Session
Organizer 1: Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 1: ABRAHAM SELBY, Technical Community, African Group
Speaker 2: Amira Mahmoud, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Razan Zakaria , Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 2: Amira Mahmoud, Civil Society, African Group
Speaker 3: Razan Zakaria , Civil Society, African Group
Format
Roundtable
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Session Format and Rationale (Round Table Format) Round Table format is most appropriate for this session since it encourages a highly interactive and participatory discussion, which aligns with IGF's vision of inclusive debate. In contrast to a standard panel, the Round Table format herein guarantees that onsite and online participants all have an active voice so that various voices are heard.
Duration (minutes): 60
Format description: Session Format and Rationale (Round Table Format) Round Table format is most appropriate for this session since it encourages a highly interactive and participatory discussion, which aligns with IGF's vision of inclusive debate. In contrast to a standard panel, the Round Table format herein guarantees that onsite and online participants all have an active voice so that various voices are heard.
Policy Question(s)
Questions
1. How African governments and international stakeholders frame policies that enable universal access to digital infrastructure and minimize affordability challenges for young people?
2. What steps should be taken towards increasing youth participation in Internet governance and digital rights policymaking across Africa?
3. What are some of the strategies for scaling up digital literacy programs so that they can provide young Africans with skills required to participate in the digital space, combat disinformation, and innovate?
What will participants gain from attending this session? Addressing the infrastructure, affordability, and policy gaps that stand in the way to Internet inclusivity.
Digital Literacy for All – Enabling young people to navigate the digital realm and deal with online disinformation.
Youth-Led Internet Governance – Empowering young leaders to actively participate in policy formulation and discussions.
Tech Innovation for Social Impact – Highlighting the work of Afrian youth changemakers in the context of digital entrepreneurship.
Building an Inclusive Digital Future – Promoting the protection of access, privacy, and other human rights in the digital era.
Bringing together youth advocates, policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society representatives, this session is geared towards delivering actionable steps to the focus, “no one in Africa’s digital transformation should be left behind.” Through fostering and stimulating young voices, we can achieve sustainable and inclusive digital growth throughout the continent.
Description:
Young people have an essential role in constructing and fostering a continent-wide inclusion as Africa transitions into the digital realm. The youth contribution culminates in the advancement of connectivity inclusion, which ensures not only that individuals are able to participate in the global digital economy or digital governance on offer, but also have the requisite skills, resources, and access to do so. However, millions of African youths are still held captive by limited infrastructure, scant digital literacy resources, and policies that restrain them from fully stepping into the global digital arena. In this session, we will address the question of how to mobilize young leaders to spearhead digital inclusion advocacy, focusing on universal access and digital rights. It will examine so called bottom-up initiatives, policies, and innovations that enable youth to close the digital gap and achieve sustainable youth-led development through technology.
Young people have an essential role in constructing and fostering a continent-wide inclusion as Africa transitions into the digital realm. The youth contribution culminates in the advancement of connectivity inclusion, which ensures not only that individuals are able to participate in the global digital economy or digital governance on offer, but also have the requisite skills, resources, and access to do so. However, millions of African youths are still held captive by limited infrastructure, scant digital literacy resources, and policies that restrain them from fully stepping into the global digital arena. In this session, we will address the question of how to mobilize young leaders to spearhead digital inclusion advocacy, focusing on universal access and digital rights. It will examine so called bottom-up initiatives, policies, and innovations that enable youth to close the digital gap and achieve sustainable youth-led development through technology.
Expected Outcomes
- Increase the involvement of young people in Internet governance initiatives and other forums.
- Increase coverage of community-based digital literacy programs in remote areas.
- Foster collaboration amongst government, the private sector, and youth organizations towards achieving building a digitally inclusive society.
- Have policy and legal instruments that protect digital rights and equitable access.
Hybrid Format: 1. What are the policies that African governments and global stakeholders need to undertake in order to guarantee universal access to digital infrastructure and youth affordability?
2. What is needed to increase youth engagement in Internet governance and digital rights policymaking in Africa?
3. How can digital literacy programs be expanded to equip young Africans with the ability to access and make use of the digital space, reduce misinformation, and fuel innovation?
They are meant to stimulate discussion among various stakeholders such as policymakers, business leaders, civil society members, and young activists, aimed at achieving your anticipated results.