Objectives
UNU-EGOV, the United Nations University Operational Unit in Policy-driven Electronic Governance, UN ECA, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and UN DESA, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, challenge South and East African countries to launch a South and East Africa Forum on Digital Governance (SEADGov Forum) aiming at joining together officials and governmental agencies in the region in order to:
- Share experiences and best practices;
- Foster synergies;
- Promote the design and assessment of regional and national strategies for digital governance and citizen empowerment in South and East Africa.
It is envisaged that the Forum will play a relevant role in articulating digital governance development initiatives at different levels and voicing this cause in the international arena.
To achieve these objectives, the Forum will join:
- Formal representatives of each country for the Digital Governance area;
- Experts from South and East African governmental agencies for digital transformation and governance;
- Experts from academia, international agencies, and organizations active in digital governance in the region.
A similar initiative was launched in 2023 for West Africa, with a first meeting organised by the Government of The Gambia, UN ECA and UNU-EGOV in Banjul in September 2023. A Digital Governance Forum for Central Asia will be launched in Astana, Kazakhstan, through the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, and is planned for 2025, co-organised by UNU-EGOV and the Government of Kazakhstan.
SEADGov Forum: Pretoria, 30 Sep - 1 Oct 2024
The SEADGov Forum launching event will take place in Pretoria on 30 September and 1 October 2024, organised back to back with the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2024), one of the major international events gathering specialists, academics and practitioners worldwide in the area of digital governance.
The event targets government and high-level public administration officials from South and East Africa countries, with a specific emphasis on the Agencies or Ministries in charge of digitalization of the public sector and Public Administration in each country. As a general aim, the Forum will launch a permanent but flexible cooperation mechanism in order to harness digital governance mechanisms and new technologies for promoting sustainable development and more inclusive societies.
Therefore, the event will:
- promote a high-level analysis, debate and experience sharing on the progress, limitations and challenges to digital governance in South and East Africa;
- launch a permanent forum to foster synergies and regional cooperation, as well as shape the path to accelerate South and East African governments digital transformation.
