News

Participar en la Escuela de Gobernanza de Internet de Africa (AfriSIG, por su sigla en inglés) significó para mí varios descubrimientos: que existiera una institución que durante siete años estuviera enseñando de manera organizada este tema complejo, fue la primera lección.

Lo que conocía de gobernanza de internet se debía a la asistencia a varios foros globales, regionales y nacionales sobre el tema. Contar con la posibilidad de aprender los muchos temas de una manera ordenada y coherente le da mucho más sentido a aprovechar aún más estos foros en los que las… Read more

The seventh edition of the African School of Internet Governance has come and gone. I am grateful to the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and Deutsche Welle for the joint support that made my participation at this year’s edition of the School possible.

During the five-day event, various faculty members discussed the internet through different lenses, leading to a more holistic understanding of internet governance. 

The one theme that stuck with me, however, was the role that African governments play in the shaping of global internet governance standards,… Read more

To say I was excited when I received the good news of my acceptance to the seventh edition of the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) would be an understatement. I was really over the moon, as I had tried and had not been so lucky the previous year. Having interacted with colleagues who had attended the school in the previous years and who had gone on to do great and inspiring work within the internet governance sphere, I was determined to give it a second shot when the call came out again this year. 

AfriSIG19 has been such an empowering and cutting-edge capacity… Read more

The seventh African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG 2019) took place on 3-9 September 2019. With a track record of producing unique cohorts of internet governance specialists for the continent and beyond, it sets itself apart by building synergies and interpersonal professional relationships that transcend beyond borders and limitations.

As is a tradition for the School, it comes up with a post-event recommendation or solution to a nagging challenge, particularly towards solving internet governance challenges, through a rigorous practicum. This year’s practicum was based on… Read more

The African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) aims to develop the leadership skills of Africans from diverse sectors and backgrounds to enable them to effectively participate in local, regional and international internet governance structures. This is not only important for shaping the continent’s internet landscape, but also ensures that the African region is adequately represented at global level.

When it comes to internet governance, the annual UN-mandated Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is undoubtedly the most prominent global space. Initiated in 2006, it is defined as a… Read more

On the sidelines of the Stockholm Internet Forum (SIF) held 16-17 May, African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) organiser Koliwe Majama caught up with Gbenga Sesan, director of Nigeria-based Paradigm Initiative.

Gbenga is an AfriSIG alumnus, having attended the inaugural school in 2013.

In this interview, Gbenga talks about policy making… Read more

Africa this year commemorated “Women’s Month”, as March is known in a number of countries, faced with the reality of a highly gendered digital divide. That such a situation seems set to persist serves as a reminder of the need for a coordinated strategy in ensuring the inclusion of women and girls in the continent’s digital transformation.

Despite having the highest growth in internet penetration across the globe,  Africa remains the only continent whose digital gender gap has widened since 2013.… Read more

At its founding, in the late 80s, the internet promised to democratize information, level uneven grounds, and the destroy barriers associated with distance, space, and time. Through promoting communication, coordination, integration at a pace and scale beyond the ability of any government to halt, the connectivity set a foundation for dichotomies so often aligned with colonialism, imperialism, and globalization.

Today the internet is not just about inscrutable abstracts on the potential merits of its ubiquity but rather its impact and probable effects on a global scale. If anything,… Read more

Africa continues to work towards addressing the internet access and use divide. However, we now need to find a seat at the table of emerging data-driven solutions. These technologies offer the potential to make life easier and improve decision-making. Specifically, Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to hold the promise of positively impacting education, enhancing financial services, bettering government service… Read more

Recent · FABRICS, Emerging AI Readiness, by Alex Comninos and Martin Konzett, First Edition, 2018, ISBN 978-3-200-05921-4

A lot of industries seem to be overwhelmed by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). Some proponents dream of utopias, while some opponents have dystopian nightmares. There is a lack of consensus in interpretations of the current legal and regulatory environments covering the implementation of computer systems leveraging AI and the related concepts of machine learning and deep learning. Interpreting, implementing and complying with the regulatory… Read more