[digital.global] in dialogue

In this panel discussion, the European Commission and the European Green Digital Coalition (EGDC) will discuss the potential of digital solutions for climate action and provide participants with guidelines for their use in key sectors such as energy, transport, construction, agriculture, smart cities and manufacturing. Participants will also discuss how to maximise the benefits of digital transformation for sustainability in vertical sectors such as local authorities and financial institutions. On behalf of BMZ, GIZ is cooperating with panellists in the implementation of a green digital transformation.

• Luis Neves, CEO GeSI and Coordinator of the EGDC Secretariat
• Julia White, Member of the Executive Board, SAP SE
• Dr Ilias Iakovidis, Advisor, European Commission
• Caspar Herzberg, CEO Aveva
• Golestan Radwan, Chief Digital Officer, United Nations Environment Programme
• Miguel Pinto Luz, Deputy Mayor of Cascais
• Björn-Sören Gigler, Head of the Data Economy Initiative, GIZ

For a year now, ChatGPT from OpenAI has been occupying the media, stirring up companies and industries, and euphorizing individuals.

On the anniversary of ChatGPT’s release, Münchner Kreis is hosting an expert conference on Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) to put the technology to the test. The conference gathers the interdisciplinary network of Münchner Kreis to shed light on the significance and potentials of ChatGPT and GenKI in general, and to further discuss the disruptive dimensions of GenKI, business models, risks, and potential labor market change. Dr. Iliya Nickelt, Chief Data Scientist at BMZ, provides impulses to the discussion on what (unexpected) impacts need to be considered when using medium-level AI for an ethical and fair application of the technology.

The Münchner Kreis, as a non-profit association, acts as an independent, interdisciplinary and international platform for experts from technology, sociology, psychology, law, economics and culture. In diverse discussions, guiding ideas are jointly generated to navigate through the technical, economic, political and social challenges of the digital transformation.

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In this panel discussion organised by the Centre for Digital Governance, Hertie School, in cooperation with Smart Africa and GIZ, Thelma Efua Quaye (Smart Africa) and Anna Sophie Herken (GIZ) discuss the achievements, challenges and opportunities of multilateral governance of digital transformation in Africa.

The African continent has made great strides in recent years in the area of high-speed broadband connections – one of the most important in terms of the growth of the digital economy. However, not everyone benefits equally from the digital transformation: while on the one hand sub-Saharan Africa has the highest user growth rates worldwide, nevertheless only a good third (34%) of the 1.3 billion people living in the region regularly use the internet. This is due on the one hand to the high cost of internet access and on the other hand to a lack of infrastructure. This makes internet access unaffordable for lower-income sections of the population, although it is precisely this section of the population that could benefit most from digital technologies and better connectivity.

Better regulation and good policy are needed to facilitate and equitably shape the population’s participation in the digital transformation. The panel addresses achievements and challenges, opportunities and promising directions for ICT regulation and policymaking on the continent, and talks about how Smart Africa is building policymakers’ capacity to craft inclusive, gender-sensitive and climate-friendly ICT regulations.

Smart Africa, as an alliance of 39 member states, aims to accelerate sustainable, socioeconomic development and make the African continent a knowledge-based economy through affordable access to broadband and the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). The initiative aims to create a digital single market on the African continent by 2030.

Participants:

• Opening panel discussion by Cornelia Woll, President of the Hertie School.
• Thelma Efua Quaye, head of the Digital InfrastructurePprogram at Smart Africa
• Anna Sophie Herken, Member of the Executive Board of GIZ
• Moderated by Leslis Mills, Master of Public Policy candidate at the Hertie School

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In the aftermath of the fifth G20 Compact with Africa (CwA) Summit, at the invitation of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Federal Minister Svenja Schulze (BMZ) welcomed 40 African digital entrepreneurs and innovation champions to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The conference “Shaping the Future with Africa – Young Entrepreneurship as Key to a Just Transition” focussed on promoting innovation and young entrepreneurship.

Development Minister Svenja Schulze: “In Africa, we are talking about the largest youth generation of all time. How this generation of young people will develop, depends heavily on whether we succeed in creating enough jobs for them. At the heart of the Compact with Africa are reforms that will lead to more jobs through improved framework conditions and increased investment. Initially, the main focus was on creating jobs in the first place. Now we want to work together to ensure that these jobs also lead to sustainable development and promote the energy transition, for example. After all, the world needs the creativity, innovation and creativity of this generation of young people in order to successfully tackle global challenges such as climate change.”

In a high-level panel, representatives of the innovation ecosystem from African partner countries made recommendations on how African and European policy makers, entrepreneurs and investors can strengthen the roles of young entrepreneurs in tackling global challenges and shaping a just transition for economies and societies.

Participants of the High-Level Panel:

• Dr Rania A. Al-Mashat, Egyptian Minister of International Cooperation
• Dr Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank
• Lacina Koné, Director General and Managing Director of the Smart Africa Alliance
• Audrey S-Darko, Founder and CEO, Sabon Sake, Ghana
• Mariatheresa Kadushi, Founder and CEO, Mobile Afya, Tanzania
• Birgit Pickel, Head of Division Africa, BMZ

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With clear words and a vision of an internationally networked digital Africa, Lacina Koné, CEO of Smart Africa, opened the Alliance’s delegation trip to Brussels and Berlin. A spotlight on a digital African single market.

The Navigator, created in conjunction with UNDP, is a cutting-edge tool to assist policymakers engage with data to create evidence-informed policies, helping policymakers of all experience levels go from defining the problem to proposing a solution. The presentation will highlight applications of Artificial Intelligence in Mexico City, where Data4Policy, alongside BMZ Data Lab and SEMUJERES, assisted the government in designing and piloting a platform that combines data and AI to optimize decision-making.

The Paris Peace Forum is a platform seeking to develop coordination, rules, and capacities that answer global problems, mobilizing stakeholders from across the world for collective action at the annual forum on November 10-11. The event invites public and private organizations to present projects in governance, designed as a space for dialogue and cooperation on good governance solutions. The presentation at the Forum is a valuable opportunity to reach a wider audience for the Navigator and promote data-driven policy solutions.

Speakers:

• Dr. Ilya Nickelt, Chief Data Scientist, BMZ
• Kristy Kade, CEO, White Ribbon Alliance
• Alena Klatte, Data Collaboration Project Manager, Chief Digital Office UNDP
• Mariana Gonzalez Carrillo, Data Analyst & Policy Advisor, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit

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Shaun Conway, founder of ixo, highlighted the potential of blockchain in tracking the impact of development projects. Dr. Iliya Nickelt, Chief Data Scientist at BMZ, introduced modern collaboration in digital public infrastructure and presented two AI-based tools developed by the BMZ Data Lab. Noémie Bürkl, Head of the Department for Digitalisation at BMZ, Miguel Exposito-Verdejo, Deputy Head of the Unit for Science, Technology, Innovation and Digitalisation at EU INTPA F5 and Christian Krämer, Director General Strategy and Latin America at KfW, discussed strategies to accelerate the digital transformation.

In hands-on sessions, the participants shared experiences on designing projects and the use of digital technologies for improving the impact on women, girls and marginalised groups. Deep dives into digital technologies such as e-wallet transactions, blockchain and smart contracts provided an opportunity to feel the digital transformation. In a live broadcast, Yurii Prepodobnyi, the co-founder of Skeiron, impressively demonstrated how Ukrainian heritage can be saved virtually through 3D-scanning.

KfW Development Bank is currently overseeing around 400 digital projects worth more than €11 billion, reflecting a strong commitment to positive change through digital technology.

The Inspirational Talk will offer a unique insight into the working world of a woman in the tech sector in Mauritania. The aim of the dialogue is to achieve a shared understanding of the perspectives, opportunities, and challenges that women face within the tech-sector.

The event will take place in Nouakchott, Mauritania for the anniversary of the opening of the DTC Mauritania.

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The Ideathon aims to empower women and promote gender equality and equity in the tech industry in Cambodia and across South-East Asia. With a specific emphasis on digital literacy for women and marginalised communities, the Ideathon seeks to reshape the future of the tech landscape by integrating an intersectional gender perspective. This event aims to bring together different stakeholders to conceive innovative ideas for making tech skills accessible to all.

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The GSMA MWC brings digital, connectivity and policy leaders together, hosting the debates that define society’s relationship with technology, showcasing cutting-edge technology demos that enable socio-economic growth and driving innovation by introducing investors to visionary startups. Sustainable impact for good is only possible when the entire technology ecosystem joins forces.

Experts from the digital policy initiative Digital Transformation Centers participate in roundtables on artificial intelligence for development and building resilience in times of climate and humanitarian crises to share proven approaches like the FairForward project and the experiences from the local digital ecosystems of the Digital Transformation Centers.

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The two-day Kick-off and Technical Exchange for the EU-LAC Digital Alliance in Central America “Towards a Human-Centered Digital Transformation in Central America and the European Union” in El Salvador will bring together technical experts from partner organizations, such as government institutions, private sector, civil society and academia from Central America as well as EU representatives (EEAS, DG INTPA) and European implementation and project partners (Expertise France, FIIAPP, eGA, GIZ, EUreCA, ITU) to introduce the new TEI EU-LAC Digital Alliance component for Central America. A crucial part of the component will be the set-up of a Central American Secretariat in Costa Rica facilitated by an additional EU funding and executed by GIZ as part of the TEI “Policy Dialogues” component. The aim of the event is to introduce the new component and align the thematic areas of the partners (FIIAPP, eGA, Expertise France, GIZ) with sub-regional stakeholders. Ideally, the event should result in the identification of potential intervention areas for common reference frameworks and further policy dialogues.

Speakers: Carlos Vargas, e-Governance Expert, eGA; Jean-Marie Chenou, Cybersecurity Expert, Expertise France; Maria Rosario Heras Carrasco, Data Governance Expert, FIIAPP; Leonel Tapia, Inclusive Connectivity Expert, GIZ.

“The Internet We Want – Empowering All People” – this was the title of the 18th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) held in Kyoto, Japan, from 8 to 12 October 2023. As part of the multi-stakeholder forum for political dialogue on internet management and governance issues, around 8,000 participants addressed the topics of artificial intelligence, disinformation, human rights and data governance. In his opening speech, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasised the importance of the IGF, which is one of the most important forums for international digital policy. He formulated three priorities in the area of internet governance: firstly, bridging the digital divide, including the digital gender gap; secondly, bridging the governance gap by improving coordination and alignment between the IGF and other digital governance formats; and thirdly, taking human rights into account and promoting a people-centred approach to digital cooperation.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) at the IGF

The BMZ hosted an Open Forum entitled “Planetary Limits of AI – Governance for Just Digitalisation?”. Martin Wimmer, Head of Division G 1 – Principles of Development Policy at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), opened the panel, which discussed the interaction between climate change and artificial intelligence (AI). One of the central questions was how framework conditions can be created to mitigate the adverse effects of AI on the climate. It was emphasised that environmental and climate considerations must be included in the development of AI: AI should not create new problems, but serve people and the planet.

The BMZ was also involved in presenting the African Union’s (AU) policy framework at the African Union Commission’s forum “The African Union Approach on Data Governance“. The framework is intended to promote the use of the potential of digitalisation and data in and between African countries and at the same time mitigate the risks of cross-border data flows. It is also intended to help African countries participate more actively in global discussions on data with a common agenda and help shape them.

The BMZ also contributed to the event “Transforming Technology Frameworks for the Planet“, which highlighted cooperative approaches to digital inclusion in the technology sector and opened the panel “African AI: Digital Public Goods for Inclusive Development” with the presentation of the BMZ initiative FAIR Forward, which promotes a more open and sustainable development and use of artificial intelligence. The panel presented how AI applications can be used as digital public goods and discussed the opportunities and risks of AI for the African continent.

Links to the sessions with BMZ participation

1. IGF 2023 Day 0 Workshop Room 7 Transforming technology frameworks for the planet 1 – YouTube
2. IGF 2023 – Day 1 – Workshop Room 5 – African AI: Digital Public Goods for Inclusive Development – YouTube
3. IGF 2023 Day 2 Workshop Room 8 Planetary Limits of AI Governance for Just Digitalisation – YouTube
4. IGF 2023 Day 3 Workshop Room 7 The African Union Approach on Data Governance – YouTube