Operationalizing Digital Sovereignty: The Autonomy Blue Print

RealTyme

Session 373

Tuesday, 7 July 2026 ∼ 15:00–15:45 (UTC+02:00) Physical (on-site) and Virtual (remote) participation Room E, ITU Varembé Building Interactive Session

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Physical (on-site) and Virtual (remote) participation

Digital Public Infrastructure Sovereign Stacks, Post-Quantum Resilience, and Edge AI

In an era of shifting geopolitical alliances and hyper-scaler dominance, digital sovereignty has graduated from a policy objective to a national security imperative. Developing nations face a dual challenge: avoiding systemic vendor lock-in and securing critical infrastructure against imminent decryption threats.

This session moves beyond theoretical "data decolonization" debates into the "Engine Room" of actual deployment. Presenting a validated model for national secure-by-design communication stacks, our speakers will demonstrate how African and Arab states are bypassing technology monopolies to build resilient, sovereign digital public infrastructure (DPI).

Mr. François Rodriguez CCO Switzerland

François Rodriguez is a leading voice in digital sovereignty and post-quantum secure communications. As Chief Commercial Officer at RealTyme, he works with governments, cybersecurity agencies, and regulated enterprises to build communication infrastructure that no foreign jurisdiction can reach. A speaker at IDC META event in Doha, and co-instructor of the ITU Academy course on digital sovereignty, François has architected strategic partnerships across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. His conviction is simple and uncompromising: sovereignty must be built through local resilience — not purchased.

H.E. Eng. Mohamed Benamor Secretary General Arab ICT Organisation Remote Panellist

His Excellency Eng. Mohamed Ben Amor is the Secretary-General of the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization (AICTO), a specialized agency within the League of Arab States. He has led the organization since 2015, steering regional policies in digital transformation and cybersecurity

Ms. Thelma Efua Quaye Chief Digital Infrastructure, Skills, and Empowerment Officer Smart Africa

Thelma Efua Quaye is a prominent Ghanaian digital leader who serves as the Chief Digital Infrastructure, Skills, and Empowerment Officer at the Smart Africa Secretariat. With over 19 years of experience spanning telecommunications, information and communications technology (ICT), and banking, she plays a central role in driving Africa's digital transformation agenda

Ms. Maryna Veuthey Project Coordinator RealTyme Moderator

At RealTyme, I work closely with product, sales, and delivery teams to support adoption and enablement. Part of my role involves coordinating training-related activities and joint initiatives with partners such as ITU — aligning stakeholders, structuring contributions, and ensuring that learning efforts are clear, relevant, and well executed.

What motivates me is capacity building in a very concrete sense: helping organisations and teams gain clarity, confidence, and autonomy. I bring a pragmatic, collaborative approach, and I care about doing the work properly — from coordination and alignment to real-world impact.

Topics

Artificial Intelligence Capacity Building Cybersecurity Digital Divide

WSIS Action Lines

C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development
C2. Information and communication infrastructure
C4. Capacity building
C5. Building confidence and security in use of ICTs
C11. International and regional cooperation

Track: High-Level Track / Thematic Workshop Primary WSIS Action Line: AL C5. Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs Secondary WSIS Action Lines: AL C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders; AL C4. Capacity building; AL C11. International and regional cooperation

Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 4: Quality Education (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all)

Implementation: Underpinned by capacity building with the ITU Academy and Smart Africa Digital Academy (SADA), the session addresses the critical need for localized, continuous digital training. It outlines educational frameworks that equip civil servants and engineers with the skills necessary to manage, configure, and maintain advanced cryptographic and AI stacks independently.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation)

Implementation: Sovereign communications, Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), and Edge AI form the foundation of next-generation national infrastructure. By shifting away from vulnerable, foreign-hosted monopolies toward localized digital public infrastructure (DPI), this session provides the physical and mathematical blueprints for sustainable, resilient, and secure industrial-grade digital architectures.

GDC Objectives

Objective 1: Close all digital divides and accelerate progress across the Sustainable Development Goals