<\/p>\n
The African Union (AU) will convene the sixth ordinary session of the Specialised Technical Committee on Communication and Information and Communication Technology from October 26.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The meeting will be held under the theme \u201cAfrica\u2019s Digital Future, Africa\u2019s Voice: Advancing Innovation, Digital Inclusion and Shaping Africa\u2019s Narrative\u201d.<\/p>\n
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Experts will meet from October 26 to October 28, followed by Ministerial discussions scheduled to begin on October 29.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Delegates will review implementation of the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, which covers the period from 2020 to 2030. \u201cThe Libreville session is an opportunity to set a clear course for the next phase of Africa\u2019s digital transformation,\u201d AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Lerato Dorothy Mataboge said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will review progress in artificial intelligence, data governance, digital identity and cybersecurity, and agree on concrete measures to accelerate implementation.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Participants will assess progress under the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy and AU Data Policy Framework.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Discussions will cover technological skills, responsible governance and the use of data to support innovation, public services and economic development.<\/p>\n
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Cybersecurity and personal data protection will also feature prominently, alongside implementation of the Malabo Convention and efforts to build confidence in digital services.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The meeting will consider digital public infrastructure, digital identity systems and connectivity as foundations for accessible government services and an integrated African digital market.<\/p>\n
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Delegates will assess infrastructure development under the second Priority Action Plan of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa.<\/p>\n
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Attention will also focus on barriers preventing women, girls, young people, people with disabilities, rural communities and other underserved groups from participating fully in the digital economy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Committee will review decisions from previous ordinary and extraordinary sessions and elect a new Bureau.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The gathering is expected to strengthen coordination among AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities, AU institutions and development partners. \u201cOur priority is to translate continental commitments into tangible benefits for millions of Africans through an inclusive, secure digital transformation that supports sustainable development,\u201d Mataboge said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mataboge called on Member States to renew commitments to building an integrated and prosperous digital Africa.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
–AU\/ChannelAfrica–<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":46823,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[44,26],"class_list":["post-48579","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-finance","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"African Ministers and technology experts will meet in Libreville to accelerate implementation of continental policies on artificial intelligence (AI), data governance, cybersecurity and digital inclusion.","published_date":"","news_description":"African Ministers and technology experts will meet in Libreville to accelerate implementation of continental policies on artificial intelligence (AI), data governance, cybersecurity and digital inclusion.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48579","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48581,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/48579\/revisions\/48581"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=48579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}