The African School on Internet Governance – #AfriSIG24 – 14 to 19 November, Addis Ababa
The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the African Union Commission (AUC) and Research ICT Africa convened the 12th annual African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG24) from 14 to 19 November 2024 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, immediately prior to the 2024 African Internet Governance Forum.
AfriSIG24 was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Internet Governance Forum Parliamentary Track, and the hosts and organisers of the 2024 African IGF, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the host of the AfIGF secretariat, and also with the African IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group. The practicum explored the link between the African Union Data Policy Framework and the African Continental Free Trade Area’s digital protocol.
About AfriSIG24
AfriSIG24 took place over the course of five days as an intensive residential, interactive learning and knowledge-sharing event that covered:
- Digitalisation, sustainable development and digital inclusion and inequality.
- The global internet governance ecosystem and the African institutional context at national and regional level.
- Open internet architecture, infrastructure, standards and protocols and management of internet names and numbers.
- Stakeholder and sector roles and responsibilities (government, intergovernmental forums, UN agencies, regulators, parliaments, civil society, business, academia, the media, the technical community and internet users).
- Data governance: data as a strategic asset, driver of digital development. Data protection, security, data flows, sovereignty and localisation and the implementation of the African Union Data Policy Framework.
- Digital trade and the African Continental Free Trade Area in the context of the digital economy, taxation and sustainable development.
- Human rights and the internet, including freedom of expression, association, gender justice and media diversity and independence.
- Cybersecurity, trust and safety and responses to harmful use of the internet, hate speech, online gender-based violence, misinformation and disinformation.
- Emerging issues: Artificial Intelligence, climate change, digital sovereignty and the geopolitics of internet governance.
- Current global processes and debates, e.g. WSIS +20, the Global Digital Compact and the Summit of the Future and ICANN’s latest call for gTLD proposals.
The African IGF
Under the overarching theme “Building Our Multistakeholder Digital Future for Africa”, the 2024 Africa IGF aimed to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapidly evolving digital landscape. It focused on empowering inclusivity, ensuring robust cybersecurity measures, and promoting innovation across the continent.
During the event, attendees had the opportunity to participate in a diverse range of sessions, workshops, and panel discussions led by industry experts and thought leaders. These sessions explored topics such as digital inclusion, access for all, cybersecurity, data protection, internet governance policies and regulations, emerging technologies, online rights and freedoms, and multistakeholder cooperation.
For more information, contact the AfriSIG organisers, Anriette Esterhuysen and Peace Oliver Amuge at afrisig@apc.org
