The overarching theme is how to further digital sovereignty and rights towards dignified cohabitation in the global digital realm. The innovation is to foster a cross-continental community that promotes a healthy exchange and publication of ideas in relation to digital sovereignty and rights. Considering the prevalence of voices from the Global North in AI and digital sovereignty debates, the objective is also to amplify the voice of African researchers in this space.
| Day | Time | Session | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1: July 8th | Morning | Arrival 9:00 - 9:10 |
Welcome address by STIAS |
| 9:10 - 9:20 | Welcome address by Point Sud | ||
| 9:20 - 9:40 | Convener plenary | ||
| 9:40 - 10:00 | Participant introductions | ||
| 10:00 - 10:15 | Coffee/tea/juice break | ||
| Panel A 10:15 - 11:45 |
AI, Connectivity, and Development | ||
| Panel B 11:45 - 12:45 |
Geopolitical aspects of digital sovereignty | ||
| Afternoon | 12:45 - 14:00 | Lunch @ STIAS | |
| Panel C 14:00 - 15:30 |
Human Rights and Digital Freedoms | ||
| 15:30 - 16:00 | Coffee/tea/juice break | ||
| Panel D 16:00 - 17:30 |
Digital Colonialism: Big Tech, Algorithmic Bias and Cultural Preservation | ||
| Evening | 19:00 | Welcome Dinner @ Restaurant Decameron | |
| Day 2: July 9th | Morning | Panel E 09:00 - 10:30 |
Labor Markets and Digital Impacts |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee/tea/juice break | ||
| Panel F 11:00 - 12:30 |
Digital Skills and Education | ||
| Afternoon | 12:30 - 13:30 | Lunch @ STIAS | |
| Visit A 13:30 - 17:30 |
Data Centre Brackenfell map |
||
| Evening | 18:00 | Dinner | |
| Day 3: July 10th | Morning | Panel G 09:00- 10:30 |
Current Data and AI Regulation in Africa |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Coffee/tea/juice break | ||
| Panel H 11:00 - 12:30 |
Harmonisation of digital regulation in Africa: Desirable, necessary or neither? | ||
| Afternoon | 12:30- 13:30 | Lunch @ STIAS | |
| Visit B 13:30 - 18:00 |
Fibre-Optic Cable Landing Station or Undersea Data Cable Repair Ship (circumstances permitting) | ||
| Evening | Visit C 18:00 - 19:30 |
Waterfront visit and free time | |
| 19:30 | Return to Stellenbosch | ||
| Day 4: July 11th | Morning | Visit D 9:30 - 13:30 |
Philippi Village (Converted cement factory that is home to a diverse community of entrepreneurs and small business owners) |
| World Cafe: Small group conversations at Philippi Village with a mix of conference participants and digital entrepreneurs/digital rights activists | |||
| Afternoon | Closing @ STIAS 14:30 - 17:30 |
Ethnocharette: Reflection and ideas sharing to cross-fertilise ideas with a view to the special issue |
| Panel title Sort descending | First name | Last name | Organization | Country | Paper title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jess | Auerbach Jahajeeah | University of Cape Town | South Africa | Plenary | |
| A: AI, Connectivity, and Development | Tevin | Tafese | German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) | Germany | Chair |
| A: AI, Connectivity, and Development | Tsosheletso | Chidi | University of Pretoria | South Africa | Preserving African Linguistic Diversity in AI: Addressing Digital Exclusion, Bias, and Regulatory Gaps |
| A: AI, Connectivity, and Development | Mennatullah | Hendawy | Technical University of Munich , and Center for Advanced Internet Studies | Germany | Smarter justice: Rethinking Equitable and Sustainable Smart Cities in the age of Urban AI |
| A: AI, Connectivity, and Development | Bidisha | Chaudhuri | University of Amsterdam | Netherlands | Digital Inclusion and Sovereignty in Digital Public Infrastructures in Africa: examining the socio-material basis of claim-making in practice |
| B: Geopolitical aspects of digital sovereignty | Habtamu | Woldeyohanis | Dilla University | Ethiopia | A Comparative Analysis of Ethiopia’s AI Regulatory Framework: Gaps, Challenges, and Global Insights |
| B: Geopolitical aspects of digital sovereignty | Raymond | Onuoha | Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research (WiSER), University of the Witwatersrand | South Africa | Multipolar Digital Cooperation: Assessing Africa’s Digital Sovereignty in an Increasingly Fragmented Digital Sphere |
| B: Geopolitical aspects of digital sovereignty | Alena | Thiel | IT University | Denmark | Chair |
| C: Human Rights and Digital Freedoms | Norbert | Kersting | Muenster University | Germany | Online participation and Crowdsourced Monitoring of Elections in Africa |
| C: Human Rights and Digital Freedoms | Hougnon Wilfried Serge | Ouitona | Université d'Abomey-Calavi | Benin | Le code du numérique au Bénin : un instrument efficace de lutte contre la criminalité en ligne ou un outil de restriction des libertés ? |
| C: Human Rights and Digital Freedoms | Ayite | Sewa-Nyo | Togolese National Assembly | Togo | Guaranteeing digital freedoms in West Africa : challenges in the context of the fight against violent extremism |
| C: Human Rights and Digital Freedoms | Maxine | Rubin | German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) | Germany | Chair |
| D: Digital Colonialism: Big Tech, Algorithmic Bias and Cultural Preservation | Glen | Maimela | University of Venda | South Africa | The Perceived Digital Divide Constraints Towards Access to Digital African Indigenous Knowledge |
| D: Digital Colonialism: Big Tech, Algorithmic Bias and Cultural Preservation | Gaudencia | Mudada | University of Zimbabwe | Zimbabwe | Digital Colonialism and Algorithmic Bias in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Critical Analysis of Dominant Digital Platforms. |
| D: Digital Colonialism: Big Tech, Algorithmic Bias and Cultural Preservation | Georges | Macaire Eyenga | University of the Witwatersrand | South Africa | Chair |
| D: Digital Colonialism: Big Tech, Algorithmic Bias and Cultural Preservation | Divine | Fuh | HUMA - Institute for Humanities in Africa | South Africa | Artificial Intelligence and the Ethics of Being |
| E: Labour markets and digital impacts | Achim | Kemmerling | Willy Brandt School - Erfurt University | Germany | Chair |
| E: Labour markets and digital impacts | Kauna | Ibrahim Malgwi | African Content Moderators Union/Digital rights and Mental Health Initiative | Kenya | Exploited and Unseen: Digital Colonialism, Outsourcing, and the Fight for Fair Tech Labor in Kenya |
| E: Labour markets and digital impacts | Adio | Dinika | Distributed AI Research Institute | Germany | The Algorithmic Plantation: Digital Colonialism and Kenya's AI Labor Force |
| E: Labour markets and digital impacts | Amir | Anwar | University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom | Hidden Underbelly of the Silicon Valley |
| F: Digital Skills and Education | Chanda | Nkholoma | School of Law, University of Zambia | Zambia | Artificial Intelligence and Copyright – Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges for Universities in Zambia |
| F: Digital Skills and Education | Durix Esronne | Njiha Kouatchou | Cameroon | Critique of high technological modernism in education in Cameroon.The Paul Biya Higher Education Vision (PB HEV) Project | |
| F: Digital Skills and Education | Nnabugwu Oscar | Uluocha | University of Lagos, Akoka | Nigeria | Digital Revolution and the Knowledge Economy: Prospects and Challenges of Educational Applications of ICTs in Africa |
| F: Digital Skills and Education | Gift | Mwonzora | University of Erfurt | Germany | Chair |
| G: Current Data and AI Regulation in Africa | Johannes | Machinya | Wits University | South Africa | The pacing problem in South Africa’s mHealth regulation: Advancing adaptive mHealth regulation—from the “intended use” rule to a functionality-based framework |
| G: Current Data and AI Regulation in Africa | Guidance | Mthwazi | University of Cape Town | South Africa | How entrenched are we in Digital Entrapment?: A Critique of “Terms of Use” of most popular Digital Platforms. |
| G: Current Data and AI Regulation in Africa | Zaid | Abubakari | SDD-UBIDS | Ghana | Digitalization of Land Administration Service Delivery in Ghana: Implications for Accessibility, Inclusivity, and the Exclusion of Marginalized Groups |
| G: Current Data and AI Regulation in Africa | Andrew | Crawford | German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) | Germany | Chair |
| H: Harmonisation of digital regulation in Africa: Desirable, necessary or neither? | Catherine | Kiprop | Moi University | Kenya | Harmonised Digital Policies and Higher Education: Implications for African Universities and Research Institutions |
| H: Harmonisation of digital regulation in Africa: Desirable, necessary or neither? | Martin | Munyoto | Strathmore University | Kenya | Harmonised AI Regulation in Africa: A critique of the Continental AI Strategy |
| H: Harmonisation of digital regulation in Africa: Desirable, necessary or neither? | Bashman | Mohammed | University of Aberdeen | Nigeria | Harmonizing the Regulation of Digital Labour Platforms (DLPs) in Africa: Lessons from the European Union |
| H: Harmonisation of digital regulation in Africa: Desirable, necessary or neither? | Mercy | King'ori | Independent | Kenya | Chair |
