APCNews spoke with Bob Ochieng, ICANN stakeholder engagement manager for Africa and a faculty member for the 2016 African School on Internet Governance, to gather his impressions on the experience. Ochieng had high praise for the diversity represented by this yearâs AfriSIG class, as well as a few pointers for future editions of the School. Bob Ochieng
APCNews: What is your general impression about the school?
Bob Ochieng: I think the school was very successful in general with⊠Read more
There is a drive to connect one billion persons worldwide by 2020. As more Africans get online, governments have the responsibility to protect the rights and freedoms of their citizens. Yet what we see currently are increased cases of crackdown on dissenting voices. In Kenya, bloggers have been arrested; in Ethiopia, bloggers have been jailed and continue to face serious threats; in Nigeria, the government is using section 24 of the Cybercrime Act 2015 as a tool for clampdown on bloggers.
Many African countries including Ethiopia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Burundi, Chad, the Republic of⊠Read more
Dr Mawaki Chango is the Founder & Managing Director of DigiLexis Consulting. Being a recurrrent member of faculty of the AfriSIG, we thought it wise to collect his impressions about the AfriSIG 2016, in comparison with the previous edition.
APCNews: What is your general impression about the school?
Mawaki Chango: My general impression is that it has been improving and this year the diverse backgrounds of the attendees have come out complementarily in a very well-integrated manner.
APCNews: How did you⊠Read more
I first heard this statement on the first day of the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) in Dr David Souterâs lecture and overview of the Internet governance ecosystem and its key players.
Initially, I silently disagreed and to an extent, did not quite grasp the full meaning of the statement at the time. In my mind, in any discourse that seeks to incorporate the input of several stakeholders, the objective would be to win, leaving such a process after having successfully pushed through oneâs stakeholder interests and positions. Otherwise what would be the point of even⊠Read more
Before I attended the Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigX) I did not think there was anything I could say related to gender activism. The last four days have reaffirmed the saying shared on the first day âif you are not at the table you will be on the menuâ.
There is often an assumption that gender issues are only womenâs rights issues but they operate on a principle of inclusivity for all-marginalised, invisible members of society. Our different intersectionalities may sometimes result in us assuming or not seeing the issues affecting others.
The gigX showed⊠Read more
In the opening session at this yearâs Gender and Internet Governance eXchange (gigXAfrica), participants highlighted some key questions they had that they hoped would be answered during the exchange. One participant innocently asked: if the internet is free for all, how are women really marginalized in that space? This is my attempt at a calm response to this question that I am slowly realising occupies the minds of many.
Indeed, the internet is now generally widely accessible, seemingly offering countless opportunities and⊠Read more