Session
Organizer 1: Debora Christine, Tifa Foundation
Organizer 2: Eyob Esatu, Organization For Innovation and Sustainable Development Africa
Organizer 3: Jingbo Huang, United Nations University
Speaker 1: Debora Christine, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Speaker 2: Eyob Esatu, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Jingbo Huang, Intergovernmental Organization, Asia-Pacific Group
Debora Christine, Civil Society, Asia-Pacific Group
Jingbo Huang, Intergovernmental Organization, Asia-Pacific Group
Jingbo Huang, Intergovernmental Organization, Asia-Pacific Group
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 30
Format description: The workshop is a hybrid format that shall be delivered for audiences in online and in-person participants. The power point prepared and presented for 10 minutes for workshop participants. Therefore, roundtable format best suits this presentation. Because, roundtable presentation model is very proper for the joint learning practices between the audiences and the presenter. The session delivered in the form of lighting talk presentation to attract the attention of more participants as it is part of the advocacy imitative of our program in Africa to be digitalized. The session enriched followed by the question and answer session for 15 minutes used for discussion and questions and 5 minute for rap-up by the presenter.
The UN system committed to be an inclusive and transparent follow-up mechanism in all matters related to global digital Governance that need to be adapted in Africa. The key policy questions include:
How and by whom secured and accountable digital governance ensured in African countries where majorities are digitally illiterate and poor digital infrastructure?
How digital data protection policy of digital ID Program enhance national/regional digital legitimacy of African citizens to access open financial data systems like ATM elsewhere in Africa?
How the privacy of citizens maintained when legitimately protected their financial resources and accountable data protection policy is concerned?
What will participants gain from attending this session? From total, 43 countries established their own ICT ministries and more than 500 million people on the continent do not have any form of ID. Only 12 countries (Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritius, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda) have national digital IDs with electronic components helping them implement accountable digital governance. Innovative institutions needed to implement a digital-by-design approach to public-service delivery. The participants shall gain an unwavering insight on the benefits of digital national ID stimulate, develop trust and confidence among citizens and the governments of Africa. Meaningful Financial inclusion developing digital banking which is AI generated digitally sensitive system with open financial and banking policy adapted in various currencies in Africa strengthened in African Continental Free Trade Area effectively operationalized. The presentation shall grow an awareness of various actors and private sector to better invest in the fintech innovation sector in Africa become priority
Description:
Digital transformation, or the broad use of digital technologies to improve company processes, government operations, and consumer experiences, is taking place all over the world, including in Africa. Digitization enables financial products to take better account of sustainable development opportunities. According to Forbes, less than 20 companies control 80 per cent of our essential global digital infrastructure in terms of cloud storage and compute. Increasing reliance on digital technologies for our purchasing, education and social interactions has led to an increasing shift of economic power to digital companies.
The continent has a poor level of digital penetration and preparedness. Internet penetration in sub-Saharan Africa has increased tenfold over the past two decades, compared with a threefold increase in the rest of the world. Regional bodies, supported by international-development organizations, have implemented region-wide strategies that have prioritized digital government as an enabling pillar for the transformation of sub-Saharan economies.
Accelerating accountable and secured digital governance by harnessing innovations and balancing risks of Cyber security in the digital space ensures building sustainable future that help realize sustainable peace and Development. The context of digital fragility in Africa is very different and exposed to risks of unaccountable and insecure digital governance. For instance, The Commercial Bank of Ethiopia experienced a series cyber security attack on March 2024 that costed the government finical Institution more than 750 Million ETB from perpetration of the ATM machine within only 12 hours time is a scaring recent phenomena. Citizens who bribed these money from ATM machine are returning the money either voluntarily, or forced by law as Ethiopia digitized the financial management using the digital ID system called 'Fayda' implemented since 2022 ensured both government and citizens accountable is the good example to the Digital ID be used in ensuring accountable digital financing ecosystem in Africa.
All African governments adapt secured, risk-free and accountable digital governance policy in their respective countries
African Union is urged to implement the Digital Transformation governance strategy(2020-2030) effectively
Learning and Best practices of Ethiopia's open data access policy using 'Fayda' Digital ID adapted by other African government.
The session shall help to the research work underway in Ethiopia on the topic " Privacy of Digital Citizen and Risks of Digital Space in Finacial Security" that is more related to cybersecurity strengthening project is being conducted in partnership with the Ethiopian National Cyber Security Institute(INSA).
Hybrid Format: The workshop event shall be shared for all the online and on-site audiences equally using the digital platform of presentation. Then, the reflection questions shall be shred for all audiences equally without discrimination. Microsoft team digital platform and Webex Zoom tools shall be used to make the session interactive and accessible for all. AI generative digital compact tool used to reach wider audiences onsite as well as follow the session online. The leaning experiences gained form the scholars in turn shall be adapted to improve our researches in the Digital Compact for scaling up internet governance in Africa. Apart from that the presentation of the session shall be delivered in form of lighting talk so that every participant alerted with the thematic contents encouraging an interactive session strategy applied during the presentation as well as roundtable convenience.