Abdul Hakeem Ajijola
AU Cybersecurity Expert Group
Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola (AhA), a global Cybersecurity resource is ranked #1 IFSEC, 2020 Global Cybersecurity professionals’ influencers and thought leaders list, is concurrently Chair, African Union Cyber Security Expert Group, Addis Ababa; Chair, Working Group on Cyber Incident Management and Critical Information Protection of #theGFCE, The Hague; and Commissioner, Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (#GCSC), The Hague. He is a resource person to the ASEAN-Singapore Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence (ASCCE); Expert, supporting United Nations Office on Disarmament Affairs (#UNODA) development of an online training course in “Cyberdiplomacy”, New York, USA. Member panel of experts at the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa (SIGLA) located with the Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Resource person, Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi; Founding member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – Computer Emergency Response Team (#OICCERT); and initiator of the annual OIC-CERT Global prize, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He is also the Chair, the Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB) Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP) Committee; Chair of the Nigerian National Cybersecurity Policy, and Strategy Review Committee; and Chair, Nigeria Computer Society, Cybersecurity Advisory Group. He is working to kick-start the development of an Africa Cybersecurity Economic sub sector employing thousands of knowledge workers, below 35 years of age, who will profitably drive Cybersecurity solutions value chains. He is supportive of the development of Women Information Security Power Players; looks forward to contributing to the emergence of a cadre of Cyber diplomats across the global south; and believes that human resource capacity development is key to society’s wellbeing and progress.
Adeboye Adegoke
Paradigm Initiative, Nigeria
Adeboye leads Paradigm Initiative’s program strategy, including driving PIN’s program direction and maximizing impacts. He has amassed massive expertise and skills in digital policy interventions, stakeholder engagements, capacity building, coalition building, and media campaigns in various roles at Paradigm Initiative in the past nine years. Adeboye led advocacy for the passage of the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill by Nigeria’s parliament.He is a fellow of the African School on Internet Governance and a fellow of the San Francisco-based Centre for Digital Policy and Artificial Intelligence. He’s a member of the Danish government’s Tech Advisory Council, A member of the Freedom Online Coalition currently led by the US government. He was a Twitter’s Human Rights Advisory Council member until December 2022. He has written several articles and authored many reports. He’s co-authored the Digital Rights in Africa report by Paradigm Initiative. Adeboye leads PIN’s digital rights engagement with policymakers, parliamentarians, and judicial officers in Africa. He’s facilitated training for judges, policymakers, and parliamentarians in Nigeria, Zambia, Chad, Tanzania, and Malawi. He’s consistently a featured guest on leading television stations such as Channels TV, ARISE TV, and TVC. He co-founded the Monkmedia Yellow Pages in 2006 as an undergraduate at Obafemi Awolowo University. He holds a master’s Degree in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa from the Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, and a Bachelor of Science in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Obafemi Awolowo University. He also holds a professional public relations certificate and completed Public Policy courses at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Adil Sulieman
African Union Commission
Anriette Esterhuysen
AfriSIG APC, South Africa
Anriette Esterhuysen was the executive director of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) – the largest ICT-focused civil society network in the world – from 2000 to 2017. She continues to work with APC as a consultant and convenes the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG), a joint initiative of APC, the African Union Commission and Research ICT Africa. Ms. Esterhuysen has served as Chair of the Multistakeholder Advisory Committee of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum. as well as on the African Technical Advisory Committee of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s African Information Society Initiative (1996-1999), the United Nations ICT Task Force (2002-2005), the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Working Group on Financing Mechanisms (2003-2005), the Commission on Science and Technology for Development Working Group on Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Improvements (2011-2012) and on Enhanced Cooperation (2017-2018), the Global Commission on Internet Governance and the Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) of the IGF (2012-2014). She was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame as a Global Connecter in 2013 and received an EFF Pioneer Award in 2015. Ms. Esterhuysen serves as a Commissioner on the Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace and as a member of the board of directors of the .ZA (South Africa) domain name authority, ZADNA.
Avani Singh
Avani Singh is an independent legal consultant and admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa. She specialises in media freedom, information law and digital rights. Her work over more than a decade has been underpinned by a commitment to the public interest and the important role that access to information holds – both on- and offline – in order to attain accountability and redress, enable the public to make informed decisions, and vindicate the full array of fundamental rights. She has previously practised as an attorney in the Constitutional Litigation Unit at the Legal Resources Centre and in the Media Law team at Webber Wentzel, as well as having been part of co-founding a public interest tech-law consultancy and law firm. Further to this, she has clerked at the Constitutional Court of South Africa and the International Criminal Court, and serves as a member of several boards and working groups.
Celine Bal
UN IGF Secretariat
Ms. Celine Bal joined the Internet Governance Forum Secretariat in Geneva as a Junior Professional Officer. She has previously worked in the Director General’s Office of Communications at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in Vienna, Austria, where she has been responsible for internal and external communications campaigns. Prior to her work at UNIDO, she has gained considerable experience in conference management at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), where she has helped organize the General Conference, major international events, and other Policy Making Organs meetings. Before joining UN organizations, Celine has interned at Deutsche Telekom in the Change Management division in Bonn, Germany, promoting the adoption of digital collaboration tools across European subsidiaries. Celine holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in international Business Administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, after completing an exchange semester at HEC Montreal, Canada. She specialized in Strategic Management, and Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Dawit Bekele
The Internet Society
Dr. Dawit Bekele is the Regional Vice President-Africa of the Internet Society, an organization that works for an open, globally connected and secure Internet for everyone.He is an Ethiopian citizen living in Addis Ababa. He received undergraduate, Masters and Ph.D. degrees from Université Paul Sabatier in France, all degrees in Computer Science. He also holds a master’s in business leadership from University of South Africa. Prior to joining Internet Society, Dr. Dawit worked at Addis Ababa University on teaching and research positions in computer science. He also started and ran a private company forIn ternet-related services for a number of years.
Edetaen Ojo
Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria
Edetaen Ojo is Executive Director of Media Rights Agenda in Nigeria. He is also Chair of the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), a network of freedom of expression organizations in Africa; and a member of the Advisory Network of the Freedom Online Coalition. He is also a member of the National Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Nigeria and a member of the Board of Directors of International Media Support (IMS), an international media development organization based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is interested in AfriSIG2022 as he sees it as a great opportunity to improve his knowledge and understanding of internet governance through knowledge and experience sharing, particularly with respect to international cybersecurity issues and processes.
Ephraim Percy Kenyanito
GIZ, Kenya
Ephraim is a trained lawyer, a Certified Project Management Professional (PMP – PMI USA), and an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (the UK and Kenya) and a Certified Professional Mediator (MTI East Africa), with over nine years in the African and global International Trade, Technology, Media and Telecommunications industry. Between 2014 and 2018 he served as the youngest advisor on Internet Governance to two UN Secretary Generals: Ban Ki–moon and António Guterres. Additionally, since 2012 he has executed international development projects with a diverse range of leading international institutions across 46 African Union member countries and served as an Independent Expert to two ICANN Implementation Advisory Groups. Presently, Ephraim does research on the nexus of Digital Infrastructures, Digital Trade, Electronic Commerce and Data Protection and Open Data with an international institution, ARTICLE 19. He is also a member of the GFCE Advisory Board, Digital Peace Now, Siasa Place, European Commission GIPO advisory group among other board positions. He is also a full member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), the Project Management Institute (PMI) and Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU).
Eyitayo Iyortim
COO Nigeria Internet Registration Association, NiRA
Fola Odufuwa
Fola Odufuwa holds a Master of Science degree in Radio Propagation (Physics) which he obtained in 1994 from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has held several senior and executive positions throughout his career, including positions in broadcast engineering, communications, investment banking and financial services. He is a skilled project and business consultant and since 2001, he has coordinated many research and consulting assignments across four continents for several blue-chip organizations, regulators, and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, United Nations, International Telecommunications Union, Asia Development Bank, among others. Despite being based in Nigeria, which is one of the world’s most complex emerging markets, he is recognized as an expert in telecoms research, investment analysis, and business strategy across the continent. Mr. Odufuwa has extensive multidisciplinary expertise and stays up-to-date with the latest developments in his field. He frequently publishes articles and provides professional commentary in both local and international media. He is known for his broad perspective, analytical thinking, and competence that he brings to every assignment.
Folake Olagunju
ECOWAS
Folake Olagunju is the ECOWAS Commission’s Principal Program Officer for Cybersecurity, Internet, and eApplications. She leads the internet and cyber-related programs that support the region to foster trust in the use of ICTs, defend its cyberspace and critical information infrastructure.
Guy Berger
Independent media researcher
Prof Guy Berger is an expert in media and Internet policy issues. He spent the past decade as a senior director at UNESCO leading its work in Communications and Information policy. The 15 years prior to that was spent in heading up the School of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, Makhanda, South Africa, where he is recognised a professor emeritus.
Hanani Hlomani
Researcher at Research ICT Africa
Hanani is a tech law strategist, researcher, law lecturer and legal consultant. He is a researcher at Research ICT Africa and the iNtaka centre for law and technology at the University of Cape Town, where he explores the relationship between the law and emerging technologies in Africa, focusing on data governance and AI. His influential publications have made an impact for organisations like the African Union, Southern African Development Community, European Union, and African Economic Regional Consortium. Hanani also contributes op-eds to reputable publications, discussing the opportunities and risks of emerging technologies. His goal is to advocate for beneficial tech policies that positively impact Africans at a broader level.
Josephine Miliza
APC Local Access Network Initiative – Regional Policy Coordinator Africa
Josephine Miliza is a dedicated digital inclusion and transformation consultant, passionate about fostering collaborative and inclusive approaches to advance holistic digital inclusion and equity in Africa. Her primary focus is on facilitating capacity building, promoting participation and engagement, and supporting individuals and communities in developing their agency and autonomy. As one of the pioneers of the community network movement in Africa, Josephine has been instrumental in promoting community-centered connectivity initiatives. With her telecommunications engineering expertise, she focuses on operational aspects of bottom-up connectivity and digital inclusion models, as well as telecom policy and regulations. Josephine actively supports research and consulting efforts for global, regional, and local organizations committed to cultivating inclusive and people-centered digital ecosystems. She is currently serving as the Regional Policy Coordinator – Africa for the Association for Progressive Communications’ Local Access Networks Initiative. Additionally, Josephine co-chairs the Africa Community Networks Summit and is a member of the UN Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group. With a deep commitment to inclusion and equity, Josephine actively works towards creating an environment where everyone has equal opportunities and can participate fully in the digital era.
Joshua Josh
African IGF Secretariat
Lillian Nalwoga
Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Uganda – African IGF MAG chair
Lillian Nalwoga is a technology enthusiast and advocate interested in promoting and advancing the appropriate use of ICT for empowerment and development. She has over 10 years in internet policy research and implementing ICT4D projects in Africa with active involvement in Internet governance debates at the national, regional and global levels. She currently coordinates the Uganda Internet Governance Forum (UIGF) and coordinated the East African Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF). Lillian currently serves on the Africa IGF and has served on the UN Multi–Stakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) of the global Internet Governance Forum from 2012 –2014. She currently serves on the Global Network Initiative (GNI) Board and is a member of the Carnegie Endowment Digital Democracy Initiative. She works with the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and also co–founded the Internet Society Uganda Chapter. She’s specifically interested in internet freedom/rights, eDemocracy, child online safety, internet governance, ICT and entrepreneurship, technology and innovation, business management, e–government, ICT4D and internet policy. She holds a Masters in Digital Media and Society from Uppsala University, Sweden; a Bachelor’s of Development Studies from Makerere University (Uganda) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Uganda Management Institute (UMI) as well as advanced training in several internet policy topics. Her interest in participating in this year’s AfriSIG is because it presents a unique opportunity for her to learn about current cyber security concerns and how to address gaps in existing cyber policy frameworks on the continent.
Mary Uduma
West African IGF
Mistura Aruna
Nigerian Communications Commission
Mistura Aruna is a dedicated professional serving as an Assistant Director at the Nigerian Communications Commission, which oversees telecommunications regulation in Nigeria. Known for her commitment to consumer advocacy, Mistura is also honoured to be a Fellow of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). As a Pioneer Alumni of the esteemed 1st African School on Internet Governance, she has displayed her passion for bridging the digital divide by actively participating in the internet governance ecosystem. Mistura’s outstanding contributions have led her to proudly represent Nigeria in the Government Advisory Committee (GAC) of ICANN. Her gentle approach and friendly demeanour makes her an exceptional advocate for improving connectivity and ensuring equal access to digital resources.
Ololade Shyllon
Head of Privacy Policy, Africa, Middle East and Turkey, Meta
Dr. Ololade Shyllon heads privacy policy across Africa, the Middle East and Turkey (AMET) at Meta. In this role, she is responsible for working with external stakeholders including policymakers, academics and civil society organisations across the AMET region, to continuously shape and inform Meta’s approach to privacy. Dr Shyllon is a human rights lawyer with expertise spanning the three information related rights of freedom of expression, access to information and privacy. She has led and participated in developing regional normative frameworks for the African Union, and engaged in research, capacity building and advocacy in relation to these three information related rights across Africa and the Middle East. She holds a doctorate in human rights law from the University of Pretoria.
Pansy Tlakula
Chairperson, Information Regulator of South Africa
Adv. Tlakula studied a Bachelor of Law (B.Proc) at the University of the North (now known as the University of Limpopo), Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) before completing her Masters in Law (LL.M) at Harvard University. She also holds a Doctorate in Legal Studies (Honoris Causa) from the Vaal University of Technology. She has held several influential positions. Advocate Tlakula was a member of the South African Human Rights Commission from 1995 until 2002. She was appointed as the Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission of South Africa in 2002 until 2011. In 2011 she was appointed as the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of South Africa until 2014. She was appointed in 2005 as a member of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). She served the ACHRC for 12 years, until November 2017. She held the mandates of Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, Chairperson of the Working Group on Specific Issues related to the work of the African Commission, and, between 2015 and 2017, she served as Chairperson of the ACHRC. In January 2020 she started her four-year tenure as a member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. She was the Chancellor of the Vaal University of Technology from 2010 until 2014.
Paula Martins
Association for Progressive Communications
Paula Martins is Policy Advocacy Lead and Programme Manager at APC. She follows digital and human rights policy issues at the global level and represents APC in international spaces and processes. She also works for shaping APC’s responses to emerging policy trends on priority areas such as TFGBV, freedom of expression and association, cybersecurity and the environmental impact of the tech sector. Before joining APC, she acted for many years on freedom of expression and information issues as a regional director with ARTICLE 19, after serving as a researcher with Human Rights Watch and as an human rights officer at the UN OHCHR, among other posts. Paula worked for more than 10 years monitoring and reporting on violence against journalists and human rights defenders in Latin America. She advocated for key pieces of legislation in Brazil, such as the Access to Information Law and the Internet Rights Framework, and litigated important cases concerning digital rights, freedom of information, the right to protest and media regulation.
Risper Arose
TNET
Risper is a Gender and Community Engagement expert with ardent conviction about community development through socio-economic empowerment. She is involved in digital outreach, understanding community especially women and their usage of connectivity, amplifying meaningful usage and utilization of connectivity, and conducting impact assessment studies of connectivity in the community. She is a seasoned trainer and facilitator, passionate about experiential learning and training methodologies that actively engage the community toward behavior and attitude change as a result of enhanced skills and competencies. She has handled tech-centered advisories and training on digital rights, digital inclusion, digital advocacy, and digital protection and privacy. Her main focus is on Gender Justice, Complementary Community Connectivity, Community Research using Human-Centered Design, Stakeholder engagement, and Public participation in policymaking. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Gender and Development (with Honors) Degree from Kenyatta University.
Sheetal Kumar
Global Partners Digital
Sheetal co-leads GPD’s engagement and advocacy work across GPD’s policy areas, with a particular focus on global and multilateral engagement. Previously, Sheetal worked for the Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and led strategic communications for the Senegalese health organisation, Enda Santé. She holds an MSc in Media, Communications and Development from the London School of Economics and an MA in International Relations with French from the University of St Andrews.
Sylvie Pegmi Debana Epse Siyam Siwe
PROTEGE QV/APC Board), Cameroon
Sylvie SIYAM is an expert in local development and decentralization. President of the PROTEGE QV association (www.protegeqv.org) of which one of the areas of action is ICT for development. Actor in advocating for better access to the internet in Cameroon. Co-author of several studies and publications on digital rights and better access to the internet; the latest study is the development of the African Index of Internet Rights and Freedoms which is a tool to assess respect for digital rights by governments in Africa. Co-organization of several training courses for the appropriation of ICT and the safe use of the Internet. Sylvie is a member of APC’s Board of directors since 2017.
Tatevik Grigoryan
UNESCO
Tatevik Grigoryan works at UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector. She is an Associate Programme Specialist for Digital Policies and Digital Transformation. Tatevik specifically leads UNESCO’s Internet Universality ROAM-X Indicators project, which aims to promote an Internet based on the principles of Rights, Openness, Accessibility for All, governed by Multi-Stakeholder Participation and concerned with cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, online safety and security, environmental sustainability, and development. Tatevik also facilitates UNESCO’s work in Digital Governance. Prior to her current role, she worked on media and information literacy at UNESCO. Before joining UNESCO, she worked at the OSCE Secretariat, where her focus was on combating transnational organized crime and cybercrime, as well as promoting the use of AI within law enforcement and the judiciary.
Yaovi Atohoun
ICANN
Yaovi Atohoun is an electrical engineer with more than 30 years’ work experience in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). He has worked for the Association of African Universities (AAU) as Senior IT Officer from 2008 to 2012. He has coordinated many activities for the USAID/Leland Initiative (an Internet Development Project) in Africa from 1997 to 2004. From 1992 to 1997 he worked as a consultant to computerize the News Agency in West African countries for the WANAD/UNESCO project. He was involved in many community activities as volunteer for AfriNIC, AFNOG, the ICANN At-Large Advisory committee and the ICANN nomination committee before joining ICANN in 2013.