Digital regulation for the Africa region

Registration End Date: 22 Oct 2024

Digital technology is becoming important in addressing sustainable development challenges. This course introduces participants to the challenges of digital inclusion, the consequences of digital divides, and the opportunities towards inclusive and equitable digital transformation. The modules focus on digital inclusion, evaluation, and approaches to understanding ICTs and their relationship with development and governance in a changing technology landscape. Participants will receive training on theoretical aspects of digital inclusion, as well as an introduction to tools used to unearth and evaluate these gaps. Through applications related to low- and middle-income countries, participants will be introduced to models of technology acceptance and diffusion, and inclusive design in technology-based solutions to global social challenges. With the generous support of the Global Gateway initiative of the European Union, this course is offered for free for selected parti cipants.

Target population

This introductory course targets policy-makers, government officials and other relevant civil servants from national and regional administrations, officials from international organisations, entrepreneurs, professionals in relevant sectors, representatives of civil society organisations, universities, research centres, and think-tanks.

Entry requirements

Qualifications or experience needed to participate in this training course:

• Participants should be responsible for ICT/digital policy and regulation in their countries.
• A working knowledge of English is a prerequisite for participating in this training course.

Number of available places for the cohort: maximum 50, with a maximum of 2 seats per country (apart from host country)

Learning outcomes

Participants will gain deeper policy and regulatory insights into the digital ecosystem, enabling them to better navigate digital transformation’s challenges while fostering universal access and service financing efficiency, safeguarding users and fostering competitive environments.

They will also examine the importance of collaborative regulation approaches and gain knowledge of the latest regulatory developments and global trends.

(For participants with a fellowship from IsDB: development of concept notes for projects related to promoting interconnection and access regulation, promoting universal access to ICT services, quality of service, promotion of competition and market analysis, infrastructure sharing, and others).

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Examine the different roles and responsibilities in the digital ecosystem
• Summarize the evolution of regulation, and universal service financing mechanisms and how the digital environment affects and redefines markets, policy and regulatory frameworks, businesses, and consumers.
• Explore the regulatory issues at stake in the digital environment to be better equipped to respond to the fast-changing digital environment,
• Outline the need for collaborative governance, agile regulation for innovation, access for all, public funding of universal access and services, and what needs to change to better assess how this applies to national circumstances.