Agenda

Thomas is Access Partnership’s new intern, and has a background anchored in strong academic circles and international organisations. He brings with him direct experience in international governance, digital policy, and multilateralism. Thomas has served as a delegate to numerous international bodies and conferences, such as the UN General Assembly in New York, the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, the Internet Governance Forum, and most recently as a trainee at the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN and other International Organizations in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Academically, Thomas has worked as a policy research assistant alongside attaining his MSc in Public Policy from the University of Edinburgh. His MSc dissertation focused on how commercial and non-commercial actors employ different lobbying tactics and strategies at different stages of the policy cycle to achieve their strategic advocacy goals. 

His main interests are international organisations, digital policy, multilateralism as well as development, and he has direct experience in policy research, briefings, stakeholder mapping, and evidence-based analysis for governmental and international contexts.

Honourable Emma Inamutila Theofelus is a 30-year-old Namibian woman who serves as a Member of Parliament and the Minister of Information and Communication Technology with the Republic of Namibia. Before her appointment, Honourable Ms. Theofelus was a youth activist around the issues of gender, children’s rights, sustainable development and youth unemployment. She served as the Deputy Speaker of the Youth Parliament of the Republic of Namibia, Board Member of the National Council of Higher Education and the Junior Mayor of the City of Windhoek.

Born in Windhoek, Namibia, she holds an LLB Honours Degree from the University of Namibia where she served as Secretary General of the Student Union in her final year of study, a diploma in Business Management from Amity University and a diploma in African Feminism and Gender Studies from the University of South Africa. She is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in ICT Policy and Regulation at the University of Witwatersrand. She was awarded the Laureate in the Individual Category of the United Nations Population Award, 2022 and serves as a Board Member of the Leadership Council of Africa REACH. She has been recognized as one of the BBC 100 Most Influential Women in the World 2021, named as one of Avance Media 100 Most Influential Young Africans in 2020 and 2021, and featured by the New African as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2020. Moreover, she was recognized by the Reputation Poll as one of the 100 Most Reputable Africans 2020 and was named as the Emerging African Young Leader by the African Leadership Magazine 2022. She is also a Council Member of Nala Feminist Collective where she is championing digital justice on the African continent. Furthermore, she was nominated for the One Young World Politician of the Year Award in 2020 and 2021.

In her current role, she plans to better communicate the activities and programs of the Government of the Republic of Namibia, create a more digitally literate nation, increase access to the internet among Namibians and assist in preparing the Namibian nation for the 4th Industrial Revolution.

H.E. Dr. 'Bosun Tijani is the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of  the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

An accomplished entrepreneur and business leader, H.E. Dr. Tijani is a pioneer in the African startup ecosystem and has been instrumental in driving innovation and fostering the growth of tech startups across the continent. 

He is the co-founder and former CEO of Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB), the leading pan-African technology and innovation center with presence in Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda and Namibia. Founded in 2010, CcHUB has played a pivotal role in nurturing startups through mentorship programs, funding initiatives, and access to essential resources. Under his leadership, CcHUB became a vital catalyst for the African tech ecosystem, promoting collaboration, knowledge sharing and the development of groundbreaking solutions to local and global challenges. H.E. Dr.Tijani's visionary leadership, passion for technology, and commitment to fostering a thriving startup ecosystem have made him a respected figure in the African tech communities. His dedication to creating opportunities and driving innovation continues to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs in Nigeria and beyond. 

Prior to CcHUB, he led the networking and coordination of leading innovation agencies across Europe as European Innovation Manager at PERA, with the aim of standardizing the varying methodologies for commercializing research results. He had also previously worked at the International Trade Centre, in Geneva, Switzerland overseeing the design and implementation of technical support programmes geared towards enlightening and assisting exporters in Sub-Saharan Africa in maximising the use of information and communication technologies for export marketing. 

H.E. Dr. Tijani is an exemplary scholar who holds a Bachelor's Degree in Economics from the University of Jos, a Masters degree in Information Systems and Management from Warwick University and a Doctorate degree in Innovation and Economic Development from the University of Leicester. He is also an adjunct professor at the Wits School of Governance, South Africa. 

His PhD research focussed on contributing to a better understanding of how the network perspective to innovation capacity serves as a contextually relevant framework for explaining the adoption and adaptation of innovation in developing countries and offers an alternative path to how African countries can effectively organise to strengthen their innovation ecosystems.

Darius Zailskas, Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation, the Republic of Lithuania.

Education. Mr Darius Zailskas graduated from Kaunas University of Technology and obtained Bachelor of Electrical Engineering and Master of Electrical Engineering.

Work experience. From October 2025 to now he is Vice-Minister of the Economy and Innovation. He has more than fifteen years’ experience in technology, data infrastructure and logistic.  Previously worked as  Acting CEO of UAB "Data Logistics Center", Head of Infrastructure and Technology Department at UAB "Data Logistics Center", Project Manager of Strategic Projects Department at the Innovation Center of UAB "Technology and Innovation Center"; He was a Member of the Board of UAB "Energy Forces"  August 2008 – March 2009 Member of the Board of UAB "Energy Forces" . 

At the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation Vice-Minister oversees the state digitalisation, IT sector development, public procurement, artificial intelligence development and better regulation measures, management of state information resources, electronic identification and trust services, development of the information society and creating a favourable business environment, GovTech.

Dr. Ali is the Undersecretary for Communications & Information Technology at the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology. Previously, he was the Group VP Technology for Asyad Group where he was responsible for developing, driving, and executing the group's technology & innovation strategy. In his previous career, he was the director of Research Centers & ICT Research at The Research Council of Oman. Before that, he was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University, where he taught, conducted research, and supervised undergraduate and postgraduate projects. 

Dr. Ali published several scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences and supervised graduation projects as well as master's and PhD theses Dr. Ali contributed to the launch of many innovation-related initiatives,: including: the Upgrade (www.upgrade.om), Smart Cities Platform (www.smartoman.org), Ejaad (www.ejaad.om) and the national network for technology transfer in the Sultanate of Oman

He have experience working in academia, in government, and the private sector. He contributed to prosper Oman's knowledge-based economy through several initiatives that he spearheaded throughout his career. His projects and engagements yielded a solid understanding of Oman's innovation ecosystem.

Dr. Al Shidhani received Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia, Masters of IT in Data Communications from the Queensland University of Technology, and B.Eng in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Sultan Qaboos University. 

H.E. Ambassador Philip Thigo, MBS, is an award-winning technology and public policy expert, currently serving as the Republic of Kenya's Special Envoy for Technology, the first in Africa.

Apolitical named him as one of the 2025 World Leading individuals on Artificial Intelligence in Government and one of the World's 100 most influential people in digital government in 2018. In August 2024, Amb. Thigo was recognized by Mozilla under their RISE25 Award as one of five advocates leading the development of artificial intelligence in an ethical, inclusive, and transparent manner.

In 2023, Africa Com listed him among Africa's Top 100 Most Influential Leaders in Technology and Telecommunications. On December 12, 2023, during Kenya’s 60th Independence Day Anniversary, he was awarded the Presidential Commendation, Moran of the Order of the Burning Spear (M.B.S), for his distinguished service to the country. He serves on multiple boards and in multiple roles. - He is in the Executive Steering Group of the Ai Hub for Sutainable Development, a founding steering committee member of the Coalition for Digital Environmental Sustainability (CODES), leads the Power of Data Initiative by Global Partnership on Sustainable Development Data in Kenya, a Sub-Regional Ambassador for the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), Board member of NASA's Earth Observations for SDGs (EO4SDGs), and the Chair of the Board of I am the CODE. In 2023, the United Nations Secretary-General appointed him to his High-Level Advisory Board on Artificial Intelligence (HLAB).

Amb. Thigo has co-authored Foresight and insight reports at the Brookings Institution, the World Economic Forum Global Councils on Food Systems Innovation and the Global Councils on the 4th Industrial Revolution for Global Public Goods, published with Social Watch, Global Voices, Foundation El Taller, Fetzer—Woodrow Wilson Institute of International Development, EISA, and Limerick University, amongst others.

Amb. Thigo has previously held executive positions in International Organizations, NonProfit Organizations, and social ventures in Africa, the MENA region, and Latin America. 
Before his current role, he was the founding Director for Africa at the Thunderbird School for Global Management at Arizona State University.

Dr. Charles Noir leads CIRA’s international and domestic policy and advocacy. He is also responsible for Net Good, a collection of programs focused on closing digital divides and addressing Canada’s most pressing internet challenges. Before joining CIRA, Charles spent more than 15 years with the Government of Canada, where he worked on internet, telecommunications, and technology policy and led international negotiations. 

He holds a PhD in Management (Information Systems) from the University of Cambridge, an MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation from the London School of Economics and a BA in Communication from Simon Fraser University.

Hans Petter has been active in the RIPE community and the Internet industry for over 30 years. He was RIPE Chair from 2014 to 2020, when he took on the position of Managing Director for the RIPE NCC. He has extensive first-hand knowledge of IP address policy development from his time as Chair of the RIPE Address Policy Working Group. Hans Petter was also a member of ICANN's ASO Address Council since its formation in 1999 until 2013, with ten years as Chair and Co-Chair. Later on, he served on the ICANN Nomination Committee for five years.

In 1991, he was one of the founders of Oslonett, one of the first Internet Service Providers in Norway. He worked in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, building networks and Internet services for Schibsted Nett, Scandinavia Online and the city guides Allt om Stockholm and Alt om København before he took on the position as Technical Manager in Tiscali in Norway and was later the Nordic Network Director. Before starting at the RIPE NCC, he worked for Visma for 15 years as Chief Information Security Officer and prior to that as its IT Director. He graduated from the University of Oslo with and Cand. Mag. in Informatics, Mathematics and Physics in 1988.

Global leader in multilateral policy, with senior roles at UNESCO, the OECD, and the G20. Currently co-chair of Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures (TSIFD), developing a framework for financial transparency and social impact.

Architect of UNESCO’s 2021 global standard on the ethical governance of artificial intelligence and the 2025 standard on the ethics of neurotechnology. Strong advocate for inclusive growth and gender equality, including by engaging major corporations (B4IG and Ethics Business Council) and civil society.

Strong track record developing and implementing global standards and evidence-based analyses supporting governments, international organizations, and the private sector to advance reforms. Mexican Candidate to the DG of UNESCO.