Governance Archives - tandaabiashara

Dec132019 by Nasha HarperNo Comments

Internet shutdown in India to control protesters

India shut down the internet in the state of Assam on Thursday, after citizens took to the streets to protest a controversial new citizenship rule. It’s the latest example of a worrying worldwide trend: cutting online access to control the people. On Wednesday, India’s government approved the Citizenship Amendment Bill, which creates a path for citizenship for minorities from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh (but not for the country’s Muslim minority). In the state of Assam, where residents have long been unhappy about immigration from nearby Bangladesh, protesters set fire to train stations. The government sent in troops and shut down the internet, according to CNN. In an increasingly connected world, shutdowns are a way to stop protest and are considered by many to be “one of the

Dec132019 by Lynn WandiaNo Comments

Does Kenya have the necessary skills for AI?

Governance, Internet, Technology

The lack of access to free, up-to-date and machine-readable government data stands in the way of Kenya tapping into opportunities brought by artificial intelligence (AI), a Nation Newsplex analysis reveals. The country tops Africa and ranks 52 globally out of 194 countries on the government’s readiness to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) in public services but only manages positions seven in the continent and 78 out of 94 globally in the availability of government data, according to two key reports. The Government Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index 2019 report, by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and Oxford Insights, factors in 11 inputs grouped into four main categories — governance, infrastructure and data, skills and education as well as

Dec112019 by Nasha HarperNo Comments

Can Technology curb corruption?

Governance, Technology

Technology is changing and challenging governments around the world. With data analytics and artificial intelligence, new technologies present governments with tremendous opportunities to improve public services, get better value-for-money, and curb corruption. Governments need to become fit-for-purpose in the digital era. Faced with the rising expectations of digital natives, they realize that business-as-usual is over. In Chile, for example, the current social malaise reflects frustrated aspirations of the new, yet vulnerable middle-class. Bureaucracies are developing a greater appetite for new ways of thinking and doing. Progressive governments are pushing public agencies to be more tech-savvy and data-thirsty, willing to take risks and learning to adapt faster. In the

Dec112019 by editorNo Comments

Internet to become a public utility with low prices

Governance, Internet

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders recently announced a $150 billion, four-point plan that would fundamentally transform how the internet works in the United States. Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders just unveiled a sweeping $150 billion proposal that would fundamentally reshape how the internet works in the United States. The plan, dubbed "High-Speed Internet for All," would effectively turn the internet into a public utility along the lines of water and power. "High-speed internet service must be treated as the new electricity," the proposal says , "a public utility that everyone deserves as a basic human right." To that end, the $150 billion would go to creating "publicly owned and democratically controlled, co-operative, or open access broadb

Oct112019 by Nasha HarperNo Comments

Facebook’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Programme Expands 10 African countries

Governance, Internet, social media

Social media giant Facebook has announced the expansion of its third-party fact-checking program to ten African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and Senegal. In a statement on Tuesday, Facebook said the expansion was aimed at assessing the accuracy and quality of news on its platform while curbing the spread of misinformation. “Working with a network of fact-checking organisations, certified by the non-partisan International Fact-Checking Network, third-party fact-checking will now be available in Ethiopia, Zambia, Somalia and Burkina Faso through AFP; Uganda and Tanzania through both Pesa Check and AFP; Democratic Republic of Congo and Cote d’Ivoire through France 24 Observers and AFP; Guinea Conakry through France 24 Observers, and Ghana through Dubawa,” the