The GSMA, in partnership with the mobile industry, is calling for strengthened collective action to protect children online across Africa.
In a statement signed by the Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at the GSMA, Angela Wamola, and made available to Daily Newstap Online on Monday, after a high-level roundtable meeting in Barcelona, Spain, she said that with Africa’s digital transformation accelerating, children are increasingly exposed to cyberbullying, harmful content, and online exploitation.
“Protecting children online is a responsibility shared across governments, industry, civil society, and families. By working together, we can ensure the digital environment becomes a place of opportunity, not risk, for Africa’s children. This whitepaper is an important step in supporting stakeholders across the region as they advance this urgent agenda,” she added.
According to her, recognising both the opportunities and challenges of the digital environment, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child dedicated the 2023 Day of the African Child to this important theme, reinforcing the urgent need for cross-sector cooperation.
GSMA in a whitepaper titled ‘Enhancing child online protection in sub-Saharan Africa recommended the urgent need to ensuring child, youth-centred approaches in policy and programme development, strengthening national frameworks in line with the African Union child online safety and empowerment strategy, expanding digital literacy and awareness initiatives for children, parents, and educators and building stronger public-private partnerships to scale resources, tools, and services across the region
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.Related News
“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.
“While this new whitepaper focuses on Africa, it builds on the GSMA’s broader global commitment, including newly published guidance on incorporating young voices into digital policy and solution design.
“The GSMA encourages all stakeholders to engage with the recommendations and join the ongoing dialogue to help ensure a safer digital future for Africa’s children,” the statement read.