Ethiopian Informer
ADDIS ABABA (EI): Africa’s private sector have reviewed the Global Digital Compact (GDC), addressing how best the sector can effectively engage to turn the GDC principles into actionable outcomes on the ground.
This came as the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) partnered with the Africa Information and Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA) to host a consultation meeting on the Global Digital Compact (GDC) for Africa’s private sector, aimed at soliciting input and feedback on the GDC Rev.1., published on May 15, 2024, the UN-ECA disclosed in a statement issued Monday.
Addressing the virtual consultation meeting, Sorene Assefa, Digital Governance and Cybersecurity expert at the ECA, presented the origins of the Global Digital Compact within the framework of the Pact of the Future, set to be adopted at the Summit of the Future in September 2024. She highlighted the UN-ECA’s role in shaping Africa’s stance and contributions to the GDC consultation milestones, as well as the upcoming roadmap for the GDC.
The discussions examined how well Rev.1 addresses the continent’s needs and priorities from a private sector perspective and discussed how the sector can effectively engage to turn Africa’s Global Digital Compact (GDC) Principles into actionable outcomes on the ground.
A recurring theme was the need for strong regulatory frameworks to foster innovation and ensure that private sector priorities align with the GDC’s goals, promoting a secure and prosperous digital future for Africa.
Participants highlighted the need to quantify and correlate infrastructure-to-investment returns as efforts continue to implement objectives outlined within the GDC Rev.1. Leveraging Africa’s youthful demographic is another priority, with a focus on creating job opportunities through robust data governance and digital skills.
According to the UNECA, among the key recommendations that were made at the review session include focus on national level implementation. As more countries restructure their ministries to include digital governance and transformation agendas, it is said to be crucial to focus on national-level implementation to ensure the Global Digital Compact (GDC) document effectively enables countries to achieve their digital objectives.
Quantify investment-to-infrastructure value was said to be another key recommendations that was made at the review session. Quantify the intentionality and rationale behind improving infrastructure based on added value for the private sector, emphasizing how the digital economy benefits overall economic growth, increases connectivity to create competitive advantages, and delivers bankable projects. Research cited during the session noted that an investment of one dollar in Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs) can yield a return of 32 dollars gained from enhanced institutional competitiveness and citizen welfare.
Other key recommendations also include sector applications and building on effective platforms that are working. Additionally, improving connectivity to bridge the digital divide and promote digital inclusion for the nearly 500 million people without digital identities is crucial.
“Enhancing cyber diplomacy and data governance is also a priority to mitigate risks that could result in up to a 10 percent GDP loss due to cyber threats,” the statement quoted Mactar Seck, Chief of the Technology and Innovation Section at the UN-ECA, as saying during the consultation workshop.
Set to be established at the Summit of the Future in September 2024, the Global Digital Compact (GDC) is the UN Secretary General’s roadmap to realize “an open, free, secure, and human-cantered digital future.” The initiative aims to accelerate the achievement of the UN Vision 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and foster a new social and political framework beneficial to all and conducive to planetary sustainability.
Africa Information and Communication Technologies Alliance (AfICTA) is a private sector led alliance of ICT associations, multi-national corporations, organizations and individuals in the ICT sector in Africa, it was noted.
(A graphic illustration, by the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), shows the Global Digital Compact-GDC)
