On 24 March 2025, Research ICT Africa researcher Liz Orembo participated in a panel discussion as part of a Digital Governance workshop at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting. The workshop entitled “Safe, inclusive, ethical digital technology: Implementing the Global Digital Compact in Africa” focused on the global governance of digital technologies, with a special emphasis on the Global Digital Compact (GDC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Moderated by Tonu Basu (Access Now), the panelists included Dr Fola Adeleke (African Observatory on Responsible AI) and Ambassador Philip Thigo, Kenya’s special envoy on technology.
Here, she reflects on the key themes of the discussion, the challenges of digital governance in Africa, and the implications of the GDC for inclusive and rights-based technology policy.
While the initial stages of the GDC included robust civil society consultations and a first draft with strong human rights provisions, subsequent versions progressively diluted these protections. As the process became more multilateral, the rich, evidence-based research and inputs from civil society were increasingly marginalised. This is not to suggest that the GDC is without merit—the final document still contains significant commitments by member states to ensuring a safe and secure internet.
My contribution addressed the digital landscape in Africa, highlighting the fundamental challenge of digital inequality. Despite the rapid digitisation across the continent, we cannot meaningfully discuss emerging technologies like AI and digital public infrastructure when such profound access inequalities persist. Data from our After Access project shows multiple intersectional inequalities, where disadvantaged populations remain invisible in the data used to develop marginalised technologies. These ongoing technological initiatives, if not carefully implemented, will only serve to exacerbate existing social, economic, and political disparities.
I advocated for a governance approach rooted in democratic principles, particularly regarding the government’s role in digital service delivery. Governments are the primary executors of public services, generating and storing vast amounts of citizen data. As emerging technologies increasingly support these services, it becomes crucial to apply democratic principles that view governance as a system “by all and for all.” This includes strengthening human rights, inclusion, and civil and political freedoms. Similarly, the other panellists emphasised the need to ensure that AI and other data technologies do not cause harm or discrimination. For example, there should be a global agreement ensuring that autonomous weapons do not make life-and-death decisions without human intervention. There were also concerns that most national and multilateral discussions on AI focus on economic development rather than on broader societal impacts. As a result, some stakeholders are excluded from the conversation, and safety concerns are overlooked.
Access to data held by governments and the private sector was highlighted as a key enabler of open and democratic governance—one of the core objectives of the OGP. Hosted at RIA, the African Alliance for Access to Data (AAAD) is an initiative stemming from a study that assessed the appetite among African researchers for data held by international intermediaries. The Alliance brings together pan-African organisations, data experts, media, and civil society actors to advocate for access to data across the continent—whether held locally by governments, civic actors, and the private sector, or internationally by tech intermediaries. Recently, the Alliance supported the African Union Commission in developing a resolution to harness data for human development and sustainability.
When the moderator asked how global frameworks such as the GDC can be implemented at local and national levels, the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) emerged as a prime example of how global governance frameworks have been translated into national and regional initiatives. The Internet Governance Forum (IGF), as part of WSIS, has strengthened multistakeholder participation in digital governance through platforms such as the Africa IGF, East Africa IGF, Youth IGF, and national IGFs in Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. These initiatives are largely driven by national and grassroots communities. The implementation of the Global Digital Compact can also draw from this approach, ensuring that national and continental outputs are based on multistakeholder participation. The African Union can further ensure that Africa benefits from the GDC by developing implementation frameworks for the African Digital Compact, alongside the efforts of the UN Tech Envoy. This process must remain inclusive and participatory.
The discussion also explored the evolving role of civil society since the 2005 WSIS. I noted how African civil society has progressed beyond traditional advocacy, offering technical solutions, community networks, and digital safety tools that complement government initiatives. These organisations should be encouraged to engage in data-driven technologies such as AI to ensure that these tools serve social and civic purposes.
The session was a timely reminder of the importance of multistakeholderism and the ethical deployment of digital technologies. The lessons learned from the GDC process provide valuable insights, particularly as we approach the WSIS+20 review negotiations.
