AfriSIG to develop guidelines on implementation of AUC data policy framework

The African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) will develop a framework for the implementation of the African Union Commission’s (AUC) Data Policy Framework after its meeting in Abuja, Nigeria.

Anmette Esterhugser, a member of AfriSIG, while interacting with journalists at the opening ceremony of The African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) 2023, said the idea of the meeting is to bring together people who are already playing some kind of leadership role in Internet policy, telecommunications policy, and regulations and can benefit from sharing expertise and gaining more expertise in a forum like this.

She said the participants are working on the African Union Data Policy Framework, which is a new framework that the member states agreed to in 2022 in Addis Ababa, but the framework needs to be implemented at the National and sub-regional levels.

Esterhugser noted that this year, the participants will be looking at the framework and developing guidelines and a policy brief on how it can be implemented at the national level but inclusively in a way that looks at gender issues, human rights issues, and the inclusion of the poorest of the poor who don’t have access.

“It has been going on for 11 years, and the idea is that you bring together the people who are already playing some kind of leadership role in Internet policy, telecommunications policy, and regulations and who can benefit from sharing expertise and gaining more expertise in a forum like this.

“What makes this different from any other learning event is that it is multi-stakeholder, so we have people here that are human rights defenders, and we have people that are members of the parliament; some are senior staff of ministries of communication; some are journalists.

“So, the idea is that we bring them together as equals; we create a safe space where they can work through some of those differences or views and also have a better understanding of why they have different views.

“If you are in Civil Society, you often don’t understand the constraints of a government official; you don’t understand what their responsibilities are and what pressure they are under. That is the idea of AfriSIG.

“This year, the participants are working on the African Union Data Policy Framework, which is a new framework that the member states agreed to in 2022 in Addis Ababa, but now this framework needs to be implemented at the National and sub-regional level”, she said.

Mistura Aruna, an Assistant Director at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), said at the 11th AfriSIG’s theme, “Africa Union’s Data Policy Framework”, the school will focus on extensively discussing how the Africa Union’s Data Policy Framework will impact service delivery in the internet ecosystem.

She said the data policy framework derived from the Digital Transformation Strategy (DTS) adopted by the African Union in 2020 will transform African societies and economies in a manner that allows the continent and its member states to harness digital technologies for local innovation that will improve life opportunities, reduce poverty and inequality, and facilitate the delivery of goods and services.

Aruna further stated that African countries have realised the huge potential of a robust digital economy to create new business opportunities, increase efficiency, contribute to sustainable development, and reshape people’s lives.

“The AU Data Policy Framework represents a significant step towards creating a consolidated data environment and harmonised digital data governance systems to enable the free and secure flow of data across the continent while safeguarding human rights, upholding security, and ensuring equitable access and sharing of benefits.

“This framework sets out a common vision, principles, strategic priorities, and key recommendations to guide African countries in developing their national data systems and capabilities to effectively use and derive value from data”, she said.

She said the domestication of the framework by African countries and the implementation of its key recommendations will position Africa as a strong partner and enable African youth to participate and thrive in the global digital economy and society.

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