# IGF 2026 WS #279 The Creatives Palaver

## Description

Content shapes how people think, learn, understand themselves and the world around them. For children, whose identities and worldviews are still forming, this influence is particularly significant. Yet, many of the creators producing this content have little understanding of the laws, platform policies, and digital governance frameworks that exist to protect children's rights, safety, and wellbeing online. This gap is significant in Africa. With more than 600 million children, African children remain underrepresented in digital design, while language, representation, and infrastructure gaps continue to limit meaningful digital inclusion. Additionally, Africa's creative economy is valued at approximately US$60 billion and could grow to US$200 billion by 2030 with the right investments and policies. As Africa's digital creators increasingly shape childhood, the ability to translate governance principles into child centred digital experiences has become a critical capability.

The Creative Palaver is a 90-minute hybrid, highly interactive workshop that brings together designers, technologists, policymakers, researchers, educators, artists, young people and child rights advocates to collectively imagine what an African digital childhood could look like. Inspired by the African tradition of the palaver, a gathering where communities come together to listen, deliberate and build consensus, the session uses Afro-reflective methods and collaborative design activities rather than presentations or panels to bridge the worlds of content creation, digital governance, and child-centred design.
Together, participants will co-create practical recommendations for designing digital products, services, and policies that are safe, culturally relevant, and rooted in African values. Rather than ending with dialogue alone, the session will generate actionable insights to inform future digital governance, Safety by Design, and child-centred innovation across Africa.

This is an invitation to imagine and begin building digital futures where African children are not merely users of technology, but are recognised, respected and reflected in the systems designed for them.

## Policy Question(s)

1.	How can digital governance better integrate creatives, technologists, policymakers, educators, researchers, child rights practitioners and young people  as partners in shaping digital experiences for African children?
2.	What African values, cultures, and knowledge systems should guide the design of digital experiences for African children?
3.	How can Africa build an enabling ecosystem that supports the creation of child-centered digital experiences rooted in African realities?

## Expected Outcomes

The Creative Palaver will convene diverse voices to explore what shape digital childhood should take from African perspectives. Through interactive dialogue, participants will co-create a set of principles and recommendations for designing and governing digital experiences that reflect the realities, cultures and aspirations of African children.

The workshop will strengthen collaboration between creatives, technologists, policymakers, educators, researchers, child rights practitioners and young people, fostering new partnerships beyond the IGF. A summary of the key insights and recommendations will be shared to inform future digital governance, innovation and child-centred design initiatives across Africa.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how African contexts, values and lived experiences can shape digital policy and technology design, and practical ideas for creating digital environments where African children can safely learn, play, create and thrive.

## Reference Document

Reference Document

## Format

Classroom
**Duration (minutes):** 90
**Format description:** The session brings together diverse voices to explore what should define an African digital childhood and how digital governance can better integrate the creative industries alongside other key stakeholders. Using the WATOTO Child-Centred Digital Framework as foundation, participants will collectively explore how African values, cultures and lived experiences shape the design and governance of digital experiences for children.

The workshop strengthens collaboration across multiple and diverse stakeholders fostering new partnerships and shared approaches to advancing child-centred digital innovation beyond the IGF. A summary of the collective insights and recommendations will be shared to inform future digital governance, Safety by Design, and child-centred digital design initiatives across Africa.

Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how African knowledge systems and lived experiences can inform digital governance and digital design, along with practical ideas for creating digital environments where African children can safely learn, play, create, and thrive.

## Hybrid Format

**Hybrid Format:** The Creative Palaver is designed as a fully hybrid workshop where online and onsite participants contribute equally to the discussion and outcomes. A dedicated online moderator will ensure remote participants are actively engaged, bringing their questions and insights into the room in real time, while facilitators alternate between online and onsite voices throughout the session.

Participants will be divided into ten facilitated Palavers, each focused on one of the ten WATOTO Child-Centred Digital Framework standards. Each group, comprising diverse stakeholders, will explore a key challenge and develop practical recommendations. Online participants will join virtual breakout Palavers, mirroring onsite discussions.

Insights will be captured in a shared Miro workspace and presented in plenary, where facilitators will synthesise recommendations. Slido will support live polling and Q&A, enabling inclusive participation. The session will conclude with a collective reflection that produces shared recommendations for advancing African-centred digital governance and child-centred digital design.

## Organizers

**Organizer 1:** Makumbe Caroline, Kutunga Design Academy & Innovation Lab
**Organizer 2:** Eunice Wambere Nyagah, Kutunga Design Academy

## Speakers

**Speaker 1:** Makumbe Caroline, Private Sector, African Group
**Speaker 2:** Maina Korir, Technical Community, African Group
**Speaker 3:** Belinda Matore, Private Sector, African Group
**Speaker 4:** George Gachui, Private Sector, African Group

## Moderator

Eunice Wambere Nyagah, Private Sector, African Group

## Online Moderator

Eunice Maingi, Technical Community, African Group

## Rapporteur

Kelvin Dabengwa, Private Sector, African Group

## Participant Benefits

What will participants gain from attending this session?

## SDGs

4. Quality Education
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals