The 5th African Internet Government Forum (AfIGF) recently took place at the Durban International Convention Centre (DICC), South Africa. Organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the forum was held from Sunday 16th to Tuesday 18th October 2016.
Our Specialist Administrative Officer, Richard Jonathan was invited to moderate the panel “Bridging the gender divide in the digital transformation of Africa” at this year’s forum. Their request for his participation stemmed from his interest in ICT for development in general and Internet Governance in particular. This event served as an important opportunity to help shape governance and development of the Internet in Africa.
The Internet Service Provider's Association (IPSA) believes IGF’s are an important mechanism for industry, civil society and government to talk to each other about how the Internet is governed, regulated and developed. Regional, national and global IGFs are supported by the United Nations, as part of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
AfIGF brought together African participants and outside partners to discuss Internet Governance issues and share best practices. It also formed as an opportunity to disseminate the African Union Declaration on Internet Governance.