Speakers and participants from over 38 countries at the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum 2019 have decried the activities of various governments which have infringed on digital rights and as well charted a new course for the digital space and economy especially on the African continent.
The Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum, a two day event holding in Lagos is an initiative of Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African digital rights and inclusion social enterprise.
The issues dominating the conversation during the first day of the Forum include low internet penetration and high digital illiteracy, internet censorship including shutdowns and data protection issues arising from rampant data collection by government agencies without data protection laws.
Funke Opeke, the CEO of MainOne Cable, emphasised the need for government to partner the private sector instead of constituting itself as a stumbling block to expand internet access.
Opeke said governments in other climes “create the right incentives and structures to facilitate access to the internet especially in the rural areas.”
For his part, Dr Ernest Ndukwe, a former chief executive of the Nigerian Communication Commission, said “we need to focus more attention on what government can do to ensure people have access. One way to do that is for the civil society and citizens alike should commend governments doing the right thing in expanding access and criticise those doing poorly.”
Data protection conversation also took centre stage on Day 1 as delegates and speakers alike assessed the state of data protection and privacy laws on the continent. Ephraim Kenyanito of Article 19 and Morisola Alaba of Media Rights Agenda, while speaking on the new 5G technology, said there was an urgent need to have data privacy legislation as technology made its way to the continent, saying the technical capabilities of 5G could allow for greater surveillance capacities for repressive governments.
#DRIF19 is the seventh edition of the Forum which is convened annually to provide an “important platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, and policy directions forged.” The Forum is supported by Google, Ford Foundation, and Heinrich Böll Stiftung.
Share this
