The first edition of the Youth Forum on Internet Governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) recently took place in Kinshasa. Organized by Youth IGF, a platform bringing together youth organizations fighting for internet access, this event brought together around 150 participants.
The main objective of this forum was to enable multilateral, multilingual, multi-stakeholder and inclusive deliberations on the main internet-related challenges in the country. The president of the college of the Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Congo (ARPTC), Christian Katende, participated in these meetings and gave explanations and advice to young people on the use of the internet.
He stressed the importance of understanding the internet in depth in order to promote its appropriation by the Congolese population. Christian Katende also highlighted the need to make the internet safe and secure, thus creating a relationship of trust with users. According to him, the quality of the Internet plays a crucial role in users’ confidence in the services offered. He therefore placed emphasis on improving infrastructure to guarantee the presence of the internet in the country and thus benefit from the economic and employment opportunities it offers.
The coordinator of the forum in the DRC, Kevine Mukendi, stressed the importance of integrating internet governance into the daily lives of young people. He insisted on the active role of the latter in pushing all stakeholders, such as the private sector, civil society, government and the technical community, to improve internet connectivity in the DRC. He also stressed that the internet offers many opportunities that are often under-exploited by young Congolese, who are often limited to the use of social networks and online games. He spoke of the possibility of training, learning and financial gains offered by the use of the internet.
The mission of the youth forum on internet governance in the DRC is to initiate, support and promote initiatives related to the internet and its governance. It aims to promote education and digital skills among young people in order to effectively integrate them into the digital economy. Additionally, it encourages dialogue between young people, policy makers, technology companies and civil society on internet policies and regulations.
In short, this first youth forum on internet governance in the DRC made it possible to raise participants’ awareness of the importance of the internet in their daily lives and to encourage them to exploit all its opportunities. He also highlighted the crucial role of internet governance in the country’s development and promoted dialogue between the different actors involved, with the aim of improving connectivity and use of the internet in the DRC.