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Listening to youth voices on Internet governance priorities

18.01.2023

Three young African leaders joined the AU-EU D4D Hub activities at IGF 2022
Projet ou initiative
Projet D4D Hub UA-UE

For Africa’s digital transformation to be truly inclusive, it must consider the priorities of youth – more than 60% of the continent’s population is under the age of 25.

In this spirit, the African Union – European Union (AU-EU) Digital for Development (D4D) Hub has made continuous efforts to ensure that youth voices are represented across its activities and play a role in building a stronger Africa-Europe digital cooperation.

In December, the AU-EU D4D Hub participated in the 2022 edition of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) – the world’s largest multi-stakeholder meeting dedicated to Internet governance – which took place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Three young leaders from Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Benin were invited to join the project’s activities.

Sunday Jerome Salami, a Master’s student at the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute, was among them. As a regular blogger on sustainable development issues, he was the first prize winner of the D4D blogging competition, organised by the AU-EU D4D Hub with the aim of fostering debate on how to tackle online disinformation while protecting human rights. At IGF, Sunday had the opportunity to meet experts and increase his knowledge on the topic.

Watch now: Interview with Sunday Jerome Salami on his participation in the D4D blogging competition

Eden Tadesse, a social entrepreneur and journalist, was one of the ten nominees for the online communications campaign #GirlsinD4D. Carried out by the AU-EU D4D Hub in April 2022, the purpose of this activity was to give visibility to young women working in the ICT sector in Africa and Europe. Building on her previous experience as a trainer on misinformation and fact-checking, she served as the moderator of the Town Hall debate “Jointly tackling disinformation while protecting human rights”, which was organised by the AU-EU D4D Hub at IGF.

Watch now: Eden Tadesse calls for more inclusion of youth and women in digital policy spaces

Finally, Ben Rachad Sanoussi is an ICT professional and activist who is part of the youth-led organisation Digital Grassroots, which aims to foster community engagement and increase digital citizenship. In March 2022, Rachad contributed to the first Africa-Europe D4D Hub Multi-Stakeholder Forum with a statement. At IGF he supported different activities organised by the AU-EU D4D Hub and served as the rapporteur of the above-mentioned Town Hall debate.

During IGF, both Eden and Rachad had the opportunity to meet with Dr Axel Klaphake, Director for Economic and Social Development and Digitalisation at GIZ – one of the AU-EU D4D Hub’s implementing partners. During an informal exchange, Eden and Rachad shared their views and ideas on a wide range of topics, such as digital inclusion, youth entrepreneurship, and connectivity. They also learned about GIZ’s efforts to promote a sustainable digital transformation worldwide.

Watch now: Eden Tadesse and Ben Rachad Sanoussi meet Dr Axel Klaphake, Director for Economic and Social Development and Digitalisation at GIZ

To learn more and participate in the AU-EU D4D Hub activities, visit the project website: au-eu.d4dhub.eu