Key issues around global electronic – or digital – governance will come under discussion in Pretoria this month, when South Africa hosts ICEGOV, the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance, from 1-4 October.
The event, maintained and co-ordinated by the United Nations University Operating Unit on Policy-Driven Electronic Governance (UNU-EGOV), brings together academia, governments, international organisations, civil society and industry from around the world.
ICEGOV, hosted in Africa for the first time this year, will include four days of workshops, papers and discussions.
The event brings together international delegates from academia, government and civil society across various sectors.
Local organising Chair and Head of the Wits School of Governance, Professor Themba Maseko, describes the event as ‘monumental’ as South Africa and the global South seek ways of strengthening their digital governance capabilities.
“The ethical principles that guide digital technology and governance, through transparency, accountability and respect for privacy, create a digital landscape for us to live better lives in all contexts. We will be covering different aspects of digital governance, with fascinating insights and experiences from an African perspective,” says Maseko.
Associate Professor Geci Karuri-Sebina, also Programme Committee Chair, adds that this edition of ICEGOV is special because it’s taking place on the African continent for the first time, and will bring voices of academics, government officials and other key stakeholders representing the Global South.
“This conference will comprise interactive workshops to address real-world challenges and develop practical solutions towards a trustworthy and inclusive digital transformation. There will be extensive networking opportunities to connect with research and colleagues from across Africa and the globe,” says Karuri-Sebina.
Key themes in 2024 will include: Designing and implementing scalable and inclusive digital public infrastructure (DPI) in the African context; local online service index (LOSI) of the United Nations E-Government Survey; using data to build trustable and developmental public procurement systems; empathy-driven digital transformation in the public sector; second generation internet universality indicators for human-centred digital governance; and international governance of emerging technologies and the global digital compact.
Workshops will also cover trust and ethical digital governance; digital transformation and innovation in the public sector; new perspectives of digital governance measurement, assessment and monitoring; gendered experiences of meaningful connectivity through a global pandemic; smart, sustainable cities and communities; social media and digital platforms and the Global South digital transformation; and future-ready digital workforce and infrastructure development.
Short papers describing early research or ongoing work, presenting new project ideas, initial results, open questions and development plans will be presented at 16 paper sessions and published in the conference proceedings. Awards will be presented for the best research paper, best ongoing research paper and best short paper.
ICEGOV 2024 will be staged at the CSIR International Convention Centre. For more information, visit https://www.icegov.org/edition-2024/.
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