Smart Africa
and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) have hosted
a regional capacity-building workshop aimed at strengthening the involvement of
African representatives in internet governance. The session, attended by
members of ICANN's Government Advisory Committee (GAC), underlined the
importance of amplifying Africa’s voice in the Internet Coordination Policy 2
(ICP2) process.
CEO of Smart Africa, Lacina Koné during his address emphasized
the significance of this partnership, noting, “Our collaboration with ICANN
is essential to increasing the participation of African representatives in GAC
discussions and fostering increasingly valuable contributions.” He intimated
that by uniting efforts, Smart Africa and ICANN aim to ensure that African
perspectives are well represented in critical discussions shaping the future of
the internet.
At the core of
the initiative is the Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA), a dedicated platform
for digital capacity building across the continent. SADA’s mission is to
consolidate educational resources, training, and capacity-building efforts to
equip African professionals and policymakers with the knowledge needed to
actively participate in global internet governance dialogues. Through SADA,
Smart Africa aims to ensure sustained and impactful African contributions to
the GAC, enhancing the continent’s influence in shaping internet policy.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
