On October 27 2020, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, in partnership with the EastWest Institute’s Global Cooperation in Cyberspace program (now the ORF America Cyberspace Cooperation Initiative) and Research ICT Africa, hosted the Global Cyber Policy Dialogues: Southern Africa meeting. Participants explored challenges and opportunities for building an inclusive, secure, safe and resilient cyberspace in the Southern African region around three pillars critical to stability and growth in the digital realm: sustainable development, peace and security and governance. The meeting featured speaker contributions on the three pillars and included opportunities for exchange with representatives from governments, businesses, civil society organizations and universities from Southern Africa and beyond. In total, over 70 attendees from twelve Southern African countries and nine countries outside the region participated in the dialogue. A summary of the meeting can be found at the bottom of this page.
Featured Speakers:
Francis Moloi, Acting Deputy Director-General, Global Governance and Continental Agenda, Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa
Alison Gillwald, Executive Director, Research ICT Africa; Adjunct Professor, Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance, University of Cape Town
Esther Mwema, Founder and Chief Strategist, Digital Grassroots
Susan Potgieter, Head, Strategic Services, South African Banking Risk Information Centre (SABRIC)
Karen Allen, Senior Research Advisor and Head of Emerging Threats, Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
Moctar Yedaly, Head, Department of Information Society, African Union Commission
Nathalie Jaarsma, Ambassador-at-Large, Security Policy and Cyber, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Doctor Mashabane, South African Representative to the UN Group of Governmental Experts; Chair, Intergovernmental Expert Group to Conduct a Comprehensive Study of the Problem of Cybercrime
Enrico Calandro, Senior Research Associate, Research ICT Africa
Bruce W. McConnell, President and CEO, EastWest Institute