The 10th edition of the African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) will take place from 16 to 18 July and will focus on international cybersecurity. It will be held as a pre-event to the African Internet Governance Forum to be held in Lilongwe, Malawi. On 15 June 2022, there will be a three-hour virtual consultation prior to the School.
About AfriSIG
The African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG) is a joint initiative of the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the Information Society division of the African Union Commission (AUC) and Research ICT Africa. Its goal is to develop a pipeline of leading Africans from diverse sectors, backgrounds and ages with the skills to participate in local and international internet governance structures, and shape the future of the internet landscape for Africa's development. You can read more about the School at the AfriSIG website. This year AfriSIG is partnering with Global Partners Digital to gather existing and emerging leaders from all stakeholder groups in the field of international cybersecurity.
About AfriSIG 2022
The 10th annual AfriSIG will respond to the opportunity created by the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee’s Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) on ICTs. It will do so by inviting participants from governments, civil society, business, the technical community, the media and other relevant stakeholder groups who are already participating in international cybersecurity debates from an African perspective. It will also focus the School’s content and participation on relevant topics, with a view to feeding into the OEWG directly.
AfriSIG 2022 will consist of a series of linked events:
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A three-hour virtual consultation on 15 June.
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An in-person three-day learning event on 16-18 July held as a pre-event to the 11th African Internet Governance Forum to be held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 19 to 21 July. The face-to-face event will include a practicum component whereby participants will identify African regional priorities on capacity development for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, with a view to developing a multistakeholder input for the July 2022 OEWG session. This event will offer some opportunity for virtual participation.
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A one-day consultation and capacity-strengthening workshop held as a pre-event to the global Internet Governance Forum in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (26 or 27 November).
Participants
AfriSIG 2022 will involve around 40 participants including faculty and resource persons. Participation will be by invitation to governments, civil society organisations, business entities and technical and research organisations who have participated in the Open-ended Working Group and in previous Groups of Governmental Experts. As always, AfriSIG will strive for gender parity and regional diversity.
Organising partners
AfriSIG 2022 will be organised by the Association for Progressive Communications and Global Partners Digital, collaborating closely with the African Union Commission and Research ICT Africa. The organisers are also working closely with the African Internet Governance Forum Multistakeholder Advisory Group and Secretariat.