- Missed the event? You can view the event recordings in English and in French below.
- Read the report Sustainable Capacity Building: Internet Governance in Africa – An Action Plan.
You can now watch the event recordings in English. The audio of the simultaneous translation (as delivered during the event) is available in French for the convenience and inclusion of the French-speaking audience.
Launch of the report Sustainable Capacity Building: Internet Governance in Africa
Tuesday, 9th March 2021, 13:00–14:30 UTC (14:00–15:30 CET)
How is Africa building capacities for internet governance (IG) and digital policy? What are its main initiatives? What are the strengths and weaknesses of Africa's digital capacity building? What are the main opportunities and threats for building IG capacities in Africa?
Join us for a presentation of Diplo's study and report titled Sustainable Capacity Building: Internet Governance in Africa which suggests the action plan ahead.
The report was commissioned by the African Union (AU) and is part of the IG track of the Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA).
Africa's active participation in IG is beneficial not only for Africa but also for a more inclusive, impactful, and informed global digital policy. Building IG capacity for African stakeholders is an urgent necessity. IG capacity building can facilitate the process of harnessing digital technologies and innovation to generate inclusive economic growth, stimulate job creation, and promote socioeconomic development. At the same time, capacity building could positively contribute to the engagement of African stakeholders in global digital policy discussions, effectively promoting African interests in the international arena.
Under the PRIDA framework, the African Union (AU) commissioned a study that would gather elements for the development of an action plan for sustainable capacity-building internet governance initiatives in Africa. The report suggests concrete steps that should be taken on the continental, regional, and national levels, as well as the role of the African Union Commission (AUC) and PRIDA in supporting the implementation of measures to foster sustainability in IG capacity building.
The launch of the report will be an opportunity to present the key findings and recommendations of the study. An interactive discussion will follow among IG capacity-building experts and practitioners, and interaction with event attendees.
Confirmed speakers
- Mr. Moses Bayingana, Ag. Head of Information Society Division, (AU)
- Mr Esteve Sanz, Head of Sector, Internet Governance and Multi-stakeholder Dialogue, Directorate-General for Communication Networks, Content and Technology (CNECT), E3: Next-Generation Internet (EU)
- Ms Susan Teltscher, Head of Capacity and Digital Skills Development Division, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- Mr Philip Thigo, Senior Adviser, Regional Bureau for Africa, UN Development Programme (UNDP)
- Ms Marilia Maciel, Digital Policy Senior Researcher, DiploFoundation, and author of the report
- Prof. Clement Dzidonu, President, Accra Institute of Technology
- Prof. Alison Gillwald, Executive Director, Research ICT Africa (RIA)
- Dr Kossi Amessinou, West Africa Regional Director, African ICT Foundation
- Ms Anriette Esterhuysen, Chair, United Nations Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group (IGF MAG)
Host and moderator
Dr Tereza Horejsova, Director, Partnerships and Project Development, DiploFoundation
About PRIDA
PRIDA is the fruit of a partnership between the African Union Commission and the European Commission. The overall objective of PRIDA is to foster universally accessible, affordable, and effective wireless broadband across the continent to unlock possible future benefits of internet-based services. Its specific objectives are: a) to facilitate efficient and harmonised spectrum utilisation, b) to harmonise measurable ICT/telecommunications policy, as well as legal and regulatory frameworks, and c) to strengthen the ability of African stakeholders to actively participate in global IG processes. Activities pertaining to the latter are collectively referred to as the 'internet governance track' of PRIDA. The Sustainable Capacity Building: Internet Governance in Africa report is part of PRIDA’s IG track.
Our experts involved
Dr Tereza Horejsova
Projects and Partnerships Director
Joining Diplo in 2012, Dr Tereza Horejsova has had an international career in academia and the non-governmental sector in the Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Switzerland. She holds an MA in International Area Studies and a PhD in European Studies, both from the Charles University in Prague.
Tereza works on several capacity development activities in the field of digital policy, and is an advocate of bringing practical considerations of capacity building into the discussion. She is chair of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise's (GFCE) Working Group on Cyber Security Culture and Skills, and a member of Internet Governance Forum's (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) where she cochairs the MAG Working Group on Hybrid Meetings. Tereza also serves as the executive director of Diplo US and is responsible for Diplo's activities in the United States.
Dr Jovan Kurbalija
Executive Director
Dr Jovan Kurbalija is the Executive Director of DiploFoundation and Head of the Geneva Internet Platform (GIP). He was a member of the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (2004‒2005), special advisor to the Chairman of the UN Internet Governance Forum (2006‒2010), and a member of the High Level Multistakeholder Committee for NETmundial (2013‒2014). In 2018-2019, he served as co-Executive Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation.
A former diplomat, Jovan has a professional and academic background in international law, diplomacy, and information technology. He has been a pioneer in the field of cyber diplomacy since 1992 when he established the Unit for Information Technology and Diplomacy at the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies in Malta, and later, DiploFoundation.
Since 1997, Jovan’s research and articles on cyber diplomacy have shaped research and policy discussion on the impact of the Internet on diplomacy and international relations. His book, An Introduction to Internet Governance, has been translated into 9 languages and is used as a textbook for academic courses worldwide. He lectures on e-diplomacy and Internet governance in academic and training institutions in many countries, including Austria (Diplomatic Academy of Vienna), Belgium (College of Europe), Switzerland (University of St Gallen), Malta (University of Malta), and the United States (University of Southern California).
His publishes regular articles on DiploFoundation's blog, and the Huffington Post.
Ms Marília Maciel
Digital Policy Senior Researcher
Brazilian-born Ms Marília Maciel is currently based in Strasbourg, France. She is involved in several Internet- governance-related projects, notably on the fields of digital economy, e-commerce, and cybersecurity. She also curates the topics of e-commerce, Access and Digital Divide for the GIP Digital Watch Observatory and represents Diplo at various meetings.
Prior to joining Diplo, Ms Marília Maciel was a researcher and coordinator of the Center for Technology and Society of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (CTS/FGV) in Rio de Janeiro. She served as a councillor at ICANN´s Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) representing the Non-Commercial Stakeholder Group (NCSG). Marília is a former member of the Working Group on Improvements to the Internet Governance Forum (2011–2012), created under the auspices of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (UN CSTD). She was also a member of the Multistakeholder Executive Committee of NETmundial and represented CTS/FGV in meetings of the Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). She served in the Consultative Chamber on Internet Security and Rights of the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br).
Marília is a PhD candidate at the University of Bordeaux Montaigne, on Information and Communication Sciences. She holds an MA in Latin American Integration from the Federal University of Santa Maria (2008) and a law degree from the Federal University of Pernambuco (2005), where she was awarded a research grant from the State of Pernambuco Research Foundation (FACEPE) to investigate issues related to taxation and electronic commerce.
Mr Vladimir Radunović
Cybersecurity and E-diplomacy Programmes Director
Serbian-born Mr Vladimir (Vlada) Radunović is a lecturer in cybersecurity policy, Internet governance, and e-diplomacy on postgraduate and professional courses. He also serves as an expert with the Geneva Internet Platform. He served as a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE) from 2016 to 2020, and a member of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group of the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) from 2012 to 2014. Vlada has been a lecturer, speaker, and resource person on a number of educational and training programmes and events worldwide, including within the WSIS and IGF processes. His professional and research focus is on Internet governance, broadband policy and net neutrality, cybersecurity and cyber-diplomacy, e-diplomacy, and capacity development. He holds an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Belgrade and a Master’s in Contemporary Diplomacy from the University of Malta. He is currently working on his PhD in cybersecurity. Vlada is currently member of the Board of Directors of Diplo US.