The Africa Internet Governance Forum (AFIGF) has identified cybercrime as a big threat to Africa’s digital transformation strategy.
This was contained in a communiqué presented at the end of the 12th AFIGF, with the theme: “Transforming Africa’s Digital Landscape: Empowering Inclusion, Security and Innovation”, which ended in Abuja, Nigeria.
The forum urged governments across the continent for an urgent need to increase their investments in cybersecurity.
In a recommendation signed by all the members said, AIFG said: “Cybercrime remains a potential threat to the implementation of Africa Union (AU) 2063 agenda and its digital transformation strategy.
“AU and African government to ensure adequate investment to fight cybercrime activities ensure international cooperation, and capacity building for lawmakers and enforcement actors, the judiciary and other necessary actors,” AFIGF said.
The forum said that Africa’s digital workforce strategy was reactive and that urgent investment was required to bridge the digital divide and develop the digital workforce needed for innovation.
The participants stressed that it was vital to penetrate into Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital solutions be grown from African datasets, and tailor AI models to the region’s unique challenges and opportunities.
They said the dearth of research in AI on the continent focused on the uniqueness of Africans leaves a huge gap and stifles the ability to develop solutions that identify its culture and people.
In his remarks, the Secretary General (AIGF) and a member Ghanaian Parliament, Hon. Samuel George called for free internet that was inclusive, safe, and secure for all the citizens in Africa.
He said: “This can only be achieved through a collaborative effort by coming together to build an Africa that is inclusive.”
George said for Africa to be self-sufficient, it must create an enabling environment and laws, as well as provide digital infrastructure for young innovators to thrive.
This, he said, would in turn promote indigenous and local content development in technological development.
George appreciated the vital role of the African Union Commission, the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Africa IGF Secretariat, and the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
He also thanked the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), partners, and stakeholders who contributed to the success of the forum this year.
Meanwhile, the Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Prof. Umar Dambatta said that Africa’s Digital transformation can only be achieved by creating enabling laws, institutional changes, and provisions of Digital Public Infrastructure.
“We can create enabling laws and institutional changes to respond to dynamics of the internet movement, recent discoveries in AI, Blockchain technology, 5G technologies, and course a vibrant communications industry.
“These are the drivers of a digital transformation and also human capital with the capacity to ensure transformation takes place in all the sectors of the economy as well as in governance.
“These will drive Africa’s digital transformation agenda,” he said.
The event was a United Nations initiative hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
Other hosts were: the Africa Union (AU), Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The programme was sponsored by MTN Nigeria, Huawei, Meta, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), German Cooperation and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), accordingly.
The event brought together political leaders, intellectuals and experts in information and communication technologies (ICT) within the African continent.
