Dr Jimson Olufuye, Principal Consultant at Kontemporary Konsulting and Chair of the Advisory Council of the Africa ICT Alliance (AfICTA); Ebenezer Dare, Chief Executive Officer of Hostlag Ltd.; and Atule Christian, President of the National Union of Telecommunication Engineering Students of Nigeria are among five Nigerians appointed to a United Nations multistakeholder group. The group is tasked with strengthening participation in global digital policy discussions, giving the country a voice in shaping the future of the global information society.
The appointees will serve on the 92-member Multistakeholder Consultation Group of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS-MCG), which brings together representatives from the private sector, technical community and civil society.
The appointments, announced on the UNGIS website, are expected to run for a minimum of two years, providing an opportunity for Nigerian stakeholders to contribute perspectives on information and communication technology (ICT) policies and priorities at the global level.
The other appointees are Martha Alade, Executive Director of Women in Technology in Nigeria, and Rafiu Olaore, Executive Director of Youths Enterprise Development and Innovation Society.
The group will serve as an advisory and consultative platform for sharing information on UNGIS priorities and gathering feedback from diverse stakeholder communities.
Its work is expected to promote broader participation in international discussions on digital development and ensure that different stakeholder perspectives inform policy deliberations.
Olufuye said the appointments would help bring practical experiences from Nigeria’s technology sector and other stakeholder communities into global digital policy discussions.
He stressed the importance of involving private-sector participants in decisions affecting telecommunications and digital services, given the significant role private companies play in operating and expanding these services.
“My appointment from the private sector in Nigeria to the global community will present a balanced view of the information system situation on ground,” Olufuye said, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
“When we meet at the global level, we can present real situation and not decisions about us from Europe or elsewhere,” he added.
His comments underscore the importance of ensuring that developing countries contribute their experiences and priorities to international decisions on digital access, technology and the information society.
The consultation group will build on the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)+20 Review, including United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/173.
It will also draw on stakeholder contributions from the 29th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the annual WSIS Forum and other UNGIS events.
The initiative is designed to strengthen cooperation among governments, businesses, technical experts and civil society organisations in shaping global information society policies.
The WSIS process is a United Nations-led initiative aimed at building an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society, with information and communication technologies serving as tools for sustainable development.
