on. Yeah. It’s OK. It’s fine. Yeah.

Panelist: My name is Ayoban Ngao. I’m Ayoban Ngao, member of parliament in DRC. And… It’s OK, no? You can get it. OK. So, for me, as I know, the work of, in our parliament, the major work we work in commission. The technical work is done in commission before we go on the vote process. So, the commission work is normally open to the public. But the problem we have is… the public is not informed when and what we are commissioned. Even us, ourselves, as members of parliament, I’m a member of the Telecom Commission, but I’m not informed when the Agricultural Commission is doing their work. Even if I’m allowed to participate, but I don’t get the information. So first of all, we have to make it transparent. To put a public calendar, to show the public what we are doing, when we are doing, this commission is sitting on which law. So anyone who is interested will get the information and come. When we are doing the work in the commission, we have our experts who help us to understand the law. But those experts, they are becoming like staff of the parliament. They don’t give us a really genuine idea. They don’t even challenge us, as they are supposed. But if the information of our work, of our calendar is public, then those people who are really interested on those topics can come and join, and participate and contribute in those discussions. Sometimes it happens, some of the law, we find people who get the information, they come, and they really challenge us. And some of the MPs change their mind based on the input they receive from those ones. So I think to improve the participation, the collaboration, it’s better to make our working calendar public, and inform that everyone is allowed to come and contribute.

Millenium Anthony: Wow. Thank you so much. So transparency. Yes, Honourable Catherine?

Catherine Mumma: Now, a very important point that I did not raise. Now, when it comes to Internet, Internet does not have borders. So even as we plan to do legislation, legislation is localized to a country, we must start thinking out of the box to see what we need to do, not just in your own country, but what we need to do regionally and also globally to factor the legislative requirements that can deal with the fact that open internet means there are no borders. Therefore, how do we deal with the issue of passing a law over a situation that is not just local? And so we will need to allow innovation to happen, but when it comes to passing laws that must protect human rights, must ensure safety, must ensure security, we need to start thinking out of the box. For instance, when you have the abuse or child abuse facilitated through internet, just to use the example of that as one of the harms that are coming with engagement on the internet, we would need to start thinking out of the box. How do you deal with the fact that the pedophile is in America, the server is in Asia, and the child who is being molested is in Tanzania? How does the criminal law protection for such a situation look like? So we will need, beyond just doing a law for Kenya, a law for Zimbabwe, we will need, that way we are saying in APNIC, what are these minimums that we can put in every country to provide protections while ensuring that what we have around innovation in our own specific countries may be different, will be different, but we must factor the fact that internet does not have borders. And that is a conversation that IGF, the United Nations, the regional bodies, AU, and the other sub-regional bodies, and globally, must start thinking in order to guide. And as I said, for instance, in IPU, we are developing a charter on ethics, the ethics of science and technology. So that we then are able to agree on minimums that can ensure such protections.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you very much, for adding that point. And because of time, allow me to please move to the third pillar, which is on Africa-unique challenges and opportunities. So given the Africa-unique context, what strategies can address geopolitical challenges and infrastructure gaps while ensuring digital policies empower all citizens? To the audience and to my online participants, anyone who wants to give a contribution on that, feel free. This is the networking session. Yeah, where’s the mic? Oh, turn it on. Okay, could you hear me? Yes. Yes. My name is Kei Gong. I was a parliamentary…

Ke Gong: My name is Kei Gong. You hear me? Yeah. Okay. I was a parliamentary member of China and now I serve to the World Federation of Engineering Organizations. And we think engineering capacity is a key factor for the development, especially in Africa, to grace the big opportunity of digital technology to develop Africa continent. So the World Federation of Engineering Organizations is working on an initiative, ten years long initiative called for… called of Engineering Capacity Building for Africa, supported by UNIDO, UNESCO, and so on and so forth. We’re going to launch this program next year in Africa. Perhaps we’re starting from Kenya, Ethiopia, South Africa, and we’re going to build a number of engineering capacity building centers in African countries. So we really need your support. Because in China, our experience is that to develop a country we need hard and soft side. For the hard part, we need infrastructure. We need invest to infrastructure, especially the digital public infrastructure. It’s so important. The capacity building in education should also be emphasized to give more investment into this domain and to build the capacity to make full use of those infrastructure to make… economic growth. So we, I just talk about this and we need your support. Thank you.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you. Thank you for sharing the opportunity for the collaboration of initiatives. So I believe we have Panaraba here. Yes, I guess Panaraba, Hajji.

Panelist 1: Thank you very much and good morning to everyone, Honorable Members and everyone here. Now, you know, with Africa, there are very unique challenges when we talk about the digital transformation. But the good thing about it, the African Union actually has created a pathway, which is a master plan called the African Digital Strategy 2020-2030. That is in very clear terms, tells countries or member states, what do we need to do? And the key thing in that area is the digital infrastructure. That must be in the forefront. Because any building that doesn’t have a good foundation, you are bound to fail. And this critical infrastructure is fundamental, it’s at the bottom. Which means countries actually have to ensure that those critical infrastructure is in place. Then every other thing else is the building block can come on top of that. And the other one aspect is about education, like the capacity building my colleague has just spoken about. We must look at our the way we teach in our curriculum. I keep saying this all the time, but even if you have the infrastructure, but the curriculum in our senior secondary school, in our universities do not match really where we want to go. We will not get there very quickly. So the infrastructure we build, together with the curriculums we teach in our schools must match. So that those students that are graduating, the professor, etc. can actually help to align everything so that we can get to where we need to get to. So the capacity building, which is the education, is actually crucial. The other one also is about collaboration. We live in a world where collaboration is necessary. My colleague previously talked about security. But security is everybody’s business. You cannot secure Kenya and you leave Tanzania. You cannot secure Tanzania and you leave Gambia. You cannot secure Gambia and you leave Senegal. It doesn’t work. Now, the trend now in Africa is about creating laws called mutual legal assistance. That’s what we have done in Gambia, where we collaborate with our neighbor in case something happens in the Gambia. But the person who committed the crimes in Senegal, because of that law called mutual legal assistance, Gambia and Senegal can work together to ensure that person is apprehended. Now, with the way things are going now, you will see that somebody is going to be in one country, use another system in a different country to commit a crime in a third country. Now, how do we ensure that we work together? And this is exactly where we members of parliament, we have to take interest in the mutual legal assistance laws that we actually have, or if you don’t have, you need to think about it. We already passed ours like two years ago in the Gambia. But it’s very essential, the region that you work in, the region that you are in, to ensure that you actually have that. And cross-regional and also then intercontinental. We have the Interpol, yes, but we also have the AFRIPOL. The AFRIPOL is really very active in the cyber fighting cyber crimes, capacitizing the police forces across the continent and at the same time helping also in the investigation. But they cannot prosecute, they investigate and give to member country and we move on. Thank you very much.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you, Honorable. So capacity building and collaboration. Any other contribution? Let me see if I have any contribution from online. I don’t. So any other contribution from on-site? No contribution? Okay, so since there’s no contribution on that. Now, I would like us to have a closing takeaway session, right? Yeah, so we had a long discussion, we have discussed about a lot of things and we had like the three pillars that we had different questions that we discussed on. So now, I am opening again the floor to the audience. So what are the key takeaway that you have taken from today’s discussion? The key takeaway, something that you want to take back at your home country, something that you have learned, something that you want to take to your organization. What is something that you have learned from the discussion? Yes, can I get assistance to pass the mic?

Panelist: On my floor, what I learned is that as a parliament, we have to know that when you are dealing with internet governance, we are not putting law just for our own pleasure. We are putting law that will impact other people’s life. So we have to make sure that we are getting the input and we have to be the one to make the first step toward them, going and look for them, not just working in our room and waiting for them to come to us. We have to make that approach to look for them, to make sure that we have all input from them and that will be able to put in place a better governance that will be better for all of us because even if we are young, we are women, we are also part of that world. So it’s better for us to be the one to make the first step and to go toward those other stakeholders and to make sure we get their input before working on the law.

Millenium Anthony: Thank you. That was a very good takeaway. Thank you very much. Maybe just to add on what he has said.

Susan Dossi: My name is Susan Dossey, Member of Parliament for Malawi. Just to mention that we really need to collaborate more because if we do it alone we will not get there. As Africa we really need to have one voice. As parliamentarians we have to work with other stakeholders to make sure that we come up with laws which will really help us as Africa. Maybe just to mention that most of the time parliamentarians are left aside. When it comes to coming up with laws, we are at the receiving end. When we receive that law, when we go and maybe do some consultations, it’s at the end of everything. I remember one time we had a conversation with the Ministry of Justice in Malawi where we were told we have done this already and what we just want to hear from you as members of parliament is what’s your take. But it was at the end. They have already done benchmarking, they have already done everything and they are coming to us at the end. They want our input, which we even said, even whatever we can say at this point won’t be taken seriously. So I think we have to be concerted, we have to work together from the start up to the end so that whatever we input in these laws that we even pass in parliament we are able to know that this is what we are passing. Because it’s not good to come to parliament and then we say we are passing this law. At the end of the day, we are the ones who do oversight. At the end of the day, compliance is not there. People are not complying, they’re not doing anything. They are not following the laws that we have made because even us as members of parliament, we were sidelined maybe in the development of those laws. So we really need to work together, collaborate more with other stakeholders and have one voice as a team. Thank you.

Millenium Anthony: Okay, so engagement and consultations from the beginning, engaging the parliamentarians. So to my panelists now, any closing, something that you want to say before we close?

Catherine Mumma: Thank you very much. A number of things I would want to say. One, all sectors have laws that are currently guiding the sectors, but with the digital technology, my view is that all those sector laws would have to be reviewed. For instance, now telemedicine. The current public health law in Kenya provides for all matters medicine, but it has not contemplated how liability would look like where a consultant in Tokyo is providing services to the clients. So we will need to relook at that. It is the same thing with the criminal. We’ve always had cross-border collaboration around criminal matters, but crimes committed through the internet, we have not thought through that properly. So usually you’ve had bilateral agreements where you agree with country X on dealing with each other, but our laws have not yet provided that. So one of the things that was happening in Kenya, even the judiciary has to be trained on how to innovate and adjust and adapt to deal with crimes that are committed over the internet. So what I’m saying is that with the digital technology, we will need adjustments and policies cross board. I like the point that has been made by the World Engineering Organization, that we also need capacities to be enhanced in Africa, not just within the school curriculum, but even with other communities, even basic digital skills. We will need to provide that basic education, for instance, to the traditional mother in the village who is selling vegetables, but is using the man next door’s mobile to receive the money and is being paying a commission on something very small. So if we start doing communities around of internet to actually give that basic education to that mother, to the senior citizens, one, we will grow the economies, we will also protect them from local little frauds that actually undermine them. And then if you look at the sector, like the employment sector, we also need to start looking at the exploitation. We have young people employed in Africa being paid $2 an hour, and they are doing exactly the same job of somebody in America being paid $20 or $30 for the same thing. So we will need to start bringing in ethics so that we don’t have exploitation of the fact that the African or other countries labor regimes are not good. So my view is that there is plenty for us to do, and there is plenty for us to learn, and we hope that as you bring in parliamentarians and give them capacities. You will help to fast-track getting the correct Frameworks that we need in order to to enhance digital technology in Africa. Thank you very much

Millenium Anthony: You anything you want to say you’re good Okay, so I’d like to thank each one of you including my online participants for engaging actively in this session I’m looking forward to seeing you Around in other sessions and engage with you. Have a great day You You You You

Agreement Points

Need for updated legal frameworks

Catherine Mumma

Lekhotsa Mafatle

Panelist 1

Need for updated legal frameworks across sectors to address digital technology

Importance of developing Africa-specific policies rather than adopting Western models

Addressing cross-border cybercrime through mutual legal assistance laws

Speakers agree on the necessity of updating and adapting legal frameworks to address the challenges posed by digital technology, with an emphasis on developing Africa-specific policies and addressing cross-border issues.

Importance of multi-stakeholder engagement

Catherine Mumma

Daniel Molokele

Panelist

Importance of engaging scientists and technocrats in parliamentary processes

Utilizing social media and new technologies to engage youth and communities

Need for transparency in parliamentary work to enable public participation

Speakers emphasize the importance of engaging various stakeholders, including scientists, technocrats, youth, and the general public, in the policymaking process through diverse means of communication and increased transparency.

Investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building

Catherine Mumma

Ke Gong

Panelist 1

Need for investment in digital public infrastructure

Initiative for engineering capacity building in Africa

Implementing the African Digital Strategy 2020-2030

Speakers agree on the critical need for investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building initiatives to support Africa’s digital transformation.

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasize the importance of improving digital access and skills for all members of society, including rural and underserved populations.

Catherine Mumma

Daniel Molokele

Need for basic digital skills training for all community members

Need for policies to reduce data costs and increase internet access

Unexpected Consensus

Addressing exploitation in digital labor markets

Catherine Mumma

Addressing exploitation in digital labor markets

While not explicitly echoed by other speakers, Catherine Mumma’s point about addressing exploitation in digital labor markets represents an unexpected focus on labor rights within the broader discussion of digital policies. This highlights a potential area for future consensus-building among African parliamentarians.

Overall Assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement among speakers include the need for updated legal frameworks, the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement in policymaking, and the necessity of investing in digital infrastructure and capacity building.

Consensus level

There is a moderate to high level of consensus among the speakers on the broad challenges and opportunities facing African countries in the digital age. This consensus suggests a strong foundation for collaborative efforts in developing and implementing digital policies across the continent. However, there are still areas where more specific agreement and coordination may be needed, particularly in addressing unique African challenges and opportunities.

Different Viewpoints

Approach to developing digital policies

Catherine Mumma

Lekhotsa Mafatle

Need for updated legal frameworks across sectors to address digital technology

Importance of developing Africa-specific policies rather than adopting Western models

While Mumma emphasizes updating existing frameworks, Mafatle argues for developing entirely new Africa-specific policies rather than adapting Western models.

Unexpected Differences

Overall Assessment

summary

The main areas of disagreement revolve around the approach to developing digital policies and the specific focus areas for improving digital access and infrastructure.

difference_level

The level of disagreement among the speakers is relatively low. Most speakers agree on the overall goals but have slightly different approaches or focus areas. This suggests a general consensus on the importance of digital development in Africa, with minor differences in implementation strategies.

Partial Agreements

Both speakers agree on the need to improve digital infrastructure and access, but Mumma focuses on government investment in public infrastructure, while Molokele emphasizes policies to reduce data costs.

Catherine Mumma

Daniel Molokele

Need for investment in digital public infrastructure

Need for policies to reduce data costs and increase internet access

Similar Viewpoints

Both speakers emphasize the importance of improving digital access and skills for all members of society, including rural and underserved populations.

Catherine Mumma

Daniel Molokele

Need for basic digital skills training for all community members

Need for policies to reduce data costs and increase internet access

Key Takeaways

There is a need for updated and Africa-specific digital policies and legal frameworks across sectors

Multi-stakeholder engagement, especially with scientists and technocrats, is crucial in shaping effective digital policies

Investment in digital infrastructure and capacity building, including updating education curricula, is essential for Africa’s digital development

Regional and global collaboration is necessary to address cross-border challenges in internet governance

Transparency and public participation in the legislative process need to be improved

Resolutions and Action Items

Develop a ‘model law’ through the African Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance (APNIC) to establish minimum standards for digital governance legislation

Increase parliamentary engagement with scientists and technocrats on digital policy issues

Implement the African Digital Strategy 2020-2030 to guide digital transformation efforts

Review and update existing sector laws to account for digital technology impacts

Unresolved Issues

How to effectively balance innovation with human rights and safety concerns in digital policies

Addressing the lack of comprehensive data on internet penetration in many African countries

Finding ways to reduce high data costs and increase internet access across Africa

Addressing potential exploitation in digital labor markets, particularly for African workers

Suggested Compromises

Balancing government involvement in digital infrastructure development with private sector innovation

Finding a middle ground between adopting international best practices and developing Africa-specific digital policies

Africa is currently has laws that are guiding all sectors. But as you are aware, digital technology is a technology that is cross-cutting. It is going to be relevant in every sector. And it has evolved much faster than policy has evolved.

speaker

Catherine Mumma

reason

This comment highlights the fundamental challenge of regulating rapidly evolving digital technologies within existing legal frameworks.

impact

It set the tone for much of the subsequent discussion about the need for updated and harmonized policies across sectors and countries.

For most of the laws that were expected to be put in place, most of them, they come in pre-modeled from Western countries, from wherever, as opposed to what Africa has been supposed to be doing.

speaker

Lekhotsa Mafatle

reason

This insight challenges the practice of adopting foreign models without adaptation, emphasizing the need for Africa-specific solutions.

impact

It shifted the conversation towards discussing more localized and contextually appropriate approaches to digital policy in Africa.

One of the things we found out at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Working Group on Science and Technology is that our parliaments hardly engage with scientists.

speaker

Catherine Mumma

reason

This observation reveals a critical gap in policy-making processes, highlighting the disconnect between lawmakers and technical experts.

impact

It led to a discussion about the need for more structured engagement between parliamentarians and scientists/technologists in the policy-making process.

Parliaments must invest in public relations departments or communications teams that then use facilities such as facebook such as twitter such as instagram such as tiktok because tiktok is where the young people are

speaker

Daniel Molokele

reason

This comment introduces an innovative approach to public engagement, recognizing the changing landscape of communication.

impact

It broadened the discussion on stakeholder engagement to include modern, digital-first approaches to reaching constituents, especially youth.

Internet does not have borders. So even as we plan to do legislation, legislation is localized to a country, we must start thinking out of the box to see what we need to do, not just in your own country, but what we need to do regionally and also globally

speaker

Catherine Mumma

reason

This insight highlights the transnational nature of internet governance and the limitations of purely national approaches.

impact

It elevated the discussion to consider international collaboration and harmonization of digital policies across borders.

Overall Assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by highlighting several critical challenges and opportunities in digital policy-making for Africa. They emphasized the need for Africa-specific solutions, better engagement between policymakers and technical experts, innovative approaches to public participation, and international collaboration. The discussion evolved from identifying local challenges to considering broader, more systemic approaches to digital governance that could be effective across the continent and beyond.

How to improve data collection on internet penetration in specific areas?

speaker

Millenium Anthony

explanation

Lack of specific data on internet penetration hinders targeted government interventions and resource allocation.

How can parliaments effectively engage with scientists and technocrats?

speaker

Catherine Mumma

explanation

There’s a gap between parliamentarians and scientists/technocrats, which impacts the creation of informed policies on science and technology.

How to increase public participation in the legislative process, especially from youth and underrepresented groups?

speaker

Catherine Mumma

explanation

Low public engagement in policy-making processes leads to less inclusive and representative legislation.

How can parliaments leverage new media technologies to engage with different stakeholder groups?

speaker

Daniel Molokele

explanation

Traditional methods of engagement are no longer sufficient; new approaches are needed to reach diverse communities, especially youth.

How to make parliamentary work calendars and processes more transparent and accessible to the public?

speaker

Ayoban Ngao

explanation

Lack of transparency in parliamentary processes limits public participation and input in lawmaking.

How to develop legislative frameworks that address the borderless nature of the internet?

speaker

Catherine Mumma

explanation

Current localized legislation struggles to address issues that transcend national borders, such as cybercrime.

How to align educational curricula with digital transformation goals?

speaker

Panelist 1 (unnamed)

explanation

Mismatch between education and digital needs hinders progress in digital transformation.

How to strengthen regional and international collaboration on digital policies and cybersecurity?

speaker

Panelist 1 (unnamed)

explanation

Effective digital policies and cybersecurity require coordination beyond national borders.

How to review and update existing sector-specific laws to accommodate digital technology advancements?

speaker

Catherine Mumma

explanation

Current laws in various sectors may not adequately address challenges posed by digital technologies.

How to address potential exploitation in digital labor markets across different countries?

speaker

Catherine Mumma

explanation

Disparities in pay for similar digital work across countries raise ethical concerns and need policy attention.