By Clifford Agugoesi, Editor-in-Chief

“Accelerating digital transformation and advancing communication and advocacy in Africa,” is the theme of the 5^th Ordinary Session of the African Union(AU) Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and Information Communications Technology holding 20-24 November 2023 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Cyber Era NG learns that the Specialised Technical Committee (STC’s) powers and functions include overseeing development and implementation of policies on access to information and freedom of expression; overseeing promotion of the capacity of African media; developing common African e-strategies; discussing resource mobilisation and capacity building for implementation of the African Regional Action Plan on the Knowledge Economy; promoting public investment in ICT infrastructure; and developing frameworks for ICT policy and regulation harmonisation in Africa.

The 5th STC on Communication and Information Communications Technology will among other critical issues, deliberate on:

1. Draft Conceptual Framework of the Continental Strategy on Artificial  Intelligence (AI)

By 2030, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is projected to contribute a staggering US$15.7 trillion to global GDP, with US$6.6 trillion coming from increased productivity and US$9.1 trillion from consumption effects. Key sectors in Africa that will benefit from the application of AI including in healthcare, agriculture, education, and finance. AI has the potential to significantly impact the attainment of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AI is important to Africa because of its economic, social, political and geopolitical impact. AI technologies can stimulate economic growth by creating new industries, driving innovation, and generating employment opportunities. It can also support education and the preservation of African languages. Furthermore, AI can enable data-driven decision-making and improve public service delivery.

 As part of the implementation of, the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA), Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa and in line with the objectives of the AU Working Group on AI and the need for a Master Plan that will guide a common, coordinated continental agenda on Artificial Intelligence, the process to develop a Continental Strategy on AI has started with the development of this draft conceptual framework that aims to lay the foundations for :

• Addressing the technological, ethical, economic, security and social perspectives of AI;
• Addressing aspects related to responsible, safe and beneficial use of AI;
• Establishing the context and defining Guiding Principles, Vision and Mission,
• Pillars and Strategic Objectives of the Continental AI Strategy

2. Implementation Plan of the AU Data Policy Framework and Self-Capacity Assessment Tool

Data is increasingly recognised as a strategic asset, integral to policy-making, private and public sector innovation, stimulating performance management and creating new entrepreneurial opportunities for businesses and individuals. The central role of data requires a high-level and strategic policy perspective that can balance multiple policy and development objectives. For Africa, huge opportunities can arise from unleashing the potential of the ever-increasing production and use of data to support the development of sustainable and inclusive data driven digital economy and society in line Agenda 2063 goals.

To build data capabilities of African countries and enable them to take advantage of the big amount of personal, non-personal, industrial and public data being generated within the continent and also facilitate easy flow of data across sectors and across borders, there is a need to foster the establishment of a common data space and creation of an enabling legal and regulatory conditions that strengthen intra –Africa data cooperation.

The AU Data Policy Framework sets out a common vision, principles, strategic priorities and key recommendations to guide African Union Member States in developing their national data systems to effectively derive value from data, harmonize data governance frameworks across the continent and thereby regulate the intensifying production of data and facilitate cross border data flows in support of Africa economic growth and sustainable development.

3. Implementation of the AU Interoperability Framework for Digital ID.

The Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (DTS) 2020-2030 endorsed by the African Union Executive Council in 2020 also underscored the importance of modernizing the identity system and encouraged the provision of, interoperable, trusted and inclusive digital foundational IDs as it is a building block for the establishment of a Digital Single Market in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

To that effect, the AUC together with its organs and partner institutions, developed the AU Interoperability Framework for Digital ID (the Framework) that sets out a vision that will enable all African citizens to easily and securely access the public and private services they need, when they need them, and independently of their location. To this end, the Framework defines common requirements, minimum standards, governance mechanisms, and alignment among legal frameworks. Its objectives include the need to:

▪  Allow African citizens to verify their legal identity offline and online to access public and private sector services in AU there by contributing to achieve accelerated progress towards continental unity and integration for sustained growth, trade, exchanges of goods, services, free movement of people and capital through establishing a United Africa and fast-tracking economic integration through AfCFTA as stated in aspiration 2 of the Agenda 2063.

▪  Empower African citizens with control over their personal data, including the ability to selectively disclose only those attributes that are required for a particular transaction. The personal information to be disclosed should be minimal, proportionate and should contain only the information relevant to that particular transaction that considered African particular situation and in line with international best practices.

▪  Strengthen trust and interoperability among foundational identification systems of AU.

The implementation of the framework is divided into three phases: phase I (2021 -2022): adoption of the Framework and development of an enabling legislative framework; Phase II (2023 – 2024): development and adoption of technical specifications for the AU interoperable digital ID; Phase III (2025 – 2030): the scale- up of the Framework to provide an infrastructure enabling more advanced use cases as indicated in the high level road map of the Framework.

4. Cybersecurity Landscape in Africa: Assessment of Gaps and Priorities Report.

There is an urgent need for a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy to safeguard Africa’s digital expansion which will inform actionable insights to bolster cybersecurity readiness across the continent. Africa’s digital revolution has brought unprecedented opportunities but also heightened vulnerability to cyber threats. Acknowledging this, the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, Digital Transformation Strategy, and the Malabo Convention underscore the importance of cybersecurity. However, despite progress, Africa’s readiness for cybercrime remains low, making it a prime target for cybercriminals. Establishing a continent-wide cybersecurity strategy is imperative to secure Africa’s digital present and future.

A paradigm shift is needed from viewing cybersecurity as a cost centre to recognizing its role as a driver of business value. This Cybersecurity Landscape in Africa Report maps Africa’s cybersecurity landscape, identifies gaps, and proposes key priorities. It underscores the diverse readiness levels among African countries and calls for collective action to enhance overall preparedness. The report assesses risks related to critical infrastructure and provides recommendations for robust cybersecurity strategies, emphasizing capacity building, infrastructure enhancement, and addressing digital vulnerabilities.

The Draft Child Online Safety and Empowerment Policy, is urgent particularly with the expansion into the digital world continues, the need for Africa to consider child safety by design and default becomes ever more urgent. Digital accessibility furnishes children with enormous opportunities and diverse development outcomes, based on its usage. Access to the internet can help children stay connected, improve their digital literacy, enhance educational emancipation and diversify their livelihoods. With increasing digitalization, children are now able to access e- education tools, connect with peers and utilize the enormous potential the internet provides to them. The digital environment can positively contribute to children’s rights, including the rights to be heard, to express themselves, to associate with others, to enjoy their privacy, to seek information, and to play, as set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

5. Digital Transformation Strategy: Sectorial Digital Strategies (Education, Agriculture and Health)

The African Union Digital Agriculture Strategy (DAS) and Implementation Plan establish a framework for the digital transformation of African agriculture and cover the period from 2024 to 2027. The strategy builds on the goals and priority areas of Agenda 2063 and shares the goals for modern agriculture for increased productivity and production (goal 5) for a high standard of living, quality of life, and well-being for all citizens (goal 1). Technology is seen as a driver for the transformation of economies, including agriculture, and economies must be environmentally sustainable and resilient to climate change (goal 7). One of the AU’s flagship projects, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), signed by 55 AU member states, targets the establishment of regional value chains, and the DAS can help to build the required digital environments. The DAS promotes digital agriculture to achieve “Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods” in line with the 2014 Malabo Declaration which was recalled at the 2022 AU assembly.

African Union Digital Health Strategy: The strategic direction of travel is to deliver the health services all African citizens require using digital technologies. This includes digital delivery of engaging health content to citizens, interoperable person- based electronic records and management information systems generating quality data and information for operational and strategic decision-making. The strategic direction is not technology-driven but recognizes that it is digital health systems as a whole that need to be nurtured. The DHS sets out eight strategic objectives and associated actions, with particular attention being paid to four major cornerstone initiatives regarding connectivity, capacity, innovation, and coordination.

The African Union Digital Education Strategy and Implementation Plan, which covers the period 2023-2028, establishes a framework for engagement and acceleration of adoption of digital technologies in alignment with the Continental Education Strategy for Africa. The Strategy proposes three core focus areas, seven strategic objectives, and fourteen measures.

The focus areas are:

• Digital technology appropriation in education – accelerating the adoption of digital technologies for teaching, learning, research, assessment and administration, and
•  Education in digital technology for digitally empowered citizens/ for the digital economy and society – strengthening digital literacy and skills for all, especially for teachers and students.
• Building the capacity of AU Member states in digital infrastructure (networks and devices) for digital education.

6. Improving the Digitalization of Postal Services in Africa.

Assessing the level of digitalization of Posts in Africa is an indispensable step for Governments and policymakers when seeking to inform their decision on the best way to seize the opportunity to leverage on Posts as a vehicle to deliver social, digital and financial inclusion, and as an enabler for e-commerce to advance digitalization and contribute in achieving the African Digital Transformation by 2030 and realizing the AU Agenda 2063 as well as the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The AUC launched the development of a study on the harmonized digitalization of postal services. The objective of this study is to promote the economic and social inclusion of populations; and to support the implementation of existing continental transversal projects such as the Electrification and Connectivity of Post Offices (ECP) and ecom@africa as well as the Enhancement of Governance and Enabling Environment in the ICT sector (EGEE-ICT) being coordinated by COMESA. From these assessments, it was noted that most Posts are facing a complex, new and demanding digital transformation journey, and that they will not succeed without the active planning and support from their Governments. Postal digital transformation requires the supervising ministry to have clearly set out upfront the strategic direction for digitalization and to demonstrate its active support through well-defined policies and effective oversight through efficient regulation, as well as with good national infrastructure services such as power and connectivity. Postal regulations required in the frame of emerging digital technologies will need to evolve rapidly to support the focus and evolution of Posts towards e-commerce and enable their key role to advance digital, social and financial inclusion. For majority of the countries assessed, the existing postal regulations are not yet fit for the digital economy. The modernization of postal regulations, foreseeing the necessary digital transformation, is an absolute priority.

7. Draft Continental Strategy on Policy and Regulatory Environment for Africa’s Digital Single Market.

A comprehensive market analysis and readiness assessment was conducted to identify the main obstacles to the establishment of a digital single market in Africa. From a policy harmonisation perspective, the main types of barriers relate to infrastructure access (such as universal access, competition, infrastructure sharing, spectrum management), data governance (including data protection and privacy, data flows, including cross-border, to support data-driven value creation, access to information), data and transaction security (cybersecurity and cyber threats), legal constraints on e-commerce and cross-border transactions.

Different sets of legal/regulatory dimensions need to be harmonised and modernised across the continent to address on the one hand, a set of substantive, topical issues related to the digital economy; these include at least i) data governance, ii) cybersecurity and iii) consumer protection in the digital age to create an appropriate security/trust environment and iv) competition rules and access/inclusion policies leading to a transparent connectivity market that allows for improved affordability, availability and take-up of broadband internet. It is also important that harmonised intellectual property rules enable rather than hamper digital trade and the digital economy. This substantive harmonization across areas needs to additionnally be accompanied by a fundamental change from traditional silo regulation of distinct and previously clearly separate areas to one accounting for the convergence of these into interrelated elements of a digital policy framework.

Doing so will require at a minimum clearly defined jurisdictional competencies (without gaps) and cross-sectoral regulators or cooperative arrangement (such as for shared jurisdiction and case referrals etc.) as among sectoral regulators. Collaboration among institutions, industry stakeholders, and all relevant regulators is critical for regulatory relevance, coherence, and impact at the domestic, regional, and international levels.

8. Acceleration of Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa ICT projects.

AUDA-NEPAD provides project and transaction advisory support to project owners through the PIDA Service Delivery Mechanism (SDM). Project Information Memorandums were prepared for the following 3 ICT projects which were featured in Boardroom sessions at the Dakar Financing Summit (DFS) in February 2023:

• Construction of Amilcar Cabral submarine cable system (ECOWAS – Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea)
• Transborder Submarine Fiber PoPs and Regional Smart Hub Facility and Data center (EAC – Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia)
• Développement des Infrastructures des Data Center sous-tendant l’économie numérique (ECCAS – Angola, Burundi, Cameroon)

The projects have attracted interest from development partners and financing institutions and AUDA-NEPAD is continuing with follow ups and other engagements to secure the relevant support and financing.

9. Enhancing communication, advocacy and understanding of the African Union Agenda.

ICD has undertaken several key initiatives around building a stronger AU Brand Identity and increase awareness about the mandates of the Union and Africa’s strategic framework of Agenda 2063. The Brand & Communication Style Guide and the Communication Policies and Procedures are instituted within the organisation and the organs and institutions of the African Union and adhered to by AU partners in their support to the Union.

Led by the African Union Commission Directorate on Information and Communication, the African Union has strengthened partnerships with regional and international media to promote an inclusive and balanced narrative on Africa and to work with African media, content creators and relevant communication agencies within member states to undertake a Brand Africa Campaign to promote the pan- Africanist ideals and promote a more balanced and positive narrative about Africa to African citizens and global audiences. The Directorate is also championing for the implementation of policies that pursue equitable sharing of revenues by Tech Giants to ensure African media and content creators sustainability and viability. A call for action is to ensure Tech platforms safeguard, support and advance public interest news and journalism as a public good in society.

To ensure the rights of the media are protected, there should be African sourced data on the state of media and journalists with indicators of press freedom, access to information and the safety of journalists in its Governance Index. To enhance media education at a continental level, the African Union is looking into incorporating within the curricula of the Pan African University and the Virtual University, modern training course for policy makers, media practitioners and content creators that takes into consideration emerging developments in technology so as upskill African media and communicators to make them fit for purpose in the digital age, promote Agenda 2063 through developmental journalism and support the dissemination of balanced narratives about Africa. Similarly, the AU is keen to implement an integrated Knowledge Management Strategy and Process to ensure that the information about the Union its activities, mandates, decisions, programmes, research and other key data is available to the public and Member States in an open and easily accessible platform to promote the use of African data and information in policy making and promoting Africa’s development agenda.

10.Data Governance & Innovation Forum for Africa

Data is increasingly recognized as a strategic asset, integral to policymaking, private and public sector innovation and performance management, and critical for creating new opportunities for businesses and individuals. The adoption of the AU’s Data Policy Framework (DPF) in February 2022 represents a significant step towards the creation of a consolidated data market and harmonized data governance systems across the continent to ensure free and secure data flows. The annual Data Governance and Innovation Forum for Africa (DGIFA) will be convened in the 17-18 November 2023 to accelerate the implementation of the DPF and promote a responsible, safe and innovative use of data at all levels to support the development of an inclusive digital economy and society.

To do so, DGIFA will gather stakeholders from private and public sectors as well as academia and civil society to encourage constructive multi-stakeholder dialogue between relevant actors in order to identify key policy issues, develop recommendations and strategies for collaborative action, and build new networks and partnerships. By providing a multi-stakeholder discussion platform to exchange information and knowledge about new and innovative approaches on data governance practices and innovative data policies and regulations , DIFA will help to raise awareness of African policymakers and decision makers on the DPF as well as its objectives and plans for the implementation and domestication thereof by Member States. In doing so, the Forum will help to facilitate resource mobilization and the engagement of relevant stakeholders involved in the development of relevant African data ecosystems.

Registration is required for this event and interested parties are required to register before  November 16, 2023 at https://au.int/en/5thstccict

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