Youth, Digital Access and Urban Participation in the Global South

Posted on 2026-01-06

International Hybrid Symposium

Digital technologies, particularly smartphones and mobile internet, are transforming the way young people learn, interact, organise themselves and participate in social, economic and cultural life around the world. However, access to and effective use of these tools remain unevenly distributed. Geographical location, socio-economic status and gender influence not only the ability to connect, but also the skills mobilised and creative strategies developed to overcome obstacles.

In order to strengthen scientific knowledge and inform public policy decisions, this symposium aims to combine engineering and social science approaches to analyse digital access infrastructure and young people's appropriation practices in urban areas, particularly in secondary cities in the Global South. Discussions will draw on ongoing research in Senegal on digital access and usage among young people in Saint-Louis and Ziguinchor, two rapidly changing cities characterised by diverse digital service ecologies.

 

THEMATIC AREAS
Proposals may fall within one or more of the following areas:

1- Measuring digital access
This theme focuses on methods, data and tools for characterising access to digital technologies in cities in the Global South.

  • Construction of indicators: network availability, quality of service, data costs, electricity reliability, access to equipment
  • Measuring geographical accessibility: distances, mobility constraints, service density
  • Analysis of affordability according to income, professional status and forms of precariousness
  • Geostatistical approaches and spatial analyses of intra-urban inequalities
  • New metrics to capture the plurality of access environments (public/private, shared/individual)

2- Young people's digital practices
This area explores how young people use digital technology in their daily lives and how they are transforming platforms.

  • Communication, learning, leisure, civic participation and community support
  • Use of mobile money, informal e-commerce and professional social networks
  • Strategies for adapting to limited supply: shared packages, ‘street Wi-Fi’ and multi-user phones
  • Digital creativity and vernacular innovation: repurposing applications to meet local needs
  • Cultural and identity dimensions of digital uses

3- Gender and inclusion
This theme examines inequalities in access and use based on gender and levers for inclusion.

  • Economic, domestic and socio-cultural constraints affecting young women's access
  • Online violence, surveillance risks, protection and autonomy issues
  • Role of peers, associations and female role models in skills development
  • Local support initiatives: coding clubs, digital mentors, safe spaces
  • Intersectionality of exclusion (gender × class × territory × disability)

4- Urban services and digital ecosystems
This theme aims to map and analyse the networks and infrastructure that enable or limit digital access.

  • Spatial distribution of digital access points: public Wi-Fi, cybercafés, municipal spaces, connected schools
  • Support infrastructure: renewable energy, equipment repair, telephony and mobile money
  • Relationships between urban dynamics: commercial density, transport, economic informality
  • Roles of public, private and community actors in the organisation of digital services
  • Urban digital ecologies as levers of opportunity for young people

5- Local digital governance and public policy
This theme invites contributions on regulatory frameworks and institutional mechanisms supporting digital inclusion.

  • Universal service funds, subsidies for young people, public access spaces, digital training programmes
  • Co-construction of policies with young people: participation, consultation, democratic innovation
  • Issues of confidentiality, data protection and digital justice
  • Urban planning models and tools that integrate digital technology as an essential service
  • Evaluation and comparison of municipal, national and regional strategies

 

Submission guidelines
Each proposal must specify:

  • Selected thematic area
  • Title
  • Abstract (max. 300 words)
  • 5 keywords
  • Name(s), affiliation(s) and short bio (max. 100 words)

Schedule

  • Submission deadline: 31 January 2026
  • Notification: 15 February 2026
  • Symposium dates: 12–13 March 2026 (hybrid format)

Link for the Google Forms > https://go.epfl.ch/symposium-submission

 

Promotion of Results
The results will be disseminated to young audiences via:

  • Social media campaigns
  • Accessible and co-constructed exhibition materials
  • A selection of contributions will be published in a collective publication.

Institutional Context
Text adapted for the digital inclusion research initiative, consistent with the structure of the international symposium described in the document provided.

Steering committee

  • Prof. Jérôme CHENAL, EPFL, Lausanne, Suisse
  • Prof. Lamine NDIAYE, ESP, UCAD, Dakar Sénégal
  • Prof. Cheikh Samba WADE, UGB, Saint Louis, Sénégal
  • Prof. Moussa DIALLO, ESP, UCAD, Dakar, Sénégal

Technical Committee

  • Dr. Jean-Claude Baraka MUNYAKA, EPFL, Lausanne, Suisse
  • Dr. Pablo DE ROULET, EPFL, Lausanne, Suisse
  • Dr. Samuel Dimitri ADJANOHOUN, UGB, Saint Louis, Sénégal
  • Dr. Djiby SOW, UGB, Saint Louis, Sénégal
  • Dr. Tatiana MBENGUE, UGB, Saint Louis, Sénégal
  • Dr. Robert Madoune SEYE, ESP, UCAD, Dakar, Sénégal
  • Dr. Derguene MBAYE, ESP, UCAD, Dakar, Sénégal
  • Prof Nawal BENABDALLAH, UIR, Rabat, Maroc
  • Dr. Stephane C. K. TEKOUABOU, ENS, UY1, Yaoundé, Cameroun
  • Prof Antoine de Padoue NSEGBE, Uds, Dschang, Cameroun
  • Prof. Constantin NTIRANYIBAGIRA, Université du Burundi, Bujumbura, Burundi
  • Prof. Gilbert YASSI, ENS, UFHB, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire