Course Description
Format: Online, instructor-led
Duration: 4 sessions x 1,5h each
Certificate: Joint ITU and RealTyme
Region: Africa, LDCs (English)
Registration: Until 16 March 2026
Course Objectives
- Explain the core principles of digital sovereignty and distinguish it from related concepts such as data residency and digital independence.
- Identify structural risks and dependencies linked to foreign platforms, cloud services, and cross-border data flows, and assess their impact on national control and resilience.
- Evaluate national digital readiness by identifying gaps in data governance, digital identity, communication systems, and institutional oversight.
- Apply governance and policy approaches that support digital sovereignty, including regulatory tools and regional cooperation models.
- Develop a phased digital sovereignty roadmap aligned with national priorities, institutional capacity, and available resources.
The course highlights the realities many African nations face today: dependency on foreign platforms, limited control over data flows, fragmented identity systems, and increasing exposure from cross-border digital services. It also gives guidance on how countries can progressively build sovereign capabilities that align with their resources, regulatory maturity, and national strategies.
AI is addressed as one factor influencing digital dependency, but the main emphasis remains on governance, infrastructure, resilience, and national control.
Who Should Attend
This course is designed for government officials, policymakers, regulators, and senior public-sector leaders responsible for digital policy, ICT governance, data protection, and national digital transformation.
Selection criteria: Priority will be given to government officials, regulators, and public-sector professionals involved in digital policy, ICT governance, data protection, or national digital infrastructure programs. Consideration may also be given to participants from developing and emerging economies engaged in strengthening national digital capacity and sovereignty.
Number of available places: 70 accepted participants per cohort.
Participants will explore
Participants will examine how sovereignty relates to cloud hosting, identity management, connectivity, national platforms, and policy frameworks that ensure countries maintain ownership and oversight of their digital assets.
The course highlights the realities many African nations face today: dependency on foreign platforms, limited control over data flows, fragmented identity systems, and increasing exposure from cross-border digital services. It also gives guidance on how countries can progressively build sovereign capabilities that align with their resources, regulatory maturity, and national strategies.
Course Structure & Sessions
Session 1 - Digital Sovereignty: From Concept to State Responsibility
Session Objective: Anchor digital sovereignty as an operational responsibility linked to national resilience, public trust, and continuity of services.
✅ Explain digital sovereignty as a governance and institutional control measure.
✅ Identify decision-making authority, accountability, and oversight mechanisms required for sovereignty.
✅ Distinguish between policy declarations and enforceable governance structures.
✅ Explain why sovereignty failures directly affect citizens and services
Session Activities:
✅ Introduction (10 min) – Digital sovereignty: from political narrative to governance reality.
✅ Governance Foundations (25 min) – Roles of state, regulators, operators, and providers.
✅ Decision Rights & Accountability (20 min) – Who decides, who operates, who audits.
✅ Case Discussion (20 min) – Governance models and failure points.
✅ Key Takeaways & Q&A (15 min)
Post Session Activities:
✅ Quiz
✅ Forum to discuss governance challenges and national examples
Session 2 – Identity and Data: The Foundations of Digital Sovereignty
Session Objective: Demonstrate how identity governance and data control underpin accountability, trust, and sovereign decision-making.
✅ Explain why sovereign identity is central to authority and accountability
✅ Identify risks of platform-based and anonymous identity models
✅ Apply basic data classification and lifecycle principles
✅ Assess identity–data governance gaps in existing systems
Session Activities:
✅ Introduction (15 min) – Identity as authority: platform identity vs government-issued identity. Why anonymity erodes trust in public systems.
✅ Data Governance Essentials (15 min) – Classification levels, access rights, data lifecycle. Why encryption alone is not enough.
✅ Identity–Data Linkage (15 min) – Who can access what, and why. AI reuse, shadow processing, and loss of control risks.
✅ Practical Exercise: Sovereignty Gap Analysis (25 min) – Assess one system across identity control, data classification, and access enforcement.
✅ Discussion & Key Takeaways (20 min) – Governance vs technical fixes. Institutional responsibility. Identity governs authority; data governance enforces sovereignty.
Post Session Activities:
✅ Quiz
✅ Forum to discuss national data control and residency practices
Session 3 – Infrastructure and Platforms: Governing Dependency and Control
Session Objective: Equip participants to evaluate infrastructure and platform choices through sovereignty and risk lenses.
✅ Compare infrastructure models based on sovereignty and jurisdiction
✅ Identify platform dependency and vendor lock-in risks
✅ Recognize contractual and architectural control levers
✅ Engage vendors with informed sovereignty requirements
Session Activities:
✅ Infrastructure as a Strategic Choice (15 min) – On-prem, sovereign cloud, and hybrid models. Jurisdictional exposure and control implications.
✅ Platform Dependency Risks (20 min) – Lock-in effects, legal access by third parties, and operational fragility.
✅ Governance Levers (15 min) – Procurement clauses, architectural decisions, and oversight mechanisms that preserve control.
✅ Practical Exercise: Dependency Mapping (25 min) – Identify external providers, critical dependencies, and risk concentration points.
✅ Group Reflection & Key Takeaways (15 min) – Where control is weakest, what can be governed today. Sovereignty is negotiated and designed; control is cumulative.
Post Session Activities:
✅ Quiz
✅ Forum to discuss identity and access control challenges
Session 4 – Sovereign AI: Governing Intelligence Without Losing Control
Session Objective: Enable participants to govern AI systems under national authority while preserving transparency, accountability, and public trust.
✅ Identify sovereignty risks introduced by AI systems
✅ Distinguish sovereign from non-sovereign AI deployment models
✅ Apply governance principles to AI data access and usage
✅ Evaluate AI use cases against accountability and control criteria
Session Activities:
✅ Why AI Changes the Sovereignty Equation (15 min) – Data ingestion at scale, model opacity, and external dependencies reshape control.
✅ What Makes AI “Sovereign” (20 min) – Data isolation, identity-bound usage, auditability, and effective oversight.
✅ Public Sector AI Use Cases (15 min) – Assistants, document analysis, and decision-support systems in regulated environments.
✅ Practical Exercise: Sovereign AI Governance Checklist (25 min) – Assess one AI use case across data sources, control, accountability, and oversight.
✅ Synthesis & Course Wrap-Up (15 min) – AI as a governance challenge, not an innovation blocker. From awareness to action, with clear institutional next steps.
Post Session Activities:
✅ Forum to discuss sovereignty roadmaps and lessons learned
Grading matrix:
Zoom Session participation (Theory 3h and 1h Practice) : 50 %
Module quizzes and exercises: 35%
Forum contributions: 15%
Total score: 100%
A total score of 70% or higher is required to obtain the ITU certificate.
Should you have any questions about the course content, please email: training@realtyme.com
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