1 Table of contents 41

CTO INFOSPHERE ISSUE 5

PUBLISHER		2
COMMONWEALTH TELECOMMUNICATIONS ORGANISATION		2
EDITORIAL ADVISOR		2
EDITOR IN CHIEF		2
COPY EDITOR		2
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS		2
LAYOUT AND DESIGN		2
TABLE OF CONTENTS		3
Secretariat News		3
PARTNERSHIPS		3
Stronger Together		3
CTO/05		4
2026		4
From the Desk of the Secretary General		4
A New Era of Transformation		4
CTO/05		5
2026		5
CTO/05		6
2026		6
FROM THE DESK OF THE CHAIRMAN		6
VISION FOR THE CTO		6
Incoming Chaiman Speech made at the CTO 64th Council Lesotho		6
CTO/05		7
2026		7
We are a small island state. We have faced constraints. We have made tough choices…in our national journey towards becoming a digital hub in the region and now we stand ready to share our experiences and to learn from the rich diversity of expertise within the Commonwealth. And we have learned this: Progress demands clarity, courage and partnership. That is the leadership we bring. Distinguished delegates, This is not the time for hesitation. This is the time for decisive action. Let us close the gaps. Let us secure our digital space. Let us unlock opportunity for every citizen. Mauritius is ready to lead and ready to deliver.		7
Before ending, I will fail in my duty, if I do not express my sincere gratitude to the KINGDOM OF LESOTHO, for its WARM HOSPITALITY, AND EXCELLENT ORGANISATION OF THE CONFERENCE. CTO deeply appreciates your generosity and commitment to making this event a success. I thank you ALL for your attention.		7
EDITOR’S NOTE		7
CTO/05		8
2026		8
A Day in the Life of CTO HEAD OF FINANCE		8
BY LINDA NEH		8
CTO/05		9
2026		9
LEADERSHIP FOR THE FUTURE: CTO ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE		9
BY DINEIL IGNATIUS		9
CTO/05		10
2026		10
DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION		10
CTO/05		11
2026		11
Advancing a People-Centred Digital Future		11
REFLECTIONS ON THE 64TH CTO COUNCIL MEETING AND COMMONWEALTH DIGITAL ROADSHOW IN LESOTHO		11
BY IRENE NAKAGGWA		11
A Shared Vision of Speed, Transparency, and Cultural Identity		11
“Digital innovation should strengthen, rather than replace, cultural identity and human connection, preserving the unique social fabric of the Basotho people." — Hon. Nthati Moorosi, Minister of MISTCI “		11
CTO/05		12
2026		12
CTO/05		13
2026		13
Governance and Leadership at the 64th CTO Council Meeting		13
CTO/05		14
2026		14
DIGITAL DEVELOPMENT		15
CTO/05		16
2026		16
From Earth to Orbit: Advancing Resilient Digital Futures Across the Commonwealth		16
BY LEONARD OBONYO		16
CTO/05		17
2026		17
CONNECTING THE COMMONWEALTH TO THE INTERNET: WHY THE RIGHT VISION NEEDS A HARDER LOOK AT MEANINGFUL CONNECTIVITY		19
CTO/05		20
2026		20
WHY LIFTING MORE INTO CONNECTIVITY IS GETTING INCREASINGLY HARDER – THE PARETO PRINCIPLE		21
Three failures, not one		22
WHAT WORKS, AND WHERE IT COMES FROM – LESSONS FROM BRAZIL, INDIA AND KENYA		23
A practical connectivity agenda for the CTO		23
CTO/05		24
2026		24
On partnership, the CTO's convening role is the answer to the coordination failure. This convening role is at the heart of CTO’s Connectivity, Collaboration and Partnership (CCP) vision. A standing Commonwealth mechanism that lets fragmented national efforts pool their bargaining power, share what works, and set realistic targets together would do more than any single national programme. This is the natural Commonwealth contribution to the Global Digital Divide Leadership Coordination Forum (GDDLCF) that the connectivity field badly needs. Leonard and Dineil were right that partnership amplifies impact. The argument here simply adds that partnership has a specific job to do, which is to fix the coordination failure that no member state can solve on its own, and to do it on the basis of honest numbers and reachable targets on connectivity and meaningful connectivity The CCP vision does not need replacing. It needs the harder arithmetic underneath it. Get the measurement right, accept that most of the work is still to come, and the Commonwealth can lead in closing a meaningful connectivity gap that is wider than the official figures admit.		24
CTO/05		26
2026		26
ONE COMMONWEALTH VOICE: ADVANCING COORDINATION IN GLOBAL DIGITAL GOVERNANCE		26
BY LEONARD OBONYO		26
COLLABORATION		26
CTO/05		27
2026		27
GLOBAL DIGITAL GOVERNANCE		27
CTO/05		28
2026		28
ENHANCING DIGITAL READINESS ACROSS CTO MEMBER STATES		28
CTO, ICANN AND ITU UNITE TO STRENGTHEN DIGITAL CAPACITY		28
BY LEONARD OBONYO		28
CTO/05		29
2026		29
GLOBAL RELATIONS		30
CTO/05		31
2026		31
READY, SET, LEARN! CTO REVEALS THE 2026/2027 TRAINING CALENDAR		31
BY LETANG KEKWALETSWE		31
CTO/05		32
2026		32
CTO/05		33
2026		33
FEATURE ARTICLE		33
THE DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY GAP		33
An Individual, Community, Governmental, and National Imperative		33
BY MALETHEBA LESA MAKOELE		33
WHY THIS CONVERSATION, WHY NOW		33
CTO/05		34
2026		34
FEATURE ARTICLE		34
THE MICRO: YOUR PRESENCE, YOUR DATA, YOUR RIGHTS		34
QUICK EXERCISE		34
CTO/05		35
2026		35
THE MESO AND MACRO: JURISDICTION, ETHICS, INTEGRITY		35
WHY THE URGENCY		35
A CLOSING QUESTION		35
CTO/05		36
2026		36
A Digital Future for All Africans		36
How a partnership forged during the CTO Digital Roadshow in Lesotho is building an African-led model for AI and digital literacy.		36
BY MPHO LETIMA		36
&		36
MALETHEBA LESA MAKOELE		36
A SHARED VISION		36
CTO/05		37
2026		37
INTRODUCING THE AYA LEARN MODEL		37
At the heart of GEM Africa is the Aya Learn Model, a six-phase learning framework developed by Code Cafe AI.		37
The model guides learners from foundational digital literacy through AI awareness, digital entrepreneurship and ultimately digital sovereignty. Unlike many existing programmes, it is designed from the outset to support African languages rather than treating localisation as an afterthought. The accompanying Aya learning platform provides structured learning pathways, integrated assessments, learner tracking and real-time programme reporting, replacing fragmented delivery methods that often rely on multiple disconnected platforms. Together, the methodology and platform create a scalable model capable of supporting community-based digital literacy programmes across diverse African contexts.		37
FROM LESOTHO TO AFRICA		37
GEM Africa will begin with pilots in Lesotho, South Africa, and subsequently Kenya, creating a phased expansion model based on proven country partnerships rather than rapid geographic growth. The initiative is designed to scale across both the Commonwealth, and the wider African continent as new institutional partnerships are established. Its long-term ambition is to build an African-led ecosystem where local institutions deliver digital education through African methodologies, African languages and African-owned digital infrastructure.		37
WHY IT MATTERS		37
Artificial intelligence is reshaping economies at unprecedented speed. Yet many African communities remain excluded from the systems, languages and institutions driving this transformation. For the founders of GEM Africa, digital inclusion is no longer simply about connectivity—it is about participation, ownership and agency. Their vision is one in which African women and young people are equipped not only to use emerging technologies, but also to shape them.		37
AN INVITATION TO COLLABORATE		37
GEM Africa is now engaging governments, development partners, academic institutions and the private sector to expand its reach across the continent. The initiative welcomes collaboration on research, country implementation, investment and knowledge exchange as it works towards a shared goal: ensuring that Africa’s digital future is designed with African voices, institutions and communities at its centre.		37
ASK CENERVA		38
CTO/05		39
2026		39
CTO InfoSphere is produced and published by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO).		41
For more information about the CTO and its programmes, please contact:		41
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) 64-66 Glenthorne Rd London W6 0LR Website: www.cto.int Email: info@cto.int		41
© [2026] Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation. All rights reserved.		41

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