2024 West Africa School of Internet Governance Fellowship Program by ECOWAS

Published: 03 May 2024

The ECOWAS Commission, serving as the Secretariat for the West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF), in collaboration with the Government of Senegal, is planning to host the 16th edition of the WAIGF from July 11 to 12, 2024. Preceding the WAIGF, the 7th West African School on Internet Governance (WASIG) is scheduled to take place online from May 20 to June 20, 2024, followed by an in-person session in Senegal from July 7 to 10, 2024.

The program is designed as a one-month certified online course followed by a three-day intensive learning session in Dakar, Senegal. It aims to introduce participants to Internet governance from both a global and West African perspective. The format features fireside chats with experts in the field and opportunities for participation in the West Africa Youth IGF and WAIGF in Senegal. Participants who successfully complete the training will receive certificates. The key areas covered by the program include:

• Evolution of the Internet and history of IG
• Mapping of IG processes and actors
• Classifications of IG issues (infrastructure, legal, economic and development) from African contexts
• In-depth analysis of opportunities and challenges of emerging issues ( Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Digital economy, Human rights) 
• A digital policy practicum 

ECOWAS WASIG Fellowship Program

Application Deadline	May 15, 2024
Funding Type	Partially Funded
Country to study	Senegal
Type	Fellowship
Sponsor	Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Gender	Men and Women

Benefits of ECOWAS WASIG Fellowship Program

Participants who successfully complete the training will receive certificates.

Requirements for ECOWAS WASIG Fellowship Program

Stakeholders from West Africa are invited to apply. Prospective candidates should ideally be involved as key actors or decision-makers in Internet governance or ICT policy processes. They should also be able to contribute now or soon to IG activities or/and processes within their institutions, countries, continent and globally.

Candidates should be from all stakeholder groups including:

• Youth and Women groups
• Civil society
• Private Sector
• Media
• Government offices and Regulatory agencies
• Security and Defence forces
• Academia and technical community
• Archives, Libraries, and Documentation centers
• Parliament
• West African regional institutions, etc

Women and youth are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application Deadline

May 15, 2024

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on docs.google.com to apply