The Mission of Digital Governance
In a world where digital rules increasingly shape economic power, political influence, and societal outcomes, the question is no longer whether Africa participates, but how it shapes those rules. The Africa Internet Governance Forum sits at the center of that question. Grounded in the principles of Paragraph 72 of the Tunis Agenda, which established the Internet Governance Forum as a multistakeholder space for public policy dialogue, AfIGF has evolved into the continent’s platform for shaping digital policy from African realities and priorities. Its Secretariat is hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in close collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), providing both institutional grounding and continental alignment.
What makes the IGF model distinctive is that it is built from the ground up. Its agenda is not imposed; it emerges. Governments, the private sector, the technical community, academia, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, and youth come together through open consultation and continuous engagement to define the issues that matter. The Africa IGF Multistakeholder Advisory Group plays a quiet but essential role in this process, ensuring balance, credibility, and coherence, while safeguarding the integrity of a system where no single actor dominates and where legitimacy is earned through participation.
Africa’s contribution to this ecosystem is both significant and often underestimated. The continent hosts one of the most active networks of National and Regional IGF Initiatives globally, with 39 national IGFs and five subregional platforms feeding into the Africa IGF as a continental coordination layer. This structure allows local realities, whether related to connectivity gaps, data governance, or digital inclusion, to travel upward into regional positions and ultimately shape global conversations. AfIGF therefore operates not simply as a forum, but as a bridge between lived experience and global digital policymaking.
The. africa Domain as a Continental Anchor
The decision to anchor the platform under a .africa domain (https://igf.africa/ ) reflects more than identity. It is a deliberate step toward building a meaningful African digital presence. It creates space for local content to grow, for multilingual expression to be visible, and for the continent’s diversity to be reflected online. This commitment is already translating into practice. Since Africa IGF 2025, Swahili has been introduced as one of the working languages of the forum, expanding access and participation in tangible ways. In a digital environment still shaped by external infrastructures, this shift strengthens trust, relevance, and visibility. Digital identity becomes more than symbolic; it becomes a practical expression of ownership and agency.
The Future of Africa’s Digital Narrative
December 2025 marked a turning point, with the outcome of the WSIS+20 review reaffirming the Internet Governance Forum as a permanent mechanism and anchoring its role within the global digital governance landscape. This recognition reinforces the importance of platforms such as AfIGF, not only as spaces for dialogue, but as essential structures for translating global commitments into regional and national action.
The conversation is also shifting. It is no longer only about access, but about infrastructure, capacity, and the ability to actively shape the digital future rather than simply consume it. As technologies such as artificial intelligence and other frontier innovations redefine economies and societies, the digital landscape today is fundamentally different from when the WSIS process first emerged. This shift is also reflected in broader continental efforts such as the African Continental Free Trade Area, which signals Africa’s growing commitment to integration, coordination, and collective positioning in the global digital economy.
In this context, AfIGF is evolving beyond a platform for dialogue into a space where African stakeholders consolidate positions, define shared priorities, and strengthen their collective voice in global governance processes. The focus now is to ensure that community-driven inputs translate into tangible outcomes, particularly in advancing the Global Digital Compact, the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, the Sustainable Development Goals, and Agenda 2063, The Africa We Want.
The implication is clear. Africa’s digital future will not be defined by participation alone, but by its ability to organize, align, and project its priorities collectively. Platforms such as AfIGF are central to this shift, enabling the continent to move from presence to influence in shaping global digital governance.
By Sorene Assefa
Cybersecurity and Digital Governance Expert at UNECA
Coordinator of the Africa IGF Secretariat
Website: www.igf.africa