The Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the Information Society Division of the African Union Commission (AUC) and Research ICT Africa (RIA) are pleased to open the call for nominations for the 14th annual African School on Internet Governance (AfriSIG 2026). This year’s edition will take place in the last quarter of 2026 immediately prior to the Africa Internet Governance Forum (IGF), which will take place in Accra, Ghana. The overall focus of AfriSIG 2026 will be on AI governance in the African context.
About AfriSIG
AfriSIG’s primary goal is to give Africans who are already active in internet governance or digital policy from various sectors and stakeholder groups the opportunity to gain knowledge that will enable them to participate effectively with increased confidence in national, regional and global internet and digital governance processes and debates.
The first AfriSIG was convened in 2013 in Durban, South Africa and the most recent, AfriSIG 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania alongside the Africa IGF 2025.
Over the years, AfriSIG has built a multidisciplinary cadre with expertise in internet governance through the participation of current and emerging leaders drawn from government, business, academia, the media, the technical community and civil society. The diversity of participants reflects the school’s objective of enhancing multistakeholder cooperation in national to global internet policy and development.
Curriculum
AfriSIG will take place over the course of five and a half days. The curriculum will cover:
- Artificial intelligence (AI) for development and AI governance in Africa, with special emphasis on the African Union AI Strategy and trends in current and emerging national AI strategies.
- Digitalisation, sustainable development and digital inequality/inclusion.
- The internet governance ecosystem from a multilateral and multistakeholder perspective.
- The African institutional context.
- Roles of government, intergovernmental forums, UN agencies (e.g. UNESCO, the ITU and more), regulators, parliaments, civil society, business, academia and the technical
community. - Open internet architecture, infrastructure, standards and protocols and management of internet names and numbers.
- Data governance and digital “sovereignty”.
- Internet governance and social issues: gender, human rights, misinformation and disinformation, content regulation, political participation and access to information.
- Cybersecurity, trust and safety.
- Platform accountability.
- Digital governance and climate change.
- Current processes and debates, e.g. the Global Digital Compact, the UN Global Dialogue on AI, WSIS+20 implementation and the future of the Internet Governance Forum.
Practicum
AfriSIG is known for its annual practicum, where participants have to draft and negotiate agreement on a policy brief or statement. For the practicum component of AfriSIG 2026, we will focus on artificial intelligence governance in Africa, looking in particular at the African Union AI Strategy through the lens of the Just AI Framework.
Who can be nominated?
You are eligible to be nominated for AfriSIG 2026 if you meet the following criteria:
- You are passionate about the internet as a driver for people-centred development in Africa.
- You work in the internet, telecommunications, media, digital policy, data governance or digital rights – in any sector or stakeholder group.
- You have relevant experience in AI, data or internet governance, or ICT research, policy and regulation, and the foundational knowledge to engage at a professional level. This programme is not designed for beginners.
- You are well-positioned to contribute to strengthening internet governance in Africa and amplifying African voices in global discussions, and your current employment or studies supports your active engagement in this space.
- You have basic fluency in English.
We strongly encourage applications from individuals in middle or senior management, or those in leadership roles in their field or institution.
Who can submit a nomination?
We welcome nominations from across all stakeholder groups, including:
- Government ministries, departments and public sector ICT services (such as public libraries).
- National and regional communications, data and information regulatory authorities.
- Members of parliament serving on portfolio committees covering media, communications or information technology.
- Internet industry service providers and businesses, including mobile network operators and digital platforms as well as small and medium internet-related enterprises.
- Civil society, NGOs and community-based organisations working in the internet and communications sector.
- Human rights, gender and ecological justice advocates and institutions dealing with internet issues.
- The legal community, including the judiciary, legal practitioners and law enforcement working in internet, communications or data protection law.
- The internet technical community, including those involved in internet names and numbers, engineering, systems administration, programming and security.
- Academic and research institutions working on internet governance, data protection or data governance.
- Media organisations, journalists and bloggers focusing on internet or data governance and policy.
To submit a nomination, a nominating institution needs to submit a letter of recommendation and motivation and attach the CV of the nominee. The documents must be submitted in English. The deadline is 31 May 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Please address the nomination to afrisig@apc.org
Cost and applying for sponsorship
Participation in AfriSIG costs USD 2,000, which covers accommodation and tuition. Participants are responsible for their own travel costs, unless they are a beneficiary of a travel fellowship.
Shortlisted nominees will be asked to complete an application form on which they can apply for sponsorship.
The AfriSIG organisers have limited support available for successful applicants. This support will cover the tuition fee and accommodation.
We also have a limited number of travel fellowships available.
All participants, even those who are self-funded, will be expected to attend for the duration of the school.
For more information, visit the AfriSIG website www.afrisig.org or contact the AfriSIG organisers, Anriette Esterhuysen and Peace Oliver Amuge at afrisig@apc.org
