Preamble

The Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD) in conjunction with the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum (NIGF) hosted a one-day Internet Governance Forum (IGF) for the North West geopolitical zone at the Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training (AKCRT) Kano. The event which held on November 3, 2015 had in attendance various stakeholders in internet governance including regulators, government representatives, academics, the civil society and the media.

Some of the papers presented at the Forum included Understanding Internet Governance by Dr Bashir Galadanchi, Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Bayero University, Kano; National and West African Regional Perspectives on Internet Governance by Mrs Mary Uduma, chairperson, Nigeria Internet Governance Forum as well as  Data Protection and Privacy Online: the Perspectives of a Regulator by Prof UG Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission; as well as Securing Your Data and Privacy on the Net by Mr Sunday Folayan and Government Perspectives on Internet Governance  by Mr. Peter Jack, Director General, NITDA, Abuja

In the sense that it goes beyond borders, for affordable ICT, there is going to be a global internet governance forum in Brazil, in 10 days’ time, Forum will look at producing resolutions that will be presented by Nigeria’s delegation at the global internet governance forum as the country’s stand

Observations

The following observations were made at the Forum;

• All governments have a role and responsibility to partake in international internet governance and to ensure the stability, security and continuity of the internet
• National governments also have a responsibility to develop public policies in consultation with all stakeholders.
• Within their borders, national governments can enforce internet related policies such as prohibiting online gambling, protecting intellectual property, or blocking/filtering access to certain content.
• Airlines, container ships, power grids, telecommunication networks, governance, military action are all becoming increasingly dependent on a stable, secure and open global Internet
• The Internet is now a critical resource which hosts some of the most important services for our growth and development
• Our communication networks, entertainment channels, financial transactions and most importantly free access to information depend on the internet.
• The Internet is considered the most important infrastructure today, it is not only being used for countless day-to-day activities, we depend on it, and it plays an influential role in the evolution of our society
• The internet is both a technological advancement with much promise and a challenge that must be handled with great care by national governments
• Some countries have put in place laws to protect their citizens’ data and privacy while some countries are still  in the process of putting finishing touches to theirs
• The North West Zone Internet Governance Forum is the first ever Forum on Internet governance as a platform for learning and cultural expression
• Internet governance is becoming increasingly important for all stakeholders involved, we need inclusive platform for everybody,
• Internet has a very huge influence over national security and economy of countries in the world therefore it needs to be handle with great care
• African’s participation in global internet governance forums is less than 10%
• Africa’s voice need to be heard in global internet governance forums
• There is a lack of awareness on how to actively participate in internet governance forums by internet users
• It is difficult to develop internet governance forums because of the complexity of the internet in the sense that different societies and governments have different views about the internet  due to conflicts of the interests
• Everyone can join the internet governance debate by finding out what is going on regarding internet governance
• Internet and internet governance is an ever evolving phenomenon in the world
• Groups and nations are using cyberspace as the new realm for crimes, terrorism and warfare

Recommendations

The following recommendations were made at the Forum;

• There is need for more awareness so people can understand why they should be involved in the dialogue on internet governance
• There is need for ICT training institutes to include in their curricula, internet security, beyond teaching ICT tools and skills
• There is need for everyone to leverage on ICT opportunities for development      
• There is need for the internet to be regulated
• There is need for standard and networks that will allow for accessibility between different networks
• –  All governments have responsibility to develop internet-related policies in   partnership with all internet stakeholders and internet users

        – There is need for internet governance policies to also include consumer protection policies for internet users like internet shoppers

       –  Africa should not just attend internet governance forums rather should be active participants in global internet forums

– Security and privacy are issues which are critical in the use of the Internet and therefore must be given adequate and serious consideration

– There is need for child protection policy and advocacy online against internet-based vices like pornography, abuse, suicide and terrorism

– The internet should be regulated to be in accordance with our cultural values and traditions

– There is need for a deliberate policy or mechanism (or review of related existing ones) that will specifically focus on protection of citizens’ data and privacy

– There is need for an inter-agency multi-stakeholder working group that will ensure various views and opinions are taken into consideration in the development of the necessary framework for data protection

– Data aggregation and harmonization should be ensured and the process of harmonization should clearly define what is considered a personal data

 – There is need the review and passage of internet governance instruments like the National Information Technology Policy and the National Data Protection Bill

 – The technical and academic community needs to be encouraged to participate in international intergovernmental organization that set technical standards for the Internet

– There is need to support innovations on the internet through schemes like the Incubation Centers and Demo Africa Projects of the National Information and Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

– There is need to promote access to the Internet through encouraging development of infrastructure and considerable reduction in the cost of access to the Internet

– There is need to encourage the provision of local content through Public Private Partnerships in application developments

– There is need to continue to encourage participation in international, regional and national discussions on Internet governance while encouraging all actors to develop their capacities

–  There is need for capacity development in the area of Internet Governance for the citizens

– There is need for the telecommunication regulator; Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to do something about the high cost of bandwidth to enable everyone have access to the net

–  There is need for development grants to be made available for civil society organizations to partake in sensitization campaigns and capacity building on internet governance among Nigerian citizens