Lawyers Hub Monthly Review (June 2024)
Message from Linda Bonyo, Founder & CEO, Lawyers Hub
Dear colleagues,
Welcome to the Lawyers Hub Monthly Review. In this issue, we are thrilled to bring you updates on the remarkable work that the Lawyers Hub has been doing in the intersection of Law, Policy, and Technology. We have been tirelessly working to ensure that technology serves the law and vice versa, and we are excited to share our progress with you.
We also have a special update on the Africa Law Tech Festival. As you know, this event is a significant milestone in our calendar, and we are excited to announce this year's dates.
As always, we also bring you updates on the latest dialogues, webinars, and conferences we have contributed to, as well as our reports and publications. We believe that these resources will be instrumental in keeping you informed and engaged in the rapidly evolving tech-law landscape.
I hope you enjoy this edition of our Monthly Review. If you have any comments or suggestions for improvement, please send an email to ceo@lawyershub.org.
Sincerely,
Linda Bonyo,
Founder & CEO, Lawyers Hub.
In this edition
May in review
Lawyers Hub’s Linda Bonyo appointed to the United Nations DPI Safeguards Working Group, to co-chair normative working Group.
May 9th, 2024: The 5th Edition of the Africa Startup Law Accelerator Commences
May 9th, 2024: Lawyers Hub Spearheads Survey on Africa’s Future of Work
May 10th, 2024: Lawyers Hub Co-Moderates Impact Coalition Workshop at UN Civil Society Conference
May 23rd, 2024: Lawyers Hub and UNESCO host webinar on Navigating Gender Rights in African Legal Landscapes
May 24th, 2024: Lawyers Hub hosts Esteemed CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation
Africa Union Artificial Intelligence Strategy Multi- Stakeholder Consultations: Lawyers Hub engages with the AU working group on Artificial Intelligence, following meetings at the OECD with Lawyers Hub in attendance.
May 27th, 2024: Tax & Tech: Lawyers Hub hosts a Policy Discussion on Kenya's Finance Bill 2024 & its impact on the Digital Economy.
May 31st, 2024: Lawyers Hub leads African voice on the summit of the future consultations at the UN New York.
Looking ahead
The Africa Law Tech Festival Returns to Nairobi in August
Lawyers Hub’s Linda Bonyo appointed to the United Nations DPI Safeguards Working Group, to co-chair normative working Group.
The Office of the United Nations Secretary-General Envoy on Technology made the announcement, bringing together global specialists on Safe Digital Public infrastructure. Read the announcement here
The 5th Edition of the Africa Startup Law Accelerator Commences
We are thrilled to announce that the 5th Edition of the Africa Startup Law Accelerator has officially commenced. The accelerator, which runs from May 9th to June 24th, 2024, is a collaborative effort between Lawyers Hub and Laws.Africa, with the shared goal of driving innovation in the legal tech sector across Africa.
This year, we received an overwhelming response with over 200 startups from all corners of Africa expressing interest and submitting applications for the accelerator. After a rigorous selection process, only 28 startups were shortlisted to join the program.
So far, the selected startups have already been taken through two comprehensive training modules on the Foundations of AI & Legal Data and the Technical Integration of AI & Legal Data. In addition, these startups have been granted access to use the Laws.Africa NPO open source legal data for their projects. This initiative aims to lower the barrier to entry for innovation in the legal tech sector.
We are excited to see the innovative solutions that these startups will develop using the resources and training provided. Stay tuned for more updates on their progress and achievements.
Lawyers Hub Spearheads Survey on Africa’s Future of Work
In a bid to understand the evolving African work environment, Lawyers Hub launched a comprehensive survey in the month of May. This initiative comes in the wake of rapid technological advancements that are not only revolutionizing various sectors but also shaping the future of the continent.
These changes have far-reaching implications for labor and digital rights. However, they also bring with them a host of risks. Job displacement, data privacy violations, worker exploitation, and algorithmic bias are some of the challenges that could potentially perpetuate structural injustices. The survey aims to delve into the impact of these changes on people’s lives and work experiences.
The findings will play a crucial role in advocating for improved policies and strategies. These strategies will aim to promote a fair, inclusive, and sustainable future of work for all Africans.
Lawyers Hub Co-Leads the ImPACT Coalition Workshop at the United Nations Civil Society Conference
Lawyers Hub had the honor of co-moderating the ImPACT Coalition on AI & Cyber-Tech Governance Workshop during the 2024 UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi. Risper Onyango (Policy Lead) represented Lawyers Hub at the event, focusing on the theme of Emerging Technologies and the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Despite the potential of AI to significantly contribute to Africa's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), its adoption across the continent remains limited. With only a handful of countries actively embracing AI, the potential for growth varies significantly. Lawyers Hub has examined this issue closely, identifying limitations in infrastructure, data ecosystems, and skill development necessary for AI innovation. Efforts are underway to address these challenges, including collaborations with UNESCO to enhance judiciary capacity.
Risper highlighted that recent events, such as Microsoft Abuja's layoffs, underscore the importance of advocating for tech workers' rights in Africa. As African talent powers technologies globally, it's crucial to promote principles of dignity and mental health in emerging tech sectors.
Lawyers Hub & UNESCO host webinar on Navigating Gender Rights in African Legal Landscapes
Lawyers Hub, in partnership with UNESCO (East Africa office), hosted the 2nd webinar in the Gender, AI and Law in Africa series themed "Breaking Barriers: Navigating Gender Rights in African Legal Landscapes" on 23rd May 2024. The webinar aimed to explore legal frameworks, challenges, and opportunities for advancing gender rights in African legal contexts, fostering dialogue among legal practitioners, activists, policymakers, and the broader community to identify strategies for promoting gender equality.
Key findings and recommendations from the webinar included addressing challenges such as colonial legacy laws, negative cultural norms, weak institutional capacity, and inadequate funding. Strategies emphasized advocating for structural changes, ensuring equal access to resources, mitigating bias in artificial intelligence, and fostering dialogues to raise awareness. Panelists highlighted the need for public-private partnerships to promote digital inclusion and address gender inequalities effectively. The event concluded with a call for continued efforts to advance gender rights in Africa through collaborative initiatives and innovative solutions.
Lawyers Hub hosts Esteemed CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation
On the 24th of May, 2024, The Lawyers Hub was honored to welcome Antonio Zappulla, OMRI , the esteemed CEO of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, an organization renowned for its commitment to advancing media freedom, fostering more inclusive economies, and promoting human rights. This significant meeting, held at our Nairobi offices, focused on the intersection of our organizations’ work and explored promising avenues for future collaboration. Stay tuned for more updates on this partnership.
Lawyers Hub leads African voice on the summit of the future consultations at the UN New York
On 31st May, Linda Bonyo, CEO spoke at the United Nations Consultation on the Summit of the Future. She took the floor to highlight computing disparities and the AI concentration gap in the global south while highlighting opportunities for member states to invest in infrastructure for AI on energy and broadband. This consultation follows the impact coalition and Civil Society conference in Nairobi where the GDC Co-Facilitators applauded the efforts by Lawyers Hub and the DC Based Stimson's Centre on convening the Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Tech Coalitions as a precursor to the summit of the UN General Assembly in September. You can read the civil society co-chair reflection report by co-chairs Carole Agengo and Nudhara Yusuf.
Africa Union Artificial Intelligence Strategy Multi- Stakeholder Consultations: Lawyers Hub engages with the AU working group on Artificial Intelligence, following meetings at the OECD with Lawyers Hub in attendance.
The African Union Working group hosted a series of consultations on the AI continental strategy . The strategy development has seen the Lawyers Hub CEO as working group members engage in shaping Africa’s future AI Dialogue. You can review the submissions and dialogue as the process is ongoing.
Tax & Tech: Lawyers Hub hosts a Policy Discussion on Kenya's Finance Bill 2024
On Monday, May 27, 2024, we conducted a public policy discussion on the potential impact of the proposed Finance Bill 2024 on Kenya’s digital ecosystem. The event featured Ben Roberts, Group Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Liquid Telecom, Lilian Renee Omondi, a partner at Oraro & Company Advocates, and Julians Amboko, a business journalist at Nation Media Group. The dialogues Lead to discussions on the future of work and taxation of the Digital economy as well as the new requirements in place of Big Tech company compliance with place of residence vs the challenge of startups on multiple compliance hurdles.
Lawyers Hub & The Bloggers Association of Kenya present their Memorandum to Kenya’s Parliament on the Finance Bill 2024
On May 30, 2024, following the policy discussion on Kenya’s Finance Bill, the Lawyers Hub, in conjunction with the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) , presented their submissions on the Finance Bill, 2024 (National Assembly Bills No. 30 of 2024) to the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning. These submissions incorporated insights and recommendations from the policy discussion, providing enhanced recommendations for the Finance Bill. You can read the submissions here.
Africa Law & Tech Festival 2024. Save the Date!
It is our pleasure to invite you to the 5th installment of the Africa Law Tech Festival, scheduled to take place from August 26th to August 27th, 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. This two-day event boasts an impressive lineup of over 50 speakers, more than 15 panel discussions, and upwards of 10 masterclasses. In addition, there will be networking opportunities, an awards ceremony, an exhibition, and so much more. Please make a note in your calendars and reserve these dates. We will begin accepting registrations on June 20th, 2024. We look forward to your participation!More information about the festival
Upcoming Trainings
Certified Information Privacy Professional Certification Training (CIPP/E)
We are thrilled to announce that the registration for the eleventh installment of our CIPP/E certification training, is now officially open! This certification, known as CIPP/E, is a creation of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and is recognized globally as the benchmark for European data protection certification. It covers a broad spectrum, including pan-European and national data protection laws, essential data protection terminology, and practical concepts related to the safeguarding of personal data and cross-border data flows.
Data Protection & Compliance Training: Kenyan Context
The enforcement of data protection reforms has seen a drastic change in how businesses and organisations are expected to process data, handle data and align their policies appropriately to the laws and regulations in place. Ths Data Protection Compliance training equips you with 'All You Need to Know' on Data Protection, Data Security and Compliance. There is no need for prior knowledge or experience to complete this course. Upon successful completion, one will be awarded with a certificate from the Africa Digital Policy Institute, and the Lawyers Hub. This training will be held in-person at Lawyers Hub offices in Nairobi
