The South Sudan School of Internet governance  is a 3-day training that focuses on teaching a select group of stakeholder the basics of internet governance, technical standards,  and key policy emerging issues related to the internet development in South Sudan. The training is very competitive and selection is done based on set criteria  by the IGF committee which looks at each application and evaluates its strength while looking at the diversity of the applicants and inclusion of under-represented groups. This year SS-IGF aims to have 30 participants who will undergo the School of internet governance and award certificates at the end of the training.

Some of the topics offered at the training include.

  1. Internet Policy
  2. Cyber Security
  3. Privacy and Data protection
  4. Internet standards
  5. Community Networks
  6. Access to information and freedom of expression

Who is to apply?

The IGF is a multi-stakeholder forum that draws its membership from the following stakeholder groups: Anyone falling in any of these categories is very eligible to apply and attend.

  • Government
  • Private Sector
  • Civil Society
  • Academia
  • Technical Communities

Deadline: 13th March 2020

Download concept note here

Submit a topic to be discussed during the IGF here

The first SS-IGF conference was held in March 2019 bringing together over 120 participants from various stakeholder groups under the theme “Realizing potential and creating opportunities”. This led to the publication of the first SS-IGF report (Download here ), which explored five thematic issues: 

  1. Cyber Security and Data Protection
  2. Gender and Digital Divide
  3. Universal Access and the Universal Service Fund
  4. Community Networks
  5. Transparency and Access to Information
  6. Access to internet services;
  7. Digital protection and information security;
  8. Opportunities for various sectors in the use of internet

The report concluded that:

“The need to have a strong and robust broadband connectivity is very vital for the development of a country. This however, needs to also be accompanied with the development of an informed and knowledgeable public who are able to make use of the networks to develop their communities and country. The case for South Sudan needs the two elements cited above to be addressed. The country’s challenges of connectivity are inseparable from that of people’s development.

This first Internet Governance forum was a great avenue  to address both challenges in an open and engaging discussion.

We have seen it and can attest to the fact that with multi-stakeholder engagement, South Sudan will be able to realize her connectivity potential and create opportunities for Her people using the internet.

The recommendations on this report are as good as the political will the stakeholders will put into it. The ideas shared here, need to be given keen attention and followed up with action for progress to be achieved.”

Key milestones 

Since the last IGF, South Sudan has made several progress; some of which were as a direct recommendation from the IGF report with the following notable changes 

  • The launch of Dot (.SS) domain name with www.nca.gov.ss being the first official website to be hosted under the new domain name.
  • The official launch of an electric grid that will lead to the electrification of Juba city and many other towns over the next few years. 
  • The National Communication Authority was appointed a new manager for the Universal Service Fund and have started the process of setting up the structure for operationalizing the fund. 
  • The launch of two mobile money services that offer their services to consumers in South Sudan. 
  • The launch of a fiber optic line that will lead to the  increased connectivity in Juba and open their doors for digital inclusion and entrepreneurship 
  • South Sudan IGF sent two delegates to represent South Sudan in the global IGF in Berlin, November 2019. During the session South Sudan made a presentation on the internet and human rights.

Amidst these changes, SS-IGF sees a greater opportunity to increase access and include more South Sudanese in the knowledge economy.  Such efforts need to be done in an inclusive manner to ensure all voices are heard and included in the process as well as the outcome of some of the major policies that will govern internet development in South Sudan. hence the theme “Towards a holistic approach to Internet Governance in South Sudan : Open Data, data protection, and universal access.”

South Sudan IGF 2020 

The theme for this year’s  IGF is Towards a holistic approach to Internet Governance in South Sudan : Open Data, data protection, and universal access.”

This theme is a follow up to the first IGF with a realization that the need to include all voices is a necessity for progressing the discussion and making real changes on the ground. 

This year’s program includes two main events:

  1. The South Sudan School of internet  governance 2020 (SS-SIG)
  2.  The South Sudan IGF Conference 2020. 

The South Sudan School of internet  governance 2020 (SS-SIG)

The South Sudan School of Internet governance  is a 3-day training that focuses on teaching a select group of stakeholder the basics of internet governance, technical standards,  and key policy emerging issues related to the internet development in South Sudan. The training is very competitive and selection is done based on set criteria  by the IGF committee which looks at each application and evaluates its strength while looking at the diversity of the applicants and inclusion of under-represented groups. This year SS-IGF aims to have 30 participants who will undergo the School of internet governance and award certificates at the end of the training. 

The South Sudan IGF Conference 2020.  

This is the main conference event that will draw over 150 attendees from various stakeholder groups. It will have a one day full of discussions on main issues in regards to the year’s theme, and topics submitted by the stakeholders prior to the event. Last year some of the stakeholder groups in attendance included: members of parliament, CEO of the telecoms providers, directors from the national communication authority and the ministry of information.. 

The reporters from both programs will be published and made available  on the South Sudan IGF website and the Global IGF website after the event. 

To attend the South Sudan IGF conference clink here

Expected Outcomes

The main outcome of the South Sudan Internet Governance Forum is to maximize opportunities for open and inclusive dialogue and the exchange of ideas on Internet Governance (IG) related issues. This includes but not limited to some of the items below. 

  1. Creation of opportunities to share best practices and experiences; 
  2. Identification of emerging issues of relevance for the community and bringing them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public. 
  3. Contribution to capacity building for Internet governance in South Sudan. 
  4. Establishment of new mechanisms and working groups to address some matters within a given timeframe.  

Methodology

The format of the Forum will include:

  1. Technical workshops 
  2. Group discussion and sharing of case studies from other countries   
  3. Presentation on the state of the Internet in South Sudan (Challenges and opportunities )
  4. Breakout sessions (Government, Technical community, & Civil Society  )
  5.  Moderated plenary discussions

How to partner with South Sudan IGF 

  1. Provide financial support to help organize the event 
  2. Provide in kind donation (venue, documentation, transport etc  )
  3. Volunteer to be part of the event planning team. 
  4. Become a panelist or a workshop speaker during the School of Internet governance
  5. Publicize the event and encourage people to sign up  

Download concept note here

Convenors 

  1. DEFYHATENOW 
  2. ICT4D Network South Sudan 
  3. National Communication Authority