Kemi Busari
The 2016 Internet Freedom Forum hosted by Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) will commence tomorrow at the Chelsea Hotel, Central Area, Abuja.
The pan-African event will host delegates from Cameroun, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, among others,
The forum with the theme: ‘rights are rights. Online or offline’ is aimed at focusing on indices around Internet Freedom in African countries and the need for African countries to codify citizens right online.
The Digital Rights and Freedom Bill, which seeks to codify online rights in Nigeria, will be reviewed at the forum and presented as a model for adoption by other African countries. ‘Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of PINigeria noted.
The two-day event which will start tomorrow 8th and end on 9th March 2016 will host internet freedom advocates, policymakers, lawmakers, academic institutions and civil societies across Africa. It will also involve a moderated panel of experts’ discussion on recent developments and policy direction regarding Internet Freedom across African countries.
The keynote address will be delivered by Nani Jansen, the Legal Director of the Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI), a London-based NGO. Nani acted as lead counsel on the first freedom of expression cases to be taken before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the East African Court of Justice. She has published on issues in international law, freedom of expression and human rights.
Also expected are; Senate President of Nigeria, Senator Bukola Saraki, Chidi Odinkalu, Senior Legal Officer, Open Society Justice Initiative, Japheth Omojuwa, Blogger, Omojuwa.com, Nigeria and Tolu Ogunlesi , Special Assistant on Digital/New Media to the President among several others.
Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN) is a social enterprise that connects Nigerian youth with ICT-enabled opportunities through capacity building programs, ICT Policy intervention programs and the #DigitalJobs campaign.
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