Organizer 1: MOHAMED FARAHAT, African Digital Rights Network (ADRN) &Egyptian Foundation For Refugees Rights (EFRR)
    Organizer 2: Abdelaziz HILALI, North Africa IGF
    Organizer 3: Aicha Jeridi, Africa Civil Society for the Information Society
    Organizer 4: Ahmed Farag, National Telecom Regulatory Authority - NTRA

    Speaker 1: Adil Ismail Sulieman, Intergovernmental Organization, African Group
    Speaker 2: MOHAMED FARAHAT, Civil Society, African Group
    Speaker 3: Tijani BEN JEMAA, Civil Society, African Group
    Speaker 4: khadija rammeh, Civil Society, African Group

    Moderator

    Abdelaziz HILALI, Civil Society, African Group

    Online Moderator

    Aicha Jeridi, Civil Society, African Group

    Rapporteur

    Ahmed Farag, Government, African Group

    Format

    Birds of a Feather - Auditorium - 90 Min

    Policy Question(s)


    1.What is the concept of Digital Sovereignty (DS) refer to?
    2. What are the Technical Challenges encounter DS ?
    3. What is Legal Challenges and Legal Framework of DS ?

    Connection with previous Messages: The current proposal clearly builds on IGF 2021 messages namely, Economic and social inclusion and human rights
    Emerging regulation: market structure, content, data and consumer rights and
    protection
    Trust, security, stability
    Digital sovereignty is a timely topic due it s importance and impact on trust and security and directly related tp data and consumers rights and has impact on digital economy and its growth

    SDGs

    8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
    11.7
    16.1
    16.9


    Targets: the privacy, data rights, and security discussion serves as a tool to harmonize the SDGs. For example, innovation in facial recognition and AI can arguably allow a society to achieve SDG 16.1 (the significant reduction of all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere), or SDG 11.7 (the universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible spaces). However, the same technology is also designed to be able to exclude vulnerable people from open spaces. Moreover, the vulnerability in the security system can also inform the user’s level of trust in an institution. As noted in SDG 16, trust can directly impact economic growth, as also stated in SDG #8 and SDG #16.9, which requires secure data collection and storage. It would, however, be wrong to claim that the role of the three elements is the same in each market/community. Much relies on the respective local laws in place and the role each SDG plays within that specific community. However, the point remains that despite the different levels of influence, privacy, data rights, and security are essential to understand, and integrate into a process of codesign.

    Description:

    There is growing concern that the citizens, businesses and Member States of AU and EU are gradually losing control over their data, over their capacity for innovation, and over their ability to shape and enforce legislation in the digital environment. The session will focus on the situation in Africa. Mitigation of these concerns (AU) to update and adapt a number of its current legal, regulatory and financial instruments, and to promote more actively African values and principles in areas such as data protection, cybersecurity and ethically designed artificial intelligence (AI). This workshop tackles the emerging quest for 'digital sovereignty', and discusses and/or proposes mechanisms to enhance African autonomy in the digital field.

    Expected Outcomes

    The organisers and speakers through interaction with participants /audience to identify the challenges , opportunities and requiremtns to achieve the African digital Sovereignty.

    The organiser (NAIGF) seeks to reach specific recommendations and set up a road map to achieve digital sovereignty in Africa.

    NAIGF will adopt this file through its program for upcoming years , continue working on it with different stakeholders.

    The report of the session with recommendation and road map to be produced and shared with the MAG of AFIGF, and discuss the steps of implementation.
    policy brief's and academic papers pertaining to the issue will be produced and published.

    Hybrid Format: Regarding facilitation interaction between onsite and online speakers and attendees, will be depends on the order of intervention which will be designed in manner to ensure to coherence of the topic coherence and consistency of discussion this the first.
    Regarding design of the session , The purpose of the session is to be very interactive yet informative. The duration of the session will be 90mins down in the following:

    5mins opening remarks/introduction from speakers
    45min panel discussion with moderator probing
    35min open floor discussion with periodic intervals for remote participants
    After the first (2) intervention will open the first question round for 15 min. After the second (2) intervention will open the second and final questions round for 20 min.
    5mins opening closing remarks/key message from speakers
    This set up allows for an open and equal space for dialogue and emphasizing that panel speakers are not more important than the audience. Also it will give room for ease of debate and discussions.
    There will be a dedicated answer and question period, where during this time, participants and panel speakers are free to talk about the content of the session in length. More time will be given to open floor.

    Online Participation



    Usage of IGF Official Tool.