Annual African Internet Governance Conference Kicks off in Abuja

By Samuel Ouma [caption id="attachment_108696" align="alignnone" width="659"] Africa Internet Governance Forum 2023[/caption] The 11th edition of the annual African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) officially began on Tuesday, September 19, in Abuja, Nigeria. The event, themed "Implementing the African Union's Data Policy Framework for a Resilient and Inclusive Digital Future," intends to discuss and exchange ideas on critical internet governance problems impacting Africa. It brings together representatives from throughout the continent and beyond from governments, civic society, the commercial sector, academia, the technological community, and the media. The Topics covered during the forum are data protection and privacy, digital rights and inclusion, cybersecurity and trust, digital economy and innovation, digital transformation and governance, and regional and global cooperation. The forum follows this year's annual African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG), which took place in Abuja, Nigeria, from September 13 to 18, 2023. AfriSIG was organized in partnership with the African Union Commission (AUC), the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Research ICT Africa, the United Nations Internet Governance Forum Parliamentary Track, and other stakeholders. It brought together multiple stakeholders and focused on the African Union's Data Policy Framework. Key areas of interest included Digitalisation, sustainable development and digital inclusion and inequality. Other areas were human rights, the internet, and digital economy components, including trade, taxation and sustainable development.