Dear Fellows,

I’m excited to share that my recent peer-reviewed paper has just been published: "Drivers and Barriers in Libya’s E-Government Implementation"

The paper explores how technological, organizational, environmental, and user-acceptance factors shape the progress of e-government initiatives in Libya, drawing from a combination of theoretical models and fieldwork conducted with multi-stakeholders. While focused on Libya, many of the lessons may be relevant to other countries across Africa and beyond as we all navigate digital transformation in different contexts.

The full paper link here, for anyone interested.

But beyond sharing the publication, I wanted to open a small conversation with you all:

• How is e-governance evolving in your respective countries or institutions?
• Have you had experience publishing your own work, whether through conferences, journals, or policy papers? Do share it.
• What challenges or lessons have you encountered in getting your work published and shared?

I believe many of us are dealing with overlapping themes, and it would be great to exchange ideas, experiences, and even explore possible collaborations in the future. Let’s continue to build on the great momentum of the UNECA Fellowship network!

Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences.

Internet shutdowns are often seen as political tools, but their economic toll is just as severe. In my latest piece for the World Economic Forum, I explore how these disruptions are quietly draining Africa’s economy, threatening digital trade, SMEs, and long-term development.

👉 Read the full article here: https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/06/how-internet-shutdowns-drain-african-economies/

What does it mean when the internet goes dark, not just for freedom of expression but also for livelihoods and markets? Here, I unpack recent data, real examples, and legal precedents and offer pathways forward.

I’d love to hear your thoughts; feel free to comment, share, or reach out.

BIRIKA Naomi,Kenya,RITD for the value and the putting the economic impact in numbers, I used NetLoss Calculator, which is developed by ISOC. The tool uses an economic framework to estimate the impact of Internet shutdowns on a range of economic, social, and other outcomes and uses econometric tools to provide a rigorous and precise estimate of the economic impact of a given shutdown. The methodology relies on publicly available datasets to calculate the economic impact of an Internet shutdown. Using open datasets makes our methodology reproducible as well as transparent.

More info visit: https://pulse.internetsociety.org/en/netloss/

Dear colleagues and fellows,

As many of you closely follow the evolving digital policy landscape, I wanted to share key reflections from the recently adopted Cotonou Declaration on Accelerating Africa’s Digital Transformation, which emerged from the African WSIS+20 Review Summit (May 2025, Benin).

This declaration stands out as one of Africa's most structured, comprehensive, and forward-looking commitments to digital transformation in recent years. Some core elements I believe deserve special attention:

• Bridging Infrastructure Gaps: Ambitious targets to achieve 95% broadband coverage in leading countries by 2030, while tackling the persistent issue of high mobile data costs across the continent.

• Moving Beyond Digital Access: A shift towards advanced capacity-building, integrating AI, IoT, Big Data, and Quantum Computing into national curricula, addressing both foundational and frontier digital skills.

• Strengthening Governance & Regulation: Clear calls for developing adaptive AI governance frameworks, cross-border data harmonisation, and robust cybersecurity standards.

• Commitment to Measurable Progress: The introduction of an Africa Digital Performance Index and Ministerial Peer Reviews to ensure transparency, benchmarking, and shared learning across Member States.

• Linkage to Global Processes: The Declaration explicitly reinforces Africa’s engagement with WSIS, the IGF, and the GDC, ensuring Africa’s voice remains influential in shaping global digital norms.

In my view, this is not just a declaration, it is a blueprint for operationalising Africa’s digital ambitions, with a heavy emphasis on differentiated targets recognising our continent’s diversity in digital maturity.

I would love to hear your perspectives:

• How do you see this Declaration influencing the national and regional policy work you are involved in?

• How do you envision Member States and the African Union translating these ambitious targets into concrete action and accountability frameworks?

• Are you actively following or contributing to any UN processes related to digital governance (WSIS+20, IGF, Global Digital Compact)?

I believe cross-sharing between these tracks is becoming increasingly essential, and as fellows within the UN ECA community, we are well-positioned to contribute to that dialogue.

Let’s keep this conversation active; Africa's digital future depends on how effectively we move from commitments to coordinated action.

Over the last few days, I’ve been participating in a course by ITU Academy on Climate Change and the Mobile Industry. The course is designed for telecom policymakers and regulators, especially in emerging and developing markets, to explore how the sector can respond to the climate crisis in a meaningful way.

As part of our learning, we engaged with The Climate Game, an interactive simulation developed by The Financial Times, in partnership with Infosys, and grounded in real science using models from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the MAGICC climate model.

While the game is not a perfect simulation, it challenges us to make policy decisions, invest in technologies, and balance development priorities, all in the race to reach net zero by 2050. It was an eye-opener and a reminder of how difficult, yet urgent, these choices are.

Try the game here: https://ig.ft.com/climate-game/

I’d love to hear from fellow professionals, especially those working in and with Africa:

• What results did you get?
• What surprised you the most?
• How do you think we can accelerate climate action in African countries?
• What role should telecom, tech, and policy innovation play in this?

Let’s learn from each other, drop your thoughts in the comments section!