Smart Africa and ICANN advance unified internet governance framework for Africa at ICANN84
Date: 2025-10-27
By: Robert Annor
Smart
Africa, in collaboration with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN), has unveiled two landmark initiatives aimed at strengthening
Africa’s digital sovereignty the African
Internet Governance Blueprint and the Continental Africa Internet Governance Architecture
(CAIGA).
The
announcement was made during the ICANN84 meeting in Dublin, where Smart Africa,
represented by Rodrigue Guiguemde, Unit Manager for Resilient and Digital
Infrastructure, co-hosted the GAC
Africa Strategy Session alongside ICANN’s Coalition for Digital
Africa (CoDigiAf).
The
milestone session focused on enhancing Africa’s collective influence in global
Internet governance and establishing a regional coordination roadmap to ensure
the continent speaks with a unified and strategic voice on digital policy
matters.
Developed
through two years of collaboration between Smart Africa, ICANN, Deutsche
Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and Smart Africa
Member States, the initiatives mark a critical step toward building a cohesive,
inclusive, and resilient digital ecosystem across Africa.
The
launch also opens a community review process to promote transparency,
engagement, and shared ownership among stakeholders across the continent.
