Global Digital Inclusion Partnership

🇪🇦📱Colleagues Sonia Jorge and Jaqueline D. Pateguana are delighted to be in Barcelona this week for #MWC25. Reach out if you're around and want to connect! GSMA GSMA Foundation Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa Ingrid Brudvig Talant Sultanov Waqas Hassan Evelyn Namara Carmen Ferri #digitalinclusion #gender #connectivity

Check out our recent blog: AI for the Global Majority: The Digital Divide No One’s Talking About! From the viewpoint of digital inclusion advocate Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa this piece explores the pressing need for open dialogue on the challenges and potential harms #artificialintelligence (AI) could exacerbate for underserved and marginalized communities. Read here: https://lnkd.in/eZbupQHG

🚀 Join the Conversation at RightsCon! 🌍💡 Today, Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa will speak on the critical intersection of #AI, #sustainability, and the future of the internet in Africa. Session info: "Sustainability of the Internet in the era of AI in the African Continent" 🗓 Tuesday, 25 February ⏰ 12:00-13:00 PM EST (Virtual) If you haven’t registered already, here is the link to join: ➡️https://lnkd.in/e7rUqs6N Engage in the dialogue on how AI shapes environmental challenges and opportunities across the continent. 🔗 Plus, explore our latest blog - 'AI for the Global Majority: The Digital Divide No One’s Talking About!' 👉🏾https://lnkd.in/eZbupQHG #RightsCon #DigitalInclusion #AIforGood #SustainableTech IEEE Humanitarian Technologies Leonard Jukwa Mariela Machado Fantacchiotti

NEW: AI for the Global Majority: The Digital Divide No One’s Talking About! The glossy and rapid expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its promise of transforming every aspect of our lives is tarnished by a growing undercurrent of exclusion. This blog authored by GDIP’s digital inclusion advocate and policy expert Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa explores some of the most significant barriers to digital inclusion in the age of #AI. Delve in to learn key insights from our roadmap for inclusive AI development as we detail the importance of ensuring AI’s potential is underpinned by #digitalinclusion principles. Read here: 👉🏾https://lnkd.in/eZbupQHG Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa Sonia Jorge Jessica Brown Ingrid Brudvig Talant Sultanov Waqas Hassan Jaqueline D. Pateguana Evelyn Namara Datocracy Ronda Železný-Green, PhD Carmen Ferri International Telecommunication Union Sinead Bovell WAYE

Join colleagues Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa and Talant Sultanov next week at RightsCon the world-leading summit on human rights in the digital age. ♻️Grappling with the #environmental and #sustainability opportunities and challenges #AI brings to Africa’s landscape Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa is excited to be taking part in the following virtual session - “Sustainability of the Internet in the era of AI in the African Continent" ⏰When: Tuesday 25 February – 12:00-13:00PM EST (Virtual) 🌏Next up, Talant Sultanov will share insights during a hybrid roundtable discussion on the importance of building networks that foster #inclusion for #local, #rural and #indgenionous communities in the digital age - “Preserving Local Cultures: Building Networks in Rural and Indigenous Communities” ⏰When: Thursday 27 February – 09:00-10:00AM TST (UTC +8) Room 202A (Hybrid)   If you haven’t registered already, here is the link to join: ➡️https://lnkd.in/e7rUqs6N Mariela Machado Fantacchiotti Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa Leonard Jukwa Tisha Amelia Nahid Jubair Adrián López Angulo Talant Sultanov Carlos Francisco Baca Feldman Rigdzin Pema C. Upasana Hembram Gomer Padong Sonia Jorge

Join us at RightsCon next week for a virtual session called “Sustainability of the Internet in the era of AI in the African Continent" where we will focus on discussing the opportunities and challenges AI brings to Africa's internet and environmental sustainability. We'll discuss the need for global connectivity while considering the environmental impact of growing data centers and carbon footprint, especially in the global south. Experts Onica Nonhlanhla Makwakwa and Leonard Jukwa from telecommunications and environmental sustainability sectors will share insights and brainstorm solutions. This session will be Moderated by Mariela Machado Fantacchiotti with an interactive Q&A. If you haven’t registered already, here is the link to join us! https://lnkd.in/e7rUqs6N #Tech4good #IEEEHT #AI #Sustainability #Africa #DigitalDivide #EnvironmentalImpact #GlobalConnectivity #Rightscon

Global Digital Inclusion Partnership Policy Advocacy Advisor Talant Sultanov has been re-appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) for 2025. The group of experts advises the Secretary-General on the programme of the Internet Governance Forum and is instrumental in planning the annual meetings. Former GDIP Head of Asia and Pacific Anju Mangal was also re-appointed as a member of the Multistakeholder Advisory Group. She was the first Pacific Islander appointed as a member of the IGF MAG during her first tenure in 2012. Read more here: https://gdip.ngo/411BFQ9

As the 2024 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) concludes, we, the undersigned organisations and individuals from civil society, the private sector, and the technical community, call on all governments, institutions, and organisations to affirm the vision of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) of a people-centred and development-oriented inclusive information society. Read the full statement here: https://gdip.ngo/4hl9S2X Association for Progressive Communications APNIC auDA - .au Domain Administration Ltd. Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication Blacknight Internet Solutions Ltd Center for Democracy & Technology CENTER FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOPMENT Derechos Digitales DotAsia Organisation Global Partners Digital Global Network Initiative Identity Digital Inc. Ideosync Media Combine Japan Network Information Center Jokkolabs Banjul Paradigm Initiative Research ICT Africa Search for Common Ground Taiwan Network Information Center TWNIC Women of Uganda Network WACC Global Konstantinos Komaitis, PhD Ebenezer Olawole Dare Eduardo Bertoni William J. Drake

A pleasure to be part of a group of such distinguished experts in Internet Governance #IGF2025

ICYMI: Check out our new analysis of broadband pricing in global majority countries. This reminds me of some of the work I did early in my career... but at the time, we had strong and well resourced agencies like the "ratepayer advocate" as part of the regulatory agencies (do you remember that?). Who is protecting consumers in the digital age? Who is ensuring that prices are equitable and do further exclude those already marginalized? Share the experience in your country and how policy makers and regulators are addressing high data costs. Would love to hear from you. #Brasil #Colombia #SouthAfrica #CotedIvoire #Kenya #India #Philippines