Dear colleagues,

I’m pleased to share with you my latest piece published on WEF Stories: How GovTech in Africa can unlock inclusive governance.

Visit => https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/09/govtech-africa-inclusive-digital-governance/

In this article, I reflect on how Africa can harness GovTech, through digital public infrastructure, inclusive design, and regional collaboration, to make governance more transparent, efficient, and citizen-centric.

Reading and writing on this topic also made me think of UNECA’s unique position: with our convening power, regional expertise, and partnerships, how can UNECA further support African countries in scaling GovTech for inclusive governance?

I would very much welcome your thoughts and perspectives, particularly how our ongoing initiatives in digital transformation, SMEs, and policy advisory could be aligned with this agenda.

In this regard, I would advise you to get ready with this technical paper: AI and Climate Action, Opportunities, Risks and Challenges for Developing Countries.

https://unfccc.int/news/ai-and-climate-action-opportunities-risks-and-challenges-for-developing-countries

for the context: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czdy6qdln4jo

BANENGAI KOYAMA Torcia Chanelle,Central African Republic,MFGD said in Ramses Fire Wake-Up Call Shows Urgency of eGovernment Resilience:

resilience-by-design

Indeed, resilience-by-design is the key!

I recently published an article on ICTworks titled The Urgency of E-Government Resilience, reflecting on the recent fire at Cairo’s Ramses Central Exchange and the lessons it offers for our region. The incident, which paralysed critical services in Egypt, highlights the dangers of over-centralised systems and the urgent need to build resilience into our digital governance frameworks from the very start.

In the piece, I argue that resilience is not just about technical backups; it is about designing distributed architectures, fostering institutional preparedness, and ensuring continuity of public services even in times of crisis. For us in North Africa and across the ECA region, this conversation feels especially relevant given the fragility of infrastructure and the growing reliance on digital platforms to deliver essential services.

I’d love to hear your thoughts: How can we, as a community of Fellows, translate these lessons into concrete strategies for our countries and region? Should we be pushing for regional redundancy, shared infrastructure, or stronger policy frameworks on digital resilience? And what role can institutions like UNECA play in facilitating this?

Your reflections will be invaluable, not only to enrich the conversation but also to guide how we might collectively shape a more resilient digital future for Africa.

The link for the full article: https://www.ictworks.org/urgency-egovernment-resilience/

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/

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!

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.

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.

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.