2022 South Sudan Internet Governance Forum

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The South Sudan Internet Governance Forum was held at Palm Africa Hotel in Juba, South Sudan, on 23rd September 2022. The event brought together participants from industry, government, academia, civil society, technical community and media to discuss various topics related to the Internet in South Sudan and beyond.

The SS-IGF secretariat, together with National Communications Authority (NCA), Koneta, and ICT4D Network, were the conveners of the IGF. The theme of the event was “Towards a holistic approach to Internet Governance in South Sudan: Consumer Rights, Competition, and Universal Access.” The event aimed to maximise opportunities for open and inclusive dialogue and exchanging ideas on Internet governance-related issues.

The event featured different panel discussions that brought together stakeholders from different fields on topics such as:

Telecommunication Costs(Tariffs Adjustments): This panel explored the challenges and opportunities of providing affordable and reliable internet access in South Sudan, especially in rural areas and the tariff adjustments. The panellists discussed the role of regulation, competition, infrastructure, and innovation in lowering the cost of Internet services and enhancing the quality of service. Some of the panellists for this plenary session included the National Communication Authority director general and representatives of telecommunication companies operating in Juba, such as MTN, Zain and Digitel. 

Emerging Technologies (FinTech and E-services): This panel comprised representatives from  M-Gurush, EcoBank South Sudan, MoMo, and Kush Bank; they examined the potential of emerging technologies such as mobile money, e-commerce, e-health, e-education, and e-government to transform the socio-economic landscape of South Sudan. The panellists shared their experiences, best practices in developing and deploying these technologies, and the regulatory and policy frameworks that enable or hinder their adoption.

Data Governance (cyber security and privacy regulations, data localisation): This panel focused on the issues of data protection, privacy, and security in the digital age. The panellists discussed the existing and proposed laws and regulations that govern the collection, storage, processing, and sharing of personal and non-personal data in South Sudan. They also discussed the current cybersecurity cautiousness of the general public in South Sudan as well as the most common attacks on individual bases. This panel consisted of representatives from SafetyComm South Sudan, NCA, and the Ministry of ICT Postal Services.

Digital rights (Online hate speech, misinformation and disinformation): This panel consisting of representatives from DefyHateNow/211Check, Media Authority and AMDISS addressed the challenges of ensuring respect for human rights online, especially freedom of expression and access to information. The panellists analysed the trends and impacts of online hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation on social cohesion, democracy, and peace in South Sudan. They also explored the possible solutions and strategies to combat these phenomena while preserving online civic space.

Local content and digital transformation: This panel discussion focused on local content, digital transformation and the current trends in the consumption of online local content in South Sudan, two key topics for South Sudanese content creators. The panel brought together some of the country’s most influential and creative content creators, such as Silva X, Nyawich Kuong, Kafuki Jada, Nelson Kwaje and Bol Pasquale, who shared their experience and insights on creating and distributing online content that resonates with the South Sudanese audience. They also discussed the challenges and opportunities the internet has had on content creation and the challenge the recent increase in internet tariffs poses for their work and the digital media landscape.

The 2022 SSIGF was a successful event that featured engaging discussions between industry players and the general public. It fostered constructive dialogue and exchange among diverse stakeholders on the most pressing issues related to the Internet in South Sudan. The IGF also provided networking, collaboration, and learning opportunities among the participants.

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South Sudan Internet Governance Forum to Take Place on 28 March 2020

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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
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