Civic Tech in Africa with Nathi Mcetywa Civic Tech Innovation Network

In this episode, Afua Bruce discusses the connection between technology and social equity and explores the factors beyond technology that contribute towards a more equitable and inclusive society. She emphasizes that technology alone cannot create equity, but it can be used to support and advance equity. Afua also critiques the current development of technology and highlights the importance of involving the people who will be served by the technology in the design process. She discusses the values that should influence the development of technology, such as inclusivity, accessibility, and recognizing the value of lived experience. The book she co-authored, 'The Tech That Comes Next: How Changemakers, Technologists, and Philanthropists Can Build an Equitable World,' provides insights and guidance on using technology to advance equity.

Keywords
technology, social equity, inclusive society, technology development, design process, values, accessibility, lived experience, book

Takeaways
- Technology alone cannot create equity; it requires human involvement and decision-making.
- The development of technology should involve the people who will be served by it.
- Values such as inclusivity, accessibility, and recognizing lived experience should influence the development of technology.
- The book 'The Tech That Comes Next' provides insights and guidance on using technology to advance equity.

Sound Bites
"I don't think that technology alone can create equity."
"Technology can be used to support and advance equity, or it can be used to take us backwards and create a less equitable world."
"What we value is what we build."

In this episode, the host, Nathi Mcetywa, and guest, Kavisha Pillay discuss the impact of misinformation and disinformation on the democratic process, particularly during elections. They explore the role of social media platforms in combatting these campaigns and the need for ethical development of AI. They also discuss the challenges of identifying and combating disinformation, the importance of digital literacy, and the role of the free press in providing accurate information. The guest shares insights on the work of CODE in exploring the intersection of technology, human rights, and democracy, and their focus on promoting ethical AI and progressive regulation.

Keywords
misinformation, disinformation, social media platforms, democratic process, elections, AI, ethical development, digital literacy, free press, CODE, technology, human rights, democracy, progressive regulation

Takeaways
Misinformation and disinformation campaigns are a significant threat to the democratic process, particularly during elections.
Social media platforms have a responsibility to combat these campaigns and change their algorithms to prevent the amplification of false information.
Developers of AI applications should prioritize ethical development and consider the potential biases and harm that their technology may cause.
Digital literacy is essential for individuals to critically evaluate information and verify its accuracy before sharing.
The free press plays a crucial role in providing accurate information and countering disinformation, but there is a need to rebuild trust and find sustainable funding models.
Progressive regulation is necessary to address the challenges posed by disinformation and ensure the protection of freedom of speech and expression.

Titles
The Role of the Free Press in Providing Accurate Information
The Role of Social Media Platforms in Combatting Disinformation

Sound Bites
"Social media can be used to polarize our societies and spread disinformation to persuade people to vote in particular ways."
"Recommendation systems and algorithms on social media platforms keep users scrolling and can amplify disinformation."
"Disinformation can have real-world consequences, and tech companies need to take responsibility for their role in creating this crisis."

Chapters
00:00
Introduction and the Impact of Misinformation on Elections
02:09
Guest Introduction: Kavisha Pillay and the Work of CODE
04:01
The Role of Social Media Platforms in Combatting Disinformation
08:30
Ethical Development of AI and the Need for Progressive Regulation
15:05
The Importance of Digital Literacy in Identifying Disinformation
35:24
The Work of CODE in Promoting Ethical AI and Progressive Regulation

In this episode, Nathi interviews Paul Plantinga, a senior research manager at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) in South Africa, about e-participation in governance. They discuss the landscape of participatory governance in South Africa and Africa, the use of digital platforms for public participation, and the challenges of online participation. Paul also shares insights from his work with municipalities and the importance of user-driven approaches and capabilities in e-participation. Their conversation ends with a mention of the HSRC's e-participation and policy modeling platform and the upcoming Civic Tech Innovation Forum.

In the second segment of the episode, Nathi speaks to Jono Bosman. Jono, a program manager at OpenUp, defines user-centered design and discusses its importance in the civic tech space. User-centered design is an approach to product development that focuses on the needs, preferences, and behaviors of users. It involves understanding the user through research and empathy, designing intuitive and useful tools, and constantly iterating based on user feedback. The concept of user-centered design can be applied in various ways, such as using language that is accessible to the target users and conducting interviews with diverse user groups. Co-creation and creating a feedback loop are also important aspects of user-centered design.

Keywords
e-participation, governance, digital platforms, public participation, challenges, municipalities, user-driven approaches, capabilities, HSRC, Civic Tech Innovation Forum

Takeaways
E-participation in governance is a complex and evolving field, with a mix of traditional and digital processes being used.

While there is a growing trend of government agencies using technology to engage with citizens, the majority of participation still happens through traditional methods.

Challenges in public participation include process literacy, access to information, and the over-politicization of processes.

The HSRC is working on a project to support e-participation in municipalities, focusing on user-driven approaches and specific capabilities.

The project aims to provide a toolkit for municipalities to assemble different ideas and capabilities based on their specific needs.

The upcoming Civic Tech Innovation Forum will be an opportunity for municipalities and the civic tech community to share experiences and learn from each other.

User-centered design is an approach to product development that focuses on the needs, preferences, and behaviors of users.

Understanding the user through research and empathy is crucial in user-centered design.

User-centered design can be applied by using language that is accessible to the target users, conducting interviews with diverse user

Titles
Challenges in Public Participation
Exploring E-Participation in Governance

Sound Bites
"We're talking about e-participation in matters of governance across the African continent, and more specifically about what happens when government agencies embrace digital technologies as a way to connect with their constituents."

"What's possibly more interesting in recent times is your kind of governance experimentation, your engagement experimentation more from the bottom up. So your civil society-led initiatives, those kinds of things that a number of organizations are doing in the country and that are part of the civic tech network."

"To what extent the digital processes and platforms are supporting any form of meaningful engagement. And I'm not sure there's clear evidence for that at a significant scale yet, even in any kind of specific population groups."

Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Overview
01:20 E-Participation in Governance
08:30 Challenges in Digital Participation
11:31 Chaotic and Organized Participation Processes
26:07 E-Participation and Policy Modeling Platform

In this episode, the host, Nathi Mcetywa introduces the new feature of the podcast, What in the Civic Tech?, and discusses the possibility of moving Africa's election process from a paper-based voting system to an electronic voting system. The guest, Dr. Maxwell Masago, talks about the readiness of South Africa and the African continent for e-voting. They explore the benefits and challenges of e-voting, including issues of trust, digital divide, infrastructure, and political will. While South Africa is seen as ready for e-voting, the readiness of the rest of the African continent varies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made significant strides in various fields such as agriculture, technology, and digital health, and it has now made a grand entrance into government systems. Considering the current state of democracy in Africa, African governments cannot afford to lag behind in adopting this innovation. The introduction of AI in government systems stems from the growing demand for participatory and deliberative forms of democracy, including budget tracking, social audits, and transparent online voting systems.
In today’s episode, we spoke about something that’s not necessarily new but has been grabbing the headlines for a great part of this year. We will be looking at how Artificial intelligence can be used as a tool for good governance on the African continent.
This season we spoke briefly about initiatives that have used technology to keep governments accountable, and today I want us to get into some specifics around how Artificial Intelligence can be useful as a tool for accountability and transparency in government.
Olasupo Abideen has written about how this can be done and today we talk to him about a recent article he wrote for the Civic Tech Innovation Network. The article is titled ‘Exploring Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Enhanced Deliberative Democracy’.

Yosr Jouini is an interdisciplinary researcher studying emerging technologies and their social implications in the global South. She is the director of Technoloxia, a technology & innovation centre based in Tunis. She is also the host of the 'Digitally Yours podcast', which specialises in digital rights. Technoloxia is a North African-based collective with a mission to provide community-centered perspectives on the region from the region.
Technoloxia is the newest member of the Regional Ambassador Programme (RAP). The Regional Ambassadors Programme (RAP) founded in 2022, is a programme aimed at strengthening regional connection and participation in the civic tech space.
Yosr joins Nathi Mcetywa to talk about the growth of civic tech in Tunisia and more generally in North Africa. She reflects on the impact that collaboration has had for North African civic tech organisations in Tunisia. She also reflects on another level of accessibility that innovators need to think about and what that means for innovators. Read more about accessibility from this 'Accessibility ABCs guide'. Technoloxia Website · Digitally Yours Podcast