The Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA) hosted a high-level session at the WSIS+20 High-Level Event held in Geneva on Thursday, July 10, 2025. The session titled “Africa ICT Future: The Role of Multi-Stakeholder Engagement Beyond WSIS+20” emphasized collaboration as key to accelerating Africa’s digital transformation.
Moderated by Dr. Jimson Olufuye, the CEO, Kontemporary Konsulting, Founder/fmr Chair, and Chair of the Advisory Council, AfICTA, the session featured diverse voices from government, private sector, academia, civil society, and the technical community, including leaders from UNECA, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Cyber Security Authority of Ghana, GirlHype, SheCode.ai, and Secure Identity Alliance.
At the high-level event, the discussions highlighted Africa’s urgent need to address its low internet penetration (39%), weak cybersecurity maturity (29.1%), and a <1% share of global data centers, despite representing 19% of the global population. Panelists underscored multi-stakeholder collaboration, youth and women's inclusion, and innovation-led growth as essential for shaping a secure and inclusive digital future.
Key outcomes included:
Call for national multi-stakeholder ICT councils to co-create and implement digital strategies.
Development of digital talent pipelines focusing on AI, cybersecurity, and data science.
Increased funding for youth and women-led innovation.
Adoption of secure, interoperable digital identity systems
Strengthened research, infrastructure, and participation in global standardization bodies.
AfICTA reaffirmed its commitment to advancing digital inclusion and innovation across its 43-member countries, aligning with WSIS+20 goals and Africa’s Agenda 2063.
Session Reports (with action points and recommendations) are now available on the ITU page https://www.itu.int/net4/wsis/forum/2025/Agenda/SessionOutcomes
For a quick recap, watch the session video here https://shorturl.at/y9PeF
