Together with the mobile industry, the GSMA is advocating for more robust collective action to safeguard children online throughout Africa.
In a statement released to PUNCH Online on Monday following a high-level roundtable meeting in Barcelona, Spain, and signed by Angela Wamola, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at the GSMA, she claimed that as Africa’s digital transformation picks up speed, children are being exposed to more harmful content, cyberbullying, and online exploitation.
“Governments, business, public society, and families all share responsibilities for protecting children online. Together, we can make sure that Africa’s children have access to opportunities rather than risks in the digital world. As stakeholders in the region work to forward this pressing agenda, this report is a crucial step in that direction,” she continued.
She claims that the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child devoted the 2023 Day of the African Child to this significant issue, highlighting the pressing need for cross-sector collaboration while acknowledging the benefits and difficulties presented by the digital world.
The African Union’s child online safety and empowerment strategy calls for strengthening national frameworks, expanding digital literacy and awareness initiatives for children, parents, and educators, ensuring child and youth-centered approaches in policy and program development, and forging stronger public-private partnerships to scale resources, tools, and services throughout the region. These recommendations were made by GSMA in a whitepaper titled “Enhancing child online protection in sub-Saharan Africa.”Also speaking, the Regional Advisor for Child Protection at UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa, Nankali Maksud, said children and young people under 18 make up half of Africa’s population, noting that protecting their safety online is not only about safeguarding rights but about investing in Africa’s human capital and future leadership.
“This whitepaper helps elevate African voices, African leadership, and African solutions for protecting children in the digital space. We at UNICEF look forward to co-hosting a task force for GSMA to take forward the recommendations emerging from this whitepaper.
“The whitepaper integrates regional data, including findings from IPSOS research commissioned by MTN Group, as well as insights from youth advocate Jemima Kasongo, 19, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who opened the roundtable during MWC25 with a powerful call to action on behalf of young people across the continent,” Maksud added.
The statement noted that GSMA and its members in Africa have worked together to highlight shared challenges, amplify the voices of young people, and identify areas where governments, industry, and civil society can strengthen coordinated efforts.
“This new whitepaper builds on the GSMA’s worldwide commitment, which includes recently released recommendations on including youth voices into digital policy and solution design, even if it concentrates on Africa.
“To help ensure a safer digital future for Africa’s children, the GSMA encourages all stakeholders to engage with the recommendations and join the ongoing dialogue,” the statement said.
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