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Safaricom Sponsors KeIGF 2020, Plays A Part In Empowering Digital Identities
The Internet is widely regarded as a contested space with diverse stakeholders who have diverse interests. Hence, why it is…
The Internet is widely regarded as a contested space with diverse stakeholders who have diverse interests. Hence, why it is important understanding the approaches and issues around the colossal impact it has on things such as human rights, media freedom and national development.
As the years have progressed, the Internet has meteorically gained momentum as a universal information and communication medium that profoundly and intrinsically changed the conventional understanding of interpersonal communications. It did all this while empowering its beneficiaries on an unprecedented scale with incredibly far-reaching implications.
Safaricom, the largest player in the telecommunications sector in East and Central Africa, also emerged from humble beginnings in 1997 as a subsidiary of Telkom Kenya before converting into a public company in 2002. Safaricom has been nothing short of a spectacle. The company is the biggest communication organisation providing financial services and enterprise solutions to its subscribers. They continue to do their part and have now shown up for Internet governance as sponsors of the Kenya Internet Governance Forum 2020.
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It is no mystery as to why Safaricom has sponsored the upcoming IGF. The internet has fast taken precedence as the gateway to almost all manner of services. With careful governance, the development and application of shared principles, norms, rules, decision-making procedures, and programmes that shape the evolution of the Internet, new avenues for growth and for doing business are expected to open up.
The Kenya IGF comes to the table with its own merit as a unique platform for all stakeholders to openly exchange perspectives and concerns on key issues. Concerns and issues that may affect the future of the Internet for millions of Kenyans.
If the Internet in Kenya has established itself as the engine behind a large part of economic development for the country, as well as established itself as the facilitator for education, entertainment, communication and even shopping, then you can possibly imagine the far-reaching impact of what Internet governance can do, more so if done accordingly.
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The Kenya IGF comes to the table with its own merit as a unique platform for all stakeholders to openly exchange perspectives and concerns on key issues. Concerns and issues that may affect the future of the Internet for millions of Kenyans.
This is what the virtual Kenya Internet Governance Forum (IGF) will talk about on 29 October. The virtual event will be a multi-stakeholder forum where dialogue on policy and all issues Internet governance will take shape.
Themed Internet for Human Resilience and Solidarity, it will bring together participants that will consist of hundreds of individuals representing various sectors including government, the private sector, civil society, the technical and academic community, and the general public. The theme of the event has been earmarked as a driving point for data, inclusion and trust, especially in light of the pandemic that has ravaged parts of the globe.
The theme represents the extraordinary role that the Internet has been ​playing during the pandemic. The resilience of the Internet as an interconnected, interoperable network has been a regular topic at the IGF. The theme brilliantly mimics real life where human resilience and solidarity has touched countless lives and businesses.
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The forum is happening in partnership with KICTANet. KICTANet has been involved in organising the Kenya IGF in partnership with industry stakeholders to address key Internet issues since 2008. They have held an Internet governance forum each year without fail, making this their 13th year.
Formed in 2005, KICTANet is a multi-stakeholder network of members from civil society groups, private sector, development partners, technical community and media. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the government mission to enable Kenyans to gain maximum benefit from the opportunity offered by ICTs.
The main outcome of the Kenya IGF is to maximise opportunities for open and inclusive dialogue and the exchange of ideas on Internet Governance (IG) related issues. Others include the creation of opportunities to share best practices and experiences; the identification of emerging issues and bringing them to the attention of the relevant bodies and the general public; and contribution to capacity building for Internet governance.