IGF 2020 WS #43 Trusted Digital Space via PRIDA–Informed Transformed Africa

Information

Session

Thematic Track:

Topic(s):

Capacity Development
Confidence-Building Measures
Digital Sovereignty

Organizer 1: Intergovernmental Organization, African Group
Organizer 2: Intergovernmental Organization, African Group
Organizer 3: Intergovernmental Organization, African Group
Organizer 4: Technical Community, African Group
Organizer 5: Civil Society, Western European and Others Group (WEOG)

Speaker 1: Moctar Yedaly, Intergovernmental Organization, African Group
Speaker 2: Abdul-Hakeem Ajijola , Private Sector, African Group
Speaker 3: NNENNA IFEANYI-AJUFO, ,

Format:

Panel - Auditorium - 90 Min

Description:

The session will be a policy dialogue discussion among IG experts from Africa under the coordination of the African Union Commission (AUC). This will be a 90 minutes’ panel discussion. There will be five panelists and a moderator. The moderator will have 5 minutes to introduce the session. After which each panelist will be given 5 minutes to make introductory remarks that will be focused towards broad issues highlighted. The moderator will then ask specific questions to the panelists that will take 15 minutes. The floor will be opened to the public for a discussion session that will take 35 minutes. The panelists will then have a total of 10 minutes to make closing remarks. It is approximated that the session will have close to 100 participants that would include diplomats, parliamentarians and senior policy makers across Africa. The methodology adopted will support practical outcomes. The panelist for the session are expert in the area related to trust and having worked on continental projects, they understand the issues from a technical/ practical point of view as well as from a policy perspective. African Union Commission is keen to promote a safe digital space for the continent and this workshop will be a good platform to receive views from stakeholders.

Issues:

The session will focus on trust and Confidence Building Measures (CBM) in cyberspace in the context of Africa. This workshop will be a forum to discuss issues of trust that hinders the use and utilization by the AUC member states of the advanced data centric digital services, available globally such as Internet of Things (IOT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) The workshop will highlight the challenges and opportunities presented by the digital space and the role that the public, private sector, media, academia and the civil society can play, ultimately creating a safe and trusted online space for all to flourish. The workshop shall highlight the relationship between country’s commitment and engagement in internet governance processes with status in relation to progressive policies and strategies that propels digital development. The Malabo convention shall be discussed and opportunities presented to member states by ratifying highlighted. This is premised on the fact that the nature of the Internet and how it is organized affects its security and influences peoples' perceptions, interactions and how freely data flows. To fully embrace the Industrial revolution, Africa must devise an integrated and comprehensive strategy, involving all stakeholders of the global institutions, from the public, private sectors, academia and the civil society. A prerequisite to the success of this effort is building trust and confidence in the digital space. Without a reliable and secure Internet, there will be no online/digital trust, considering that digital devices are easily used for surveillance and espionage. Trust is undermined by various incidences in the digital space value chain (which includes receiving unsolicited but very customized information through mobile phones, a clear evidence that there is a breach in access to personal data). With the current COVID-19 pandemic, surveillance has increased, where governments are tracking movement of people and their contacts, mobile network operators are sharing geo-location data and the global tech companies are sharing location maps. E-health and telemedicine applications including Artificial Intelligence powered diagnostics are on the rise. Users who range from individuals in businesses or in their own capacity, academia, civil society, private and the public sector will need to trust the digital space and have confidence that their data and information will be used for the common good. The session will focus on the following issues, challenges and opportunities 1) With the exponential growth of the digital technologies globally, are African states reaping maximum benefits? What more can be done to build the necessary trust which is a prerequisite to reap the benefits of the digital space? How do you strike the right balance between freedoms and national security concerns? 2) Use of digital money services ranging from mobile money to credit cards have been a lifeline during COVID-19 pandemic, what structures should African States put in place, including policies and strategies for continuity in a trusted digital space. 3) African active presence and participation in the global digital space and related process is relatively low. Notwithstanding, Africa has a pool of knowledgeable and educated human capacity that can play a critical role in the development of Internet public policy and technical standards. Why the disconnect? What role can AUC play? 4)Could ratification of Malabo Convention be the panacea for a united continent with shared norms, standards and principles, providing a common voice and a base for trust building across the continent?

Policy Question(s):

This proposal addresses the following policy questions 1.What is digital sovereignty, is it positive or negative, and how are national and international laws applied in cyberspace? With the current digitization efforts and exponential broadband access across Africa, is there adequate preparation to address the potential and emerging challenges? 2.What is the role of continental organizations such as the African Union Commission in building trust in the Cyberspace for members to confidently engage? What is the role of the member states? How can African Member States be cyber resilient and develop cyber defense policies, strategies and capabilities? How can we build and improve trust among the African stakeholders in the digital space? 3.What Confidence Building Measures (CBMs) should stakeholders in cyberspace advance to reduce and eliminate causes of mistrust, fear, misunderstanding, misinformation and miscalculation that may stem from the use of Digital technologies. What are the responsibilities of public authorities in regulating or policing content, and where and how should the balance be struck between freedom of expression and public safety? 4.Children are at more risk when exposed to the digital space without adequate and comprehensive policies and strategies to safeguard their interests. The risks include sexual exploitation, radicalization and distribution of extremism materials. What possible measures can mitigate their plight? 5.How do we draw the line between freedom of expression, privacy and security? What should be the norms, standards and principles of responsible behavior in the cyberspace? Is there a need for oversight on the application of the rules to ensure conformation across the Continent? Should these norms, standards and principles be contextualized to address the local environment?

Expected Outcomes:

1.The workshop will produce a report/publication to be posted among others in IGF, African IGF and PRIDA website and other appropriate websites 2.The workshop deliberations shall inform African 2021 national, regional and continental IGFs and PRIDA capacity building initiatives across the continent. 3.Through the workshop, awareness will be created on the Malabo convention and opportunities and challenges explored.

Relevance to Internet Governance: The workshop will contribute towards strengthening the African voice in the global debate on Internet governance, making African issues a priority which in turn has the potential to make global Internet policies and standards more appropriate to the African context. This would create a more viable and conducive environment for digital innovations and mainstreaming digital technologies in all development sectors.

Relevance to Theme: Africa has made major headway in developing its digital ecosystem in the past decade. Nonetheless, there is still an evident gap among AU Member States in terms of awareness, understanding, knowledge and capacity to deploy and adopt the proper strategies, capabilities and programs to mitigate cyber-threats. The ongoing digital transformation in Africa will not provide the desired social and economic benefits unless Africans have access to a secure and trusted Internet. Successful implementation of Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and AU Agenda 2063 aspirations calls for sufficient trust in the online space. In particular, goal 9 focuses on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation while goal 17 focuses on strengthening the means of implementation and revitalizing the Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development. Innovation and global partnership in the digital age can only flourish in a space where stakeholders are confident with the security of infrastructure and integrity of the processes to ensure that data and information derived is trustworthy.

Discussion Facilitation:

1.Five panelist will each strictly have five minutes to set the background. 2. The moderator will ensure that the audience have 35 minutes of discussion. Further discussions will be encouraged offline. 3. Online discussions will be held both before and after the main meeting

As per the recommendation by MAG, we shall review and add the two remaining panelists with a global focus. We have started the consultation process and we will update soonest.

Online Participation:

Usage of IGF Official Tool. Additional Tools proposed: Before the Global IGF, we will start online discussions focused on Continental common position on Global IG issues in order to build the momentum. We will also publicise the workshop on the African Union Commission website and in communication with the member states. During the Regional and Continental African IGF, participants will be notified of the meeting and recruited to either participate online or face to face

SDGs:

GOAL 5: Gender Equality
GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
GOAL 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Background Paper

Reference Document

Agenda:

We are working on this. We shall provide a focused updated agenda customised for effectiveness in an online environment.