{"id":14719,"date":"2018-09-14T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-14T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2018\/09\/14\/en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview\/"},"modified":"2018-09-14T21:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-09-14T12:00:00","slug":"en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2018\/09\/14\/en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview\/","title":{"rendered":"ZIGF 2018 (3rd Zimbabwe Internet Governance Forum) \u2014 In-Depth Report: Minutes Digest &#038; 3-Line Summary"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview_thumbnail.svg\" alt=\"Zimbabwe IGF 2018 \u30cf\u30e9\u30ec \u2014 Thumbnail\"><\/p>\n<h2>The 3-Line Summary<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview_s3.svg\" alt=\"Zimbabwe IGF 2018 \u30cf\u30e9\u30ec \u2014 3-line summary\"><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>The 3rd Zimbabwe IGF met in Harare on 8\u20139 October 2018 under the theme &#39;The Internet We Want,&#39; opened by Deputy ICT Minister Hon. J. Muswere.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Debate ran on four tracks \u2014 child online protection, the data economy, cybercrime and cyber legislation \u2014 with regulator POTRAZ pledging updated child-protection guidelines and renewed calls to enact three stalled cyber bills.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>It turned out to be the last publicly documented ZIGF annual meeting: a case study in how quickly a national IGF can go quiet, three years after a promising launch.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Welcome \u2014 this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on <strong>ZIGF 2018 (3rd Zimbabwe Internet Governance Forum)<\/strong> draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.<\/p>\n<h2>Conference at a Glance (from official records)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview_h2.svg\" alt=\"Zimbabwe IGF 2018 \u30cf\u30e9\u30ec \u2014 Conference at a glance\"><\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Item<\/th>\n<th>Detail<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Official name<\/td>\n<td>ZIGF 2018 (3rd Zimbabwe Internet Governance Forum)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Edition<\/td>\n<td>Third edition<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dates<\/td>\n<td>8\u20139 October 2018<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Venue<\/td>\n<td>Harare, Zimbabwe (specific venue not confirmed in primary sources)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Theme<\/td>\n<td>The Internet We Want<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Opening<\/td>\n<td>Opened by Deputy Minister Hon. J. Muswere<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Host<\/td>\n<td>ZIGF Multi-stakeholder Coordinating Team (MCT); secretariat: POTRAZ<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>(See the source list at the end of this article.)<\/p>\n<h2>Discussion Digest \u2014 from the Session Records<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview_minutes.svg\" alt=\"Zimbabwe IGF 2018 \u30cf\u30e9\u30ec \u2014 Discussion map\"><\/p>\n<p>Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.<\/p>\n<h3>1. Child Online Protection \u2014 POTRAZ Pledges Updated Guidelines<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Child online protection discussions (after the 8 October opening)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>POTRAZ committed to developing updated guidelines for protecting minors online, aimed at children, parents and guardians, educators, industry and policymakers [1][2]<\/li>\n<li>Under the theme &#39;The Internet We Want,&#39; the forum reviewed proposed regulatory frameworks, global trends, and good and bad practices adopted or under discussion in Zimbabwe [1][2]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. The Data Economy \u2014 What Policies Should Protect Citizens&#39; Data?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Data economy discussions<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>With companies collecting ever more customer information, the forum asked what policies Zimbabwe should establish to safeguard citizens&#39; data [1]<\/li>\n<li>The backdrop was the still-pending Data Protection Bill, and the need for frameworks to deter unlawful data acquisition and cyber fraud [1]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Cybercrime and Stalled Legislation \u2014 Capacity, Skills and Political Will<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Cybercrime and cyber-law discussions<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>An estimate that 80% of personal computers in Africa are infected with viruses or other malware was cited to convey the scale of the threat (per Techzim&#39;s coverage) [1]<\/li>\n<li>Speakers argued Zimbabwe needs technical and financial capacity, trained professionals and political commitment to target, monitor and thwart illicit online activity [1]<\/li>\n<li>Echoing the 2017 meeting, participants pressed for urgent implementation of the Cyber Crime Bill, Electronic Transactions Bill and Data Protection Bill [1]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Third and Last Documented Edition \u2014 A National IGF Goes Quiet<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sessions<\/strong>: Series context: what followed the meeting<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Zimbabwe does not appear in the IGF&#39;s NRIs 2019 meetings list, the NRI record&#39;s annual-meeting field still reads &#39;to be confirmed&#39;, and the latest filed annual report remains the 2017 edition \u2014 2018 is the last documented annual meeting [2][4][5]<\/li>\n<li>The old official site zigf.org.zw went offline in late 2018; an ISOC Foundation Beyond the Net grant records plans for a ZIGF meeting and AGM in autumn 2020, but no public record confirms it took place [2][4][5]<\/li>\n<li>MISA Zimbabwe&#39;s own annual multistakeholder Internet governance conferences, running since 2015, are a separate series and should not be conflated with the ZIGF proper [2][4][5]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Three-Minute Short Talk \u2014 Your Questions Answered<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q. What was discussed?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. Under &#39;The Internet We Want,&#39; two days covered child online protection, policies for citizens&#39; data in the data economy, cybercrime capacity, and urgent enactment of three stalled cyber bills. Regulator POTRAZ pledged updated child-protection guidelines.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. What happened to the ZIGF afterwards?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. This is its last publicly documented annual meeting. The official site went offline that autumn, UN IGF records still list the annual meeting as &#39;to be confirmed&#39;, and a planned 2020 grant-funded meeting is the final trace of activity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q. Why should I care?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A. It is a cautionary tale: a national IGF launched with government backing stalled after three editions, showing that secretariat capacity and funding \u2014 not launch-day enthusiasm \u2014 determine whether dialogue forums survive.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Zimbabwe IGF? (for first-time readers)<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/en-zimbabwe-igf-2018-overview_h1.svg\" alt=\"Zimbabwe IGF 2018 \u30cf\u30e9\u30ec \u2014 About Zimbabwe IGF\"><\/p>\n<p>Zimbabwe IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.<\/p>\n<h2>Why It Matters to You<\/h2>\n<p>What was discussed here becomes <strong>the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years<\/strong>. The principles confirmed at the 2018 meeting are the foundation of the &quot;next rules&quot; for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.<\/p>\n<h2>Sources &amp; References<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.techzim.co.zw\/2018\/10\/here-is-what-was-discussed-at-the-zimbabwe-internet-governance-forum-zigf-2018\/\">Here Is What Was Discussed At The Zimbabwe Internet Governance Forum (ZIGF) 2018\uff08\u73fe\u5730\u30c6\u30c3\u30af\u5a92\u4f53\u306e\u5831\u9053: \u30c6\u30fc\u30de\u30fb\u958b\u4f1a\u30fb\u8b70\u984c\u306e\u8a73\u7d30\uff09<\/a> \u2014 Techzim (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dig.watch\/event\/zimbabwe-internet-governance-forum-zigf\">Zimbabwe Internet Governance Forum (ZIGF)\uff08\u30a4\u30d9\u30f3\u30c8\u30da\u30fc\u30b8: third edition\u30fb8-9 October 2018\u30fbHarare\uff09<\/a> \u2014 DiploFoundation (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/content\/nris-annual-meetings-2018\">NRIs Annual Meetings 2018\uff08\u516c\u5f0f\u4e00\u89a7: Zimbabwe IGF 8-9 October, Harare \/ Main Theme: Internet we want\uff09<\/a> \u2014 \u56fd\u9023IGF\u4e8b\u52d9\u5c40 (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/zimbabwe-igf\">Zimbabwe IGF\uff08NRI\u516c\u5f0f\u8a18\u9332: \u5e74\u6b21\u4f1a\u5408\u300cTo be confirmed\u300d\u30fb\u5e74\u6b21\u5831\u544a\u306f2017\u5e74\u7248\u304c\u6700\u65b0\uff09<\/a> \u2014 \u56fd\u9023IGF\u4e8b\u52d9\u5c40 (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isocfoundation.org\/project\/support-for-the-zimbabwe-internet-governance-forum-zigf-meeting-agm\/\">Support for the Zimbabwe Internet Governance Forum (ZIGF) Meeting &amp; AGM\uff08Beyond the Net\u52a9\u6210\u8a18\u9332: 2020-10-05\u301c11-04\uff09<\/a> \u2014 Internet Society Foundation (accessed 2026-07-11)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><em>Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Related links<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>IGF official (NRI list): <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives\">https:\/\/www.intgovforum.org\/en\/content\/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Japan IGF: <a href=\"https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/\">https:\/\/japanigf.jp\/<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Yuki Nakazawa&#39;s blog: <a href=\"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/\">https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/category\/igf\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>\u66f4\u65b0\u5c65\u6b74<\/h2>\n<p>\u7b2c1\u7a3f\u6295\u7a3f 2026\u5e747\u670815\u65e5 13\u664249\u5206\uff08\u8a18\u4e8b\u30b3\u30f3\u30c6\u30f3\u30c4\u30a2\u30c3\u30d7\uff09<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2014 \u4e2d\u6fa4\u7950\u6a39<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 3rd Zimbabwe IGF met in Harare on 8\u20139 October 2018 under the theme &#8216;The Internet We Want,&#8217; opened by Deputy ICT Minister Hon. J. Muswere<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,11,92],"tags":[163,161,160,162,164,883],"class_list":["post-14719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-igf","category-regional-igf","category-zimbabwe-igf","tag-3-line-summary","tag-deep-dive","tag-english","tag-minutes-digest","tag-sourced","tag-zimbabweigf2018"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14719\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}