December 12, 2025 (Nairobi, kenya): The need to implement collective leadership and active participation in the digital transformation on the African continent
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Regional Women’s Forum concluded on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, a three-day regional dialogue on the digital reality for peace and protection in Machakos, and coordinated collective action for the future of digital safety, inclusion and leadership for women and youth across the Horn of Africa.
The dialogue, which ended on Wednesday, also paved the way for deep reflection, honest discussions, and bold ideas about harnessing digital tools to achieve peace, protection, and development.
At the conclusion of the workshop, Workneh Gebeyehu, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), urged young people in the African continent to engage responsibly in the digital revolution, stressing that technology is the greatest opportunity for young people, if used to protect themselves, their communities, and their homelands.
He explained to the audience that the digital revolution should be used in a positive way that benefits everyone, in many different fields.
The African region should not fall behind in technological advancements
In the same context, Amina Farah, Director of the Gender Program at the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), affirmed that the youth of the African continent are the generation that will ensure that the region does not fall behind in the fields of technology and artificial intelligence, and called for the necessity of collective leadership and active participation in the digital transformation.
Working to bridge the digital divide
In his closing remarks at the session, Ambassador Mohamed Ali Gueye, Special Envoy of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), pointed to the importance of bridging the growing digital divide between rural and urban communities.
He stressed that unprotected internet access puts women and young people at risk, and Mohamed Ali Gueye noted that the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is committed to providing safe, inclusive and equitable digital spaces throughout the region.
Addressing the reasons for exclusion from public participation
The workshop aimed to address the reasons that limit women’s ability to participate safely in public life, peacebuilding and security, and peacemaking, and to identify the reasons that create digital environments that fuel violence, conflict narratives, and hate speech.
It also raised bold questions: Why are women and youth excluded from influencing technology governance, AI ethics, and digital policies?.
The call is for the creation of safe, meaningful, and multigenerational spaces where women and young people can express these digital experiences and shape regional responses.
Sharing daily experiences on social media
The purpose of the workshop over the past three days, from the 24th to the 26th of November 2025, was to provide a dialogue for young people and women in the IGAD region, with the sharing of their life experiences with social media and technology.
Artificial intelligence, highlighting both opportunities and harms, and working collectively to develop recommendations aligned with the Women, Peace and Security agenda for digital safety, inclusion and empowerment.
Creating safe and inclusive platforms for youth and women
The workshop aims to create a safe and inclusive platform for women and youth to discuss the reality of digital interaction, including cyber harms, the impact of artificial intelligence, and technological participation.
Identifying the opportunities and obstacles in digital spaces that affect the safety, leadership, and economic participation of women and young people.
Highlighting the links between cyberbullying, online gender-based violence, and the normalization of femicide in digital cultures.
Developing practical, participant-driven recommendations to enrich the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s (IGAD) programs on women, peace, and security and digital inclusion.
Report by: Hassan Isaac Ahmed
Journalist and Writer
Sudan Post
