Africa Youth IGF - Africa Internet Governance Forum

ABOUT AfYIGF

Africa Youth Internet Governance Forum

The African Youth Internet Governance Forum (AfYIGF) is a dynamic regional initiative with a bold vision. Its primary goal is to foster an immersive experience for the emerging internet leaders of Africa. By bringing together young experts and voices, AfYIGF seeks to instill local perspectives and insights into shaping the internet’s future within Africa. Empowering the next generation of internet shapers, this platform serves as a powerful springboard for their voices to effect actionable change in the realm of internet governance.

AfYIGF operates as an integral component of the Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF). This thriving multi-stakeholder platform serves as a hub for engaging discussions on a wide range of internet and digital policy issues across the African continent. In synergy with AfIGF, AfYIGF stands as a beacon of collaboration, fostering the exchange of ideas and solutions that contribute to the growth and inclusivity of Africa’s digital landscape. Together, these forums play a vital role in shaping the future of the Internet in Africa, ensuring that the region’s unique perspectives and expertise drive the direction of digital innovation and governance.

This year, the African Youth IGF will explore the theme of emerging technologies where we will delve into leveraging innovation for sustainable development and youth empowerment in the region. The forum will feature discussions and panels covering sub-themes around Artificial Intelligence, Digital Inclusion, Transforming Africa’s Digital Landscape, and how multistakeholderism can play a role in Africa’s cyberspace.

International Youth Day 2023 | 12th August

Theme:

Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World

The global community is facing unprecedented ecological challenges, notably climate change and resource depletion, which have positioned the world towards a green transition. The critical role youth play in this transition to a sustainable environment cannot be overemphasized, which necessitates an urgent call for climate action.

As stated by UN Secretary-General António Guterres,

“Humanity depends on the boundless energy, ideas, and contributions of youth everywhere.”

Today and every day, let’s support and stand with young people in shaping a just and sustainable world for people and the planet.”

The digital age has presented transformative changes across all sectors of society, with limitless connectivity, innovation, and information access on the internet, which has also contributed to environmental concerns like e-waste, energy consumption, and digital pollution which also contributes to carbon footprint with online activities and data centers.

As the internet’s influence grows, it is crucial to make sure that its creation and use are consistent with sustainability principles, minimizing any unfavorable effects on the environment while maximizing any potential for improvement.

The theme for this year is Green Skills for Youth: Towards a Sustainable World.

The Africa Youth IGF situates the theme against the backdrop of Nurturing Sustainability in the Digital Age through Internet Governance, a clarion call to climate action leveraging on the interplay between green skills and Internet governance. The principles, practices, technical requirements, and legal frameworks that regulate how the internet and related technologies should operate are referred to as “internet governance.

The sustainable development goals are crucial and serve as an actionable framework that steers towards green transition achievement in 2030 given the opportunity to develop strategies to create green jobs and solve the rising rate of youth unemployment globally, which demands green skills needed to operate, manage, produce, design, and develop green innovations, promoting green innovation through technology for the future of work and entrepreneurship. A more comprehensive and synergistic approach is embracing the 3 Rs — recycle, reduce, and reuse in digital consumption and production.

It is, however, crucial to equip the youth with knowledge, tools, and ethical understandings toward a nexus between technological advancement and environmental governance. Additionally, the Internet Governance landscape greatly influences the development of digital and environmental technologies.