Countries

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia to the north, and Mozambique to the east. The capital and largest city is Harare. The second largest city is Bulawayo.

Mauritius is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about 2,000 kilometres (1,100 nautical miles) off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Agaléga and St. Brandon. The islands of Mauritius and Rodrigues, along with nearby Réunion (a French overseas department), are part of the Mascarene Islands. The main island of Mauritius, where most of the population is concentrated, hosts the capital and largest city, Port Louis.

Mauritania is a sovereign state in Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to the north and northwest, Algeria to the northeast, Mali to the east and southeast, and Senegal to the southwest. Mauritania is the eleventh largest country in Africa, and 90 percent of its territory is situated in the Sahara. Most of its population of 4.4 million lives in the temperate south of the country, with roughly one third concentrated in the capital and largest city, Nouakchott, located on the Atlantic coast.

Madagascar is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately 400 kilometres (250 miles) off the coast of East Africa across the Mozambique Channel. At 592,800 square kilometres (228,900 sq mi) Madagascar is the world’s second-largest island country after Indonesia. The nation is home to around 30 million inhabitants and consists of the island of Madagascar (the fourth-largest island in the world), along with numerous smaller peripheral islands.

Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali is the eighth-largest country in Africa, The sovereign state of Mali consists of eight regions, and its borders on the north reach deep into the middle of the Sahara Desert. The country’s southern part is in the Sudanian savanna, where most inhabitants live, and both the Niger and Senegal rivers pass through. The country’s economy centres on agriculture and mining.

Qatar is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and shares its sole land border with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the nation’s population.

Rwanda is a fast-growing digital economy, having achieved high visibility due to its digital achievements. In the 2022 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, Rwanda holds the eighth position among startup ecosystems in the Middle East and Africa, securing the fourth spot in Africa overall. International aspects are stressed in Rwanda’s ICT Hub Strategy, which calls for partnership with global organisations/institutions to develop the tech-based solutions needed to address socioeconomic challenges in areas such as education, health, and agriculture.

Cybersecurity

The National Cybersecurity Strategic Plan and the ICT Sector Strategic Plan outline the objective of promoting regional and international cooperation, research, and development in the field of cybersecurity. It further talks about the importance of ensuring that ICT-related legal and regulatory frameworks comply with international cybersecurity standards and best practices. The National Cyber Security Authority is in charge, among other issues, of regional and international cooperation, and research and development in cybersecurity. Establishing partnerships with international organisations for capacity building in cybersecurity is envisioned in the ICT Hub Strategy. Notable is the country’s goal of becoming a regional hub for security, through building a sustainable cybersecurity industry as outlined in the ICT Sector Strategic Plan and ensuring a secure and resilient cyberspace as outlined in the Smart Rwanda Master Plan.

Child online protection

The Child Online Protection Policy calls for the establishment of formal cooperation frameworks with regional and global COP communities. It also envisages the ratification of COP-related treaties and protocols and the strengthening and amending relevant criminal laws in line with international standards and best practices.

Data governance

The concept of data sovereignty has been at the core of the government’s National Data Revolution Policy, which requires that national data be hosted locally: ‘Rwanda shall retain exclusive sovereign rights on her national data with control and power over its own data.’ However, the policy mentions the importance of collaborating with regional and international stakeholders in building a data industry, and notes that the government will work on attracting investors in the data industry.

Data protection regulations adopt the extraterritorial approach of the EU’s GDPR.

This means that entities outside of the country that handle citizens’ data are subject to the law. Rwanda intends to develop a national AI policy focused on the ethical use of AI in support of social and economic development.

Digital skills

The National Talent Policy aims to transform Rwanda ‘from a consumer/importer to a producer/exporter of ICTs to the region and global scene’ by setting up an IT elite corps. Other policy objectives include digital literacy for all by enhancing digital literacy across all levels of society; a digitally savvy workforce, by workforce upskilling; and coordination of digital literacy initiatives by formulating standards and providing relevant coordination mechanisms.

Digital governance

Smart Africa is an alliance of African heads of state and government dedicated to accelerating sustainable socio-economic development in the knowledge economy. Initiated by Rwandan President Paul Kagame, the alliance began with seven heads of states from Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Mali, Gabon, and Burkina Faso. Smart Africa has been working towards a single digital market for the continent. To this end, it has facilitated digital economy policies that each of the alliance members have adopted and is implementing at different stages.

New Zealand is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu)—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country by area. New Zealand is about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. The country’s varied topography and sharp mountain peaks, including the Southern Alps, owe much to tectonic uplift and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand’s capital city is Wellington, and its most populous city is Auckland.