KINSHASA - DRC 31 MAY - 12 JUNE 2020 SUMMIT’20 Concept Note Shaping Africa’s Digital Future www.internetsummit.africa ORGANISERS Background It’s a watershed moment in the Internet world: half of According to the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 the world’s population is currently online. Unfortunately, Framework, a number of factors present a great the other half has irregular or no access to the Internet. opportunity for the consolidation and rapid progress Existing digital divides among and within countries and of African countries. These include increased stability, regions, including gender digital divides, need to be positive economic and social reforms, technological addressed for everyone to fully enjoy the benefits of advances, prospects for a growing middle class coupled current technological developments. Luckily, according with the youth bulge which can act as a catalyst for to the Economic Outlook 2019, African economies have further growth particularly in the consumer and services been resilient and gaining traction. Real output growth is sectors estimated to have increased by 3.5 per cent in 2019 and is projected to rise to 3.6 per cent in 2020. Previous meeting Statistics 478 11 36 742 Photos Fellows Sponsors Delegates 545 56 300 400 Newcomers Countries App Download Social media Posts Central Unspecified Northern 16 3.3% Southern 16 23 Old-timers Newcomers Female 31.8% 68.2% Indian Ocean 27.6% 26 Eastern 44 ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE ATTENDANCE BY CAREGORY BY GENDER BY REGION Other 45 Male Western 69.1% 345 SUMMIT’20 KINSHASA - DRC 31 MAY - 12 JUNE 2020 The Africa Internet Summit (AIS) is an annual, regional, public and private sectors, technical organisations, multi-stakeholder ICT conference. It is the pinnacle governmental institutions and civil society, interact on educational and business ICT event in Africa where key Internet issues and Internet development in general. Our players in the Internet industry can interact with the audience benefits from various panels of international global Internet community. Launched in The Gambia experts who deliver insightful knowledge on ICT in 2012, the Summit involves seminars, workshops, technologies. tutorials, conference sessions, birds-of-a-feather (BOFs), and other forums for sharing ICT knowledge within the AIS Meetings are held once a year rotating in countries African region. across the continent. The Summit brings the ICT business and technical AIS‘20 is a follow-up to the African Internet Summit (AIS) community in Africa together under one roof to discuss 2019 that was held in Kampala, Uganda from 9 - 21 ICT issues and challenges. They provide a platform June 2019. It was held in collaboration with NFT Consult for all African governments and global stakeholders Limited. Over 700 participants attended the summit that to discuss and benchmark issues regarding Internet consisted of in-depth policy development discussions, policy, Internet governance, Information Communication training courses, workshops, tutorials, plenary sessions Technology for Development (ICT4D), Internet access and panel discussions. Some key highlights of the event and technical capacity building to gather to discuss, included discussions on the global control of the internet collaborate, learn and disseminate information about and the recent transfer of the stewardship of the Internet these key areas of Africa’s Internet development. Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, and efforts to strengthen key internet infrastructure to keep The African Internet community, drawn from academia, content and traffic local as well as the adoption of IPv6. Key Questions AIS’20 will provide a platform for delegates to deliberate and address the following key questions: • What strategies can • How do we provide participate in the policy be used to drive IPv6 affordable, always-on development process Deployment throughout Internet access to all (PDP)? Africa? Africans to ensure they • How can we keep our reach their full potential? • How can we improve networks safe from and expand Internet • What are the policies cyberattacks, DDoSs and infrastructure to ensure guiding Internet number shutdowns? low cost, resilient and resource distribution in • How can we harness the secure Internet access Africa? power of the Internet to and keep our content • How do we ensure help end poverty and and traffic local? that all stakeholders ensure prosperity for all? Africa is progressing towards greater connectivity and the future depends on how AFRINIC, together with key stakeholders such as governments, regulators, network operators, academia and business leaders, can harness available opportunities. Expected Outcomes AIS’20 is expected to achieve the following results: • A deeper awareness across the • Increased participation in the • Mutual support for strengthening continent of the urgent need AFRINIC Policy Development infrastructure throughout the to deploy IPv6, how to roll out Process (PDP) and greater region and the necessity of IPv6 and why the future of awareness of why Internet keeping Africa’s traffic and Africa’s Internet depends on its numbering policy in Africa and content local to drive down deployment. beyond remains a top priority for access costs. Internet development. • Improved multi-stakeholder • Development of strategies dialogue between governments, • Enhanced cross-community to overcome current barriers regulators, network operators dialogue on Internet security, to access and connect the and Internet users in order data protection and privacy to unconnected. to harness the power of the ensure the safety, sustainability Internet to improve Africa’s and continuity of Africa’s Internet. education, business and social development. Rationale for the Event Africa can and should now take advantage of the universality of the 2030 Agenda (Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)) to create partnerships across the 17 goals and ensure effective implementation. The SDGs recognise that the spread of information and communications technology and global interconnectedness have great potential to accelerate human progress. The Agenda calls upon the international community to AFRINIC will also continue with the push to keep Africa’s increase access to information and communications Internet traffic local by supporting the African Internet technologies and provide universal and affordable Exchange Systems (AXIS) Project through robust access to the Internet in developing countries. Many relationships it has with the Internet Exchange Points agree that Africa’s prospects for the future largely (IXPs). depend on investment in technology. Another challenge facing Africa is the slow transition According to the AU Agenda 2063 Framework, the to the new Internet addressing protocol, IPv6. IPv6 is information technology revolution has provided necessary for long term Internet expansion, especially unprecedented opportunities for Africa, with the right as the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes a reality. policies to make significant advances and lift huge Ericsson estimates that there will be 50 billion smart sections of populations out of poverty, improve incomes devices by 2020. From traffic congestion systems to and catalyse economic and social transformations. (sustainable) energy supply, broadband network, safety AFRINIC is working towards the goals of African Union devices, automatic translation apps or even environment (AU) Agenda 2063, and has been an active participant friendliness, each and every area of daily life will be of the AU Specialized Technical Committee on transformed. Communication and ICT. Through this forum, AFRINIC supports actions geared towards comprehensive cyber AFRINIC’s efforts are clearly bearing fruit through security programmes especially through our African capacity building and outreach activities across Government Working Group, which will also be meeting the continent. We champion IPv6 deployment and on the sidelines of this conference. AFRINIC has also preparedness. Over 6,000 engineers have benefited implemented the proposal to use the DotAfrica Top from AFRINIC trainings and capacity building initiatives Level Domain as recommended by the committee in since inception. order to champion the unique African digital identity. Structure and Sessions AIS’20 will have numerous opportunities for knowledge, idea and skills sharing, discussions, debates and networking. The overarching theme of AIS’20 is ‘Taking Africa Internet Development to the Next Level Through Policy, Collaboration and Education’. The event will be held in both English and French and will have the following sessions and activities: • Welcome reception • Hackathons, research • Exhibitions and paper presentations • Opening ceremony • Gala dinner • Industry and technology • Keynote presentations • Closing ceremony briefings and discussions • Panel discussions and • Consultation meetings, plenary sessions focus groups, and • Trainings roundtables AIS’20 will include the following sessions: • AfNOG Workshop on • AfricaCERT Workshop & • ICANN Africa Day Network Technology Forums • AfChixTechWomen (offering advanced • AFRINIC Trainings Summit training in a week-long hands-on workshop) • AfREN Forum • A one-day AfNOG Plenary Session • Several one/two full- • AfTLD – Workshop & day Advanced AfNOG Forum • A three-day AFRINIC Tutorials Plenary Session • ISOC Africa Sessions Participation The event will bring together top executives from Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Internet Society, African Network