Internet freedom policy

Delegates from Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda Zimbabwe, and a host of other countries will convene on March 8 and 9 for the 2016 Internet Freedom Forum, in Abuja, Nigeria. The organisers, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), along with AccessNow, Google, Facebook, Civicus, and Internews have christened it, Rights are Rights, Online or Offline.

“Several experts, Internet Freedom advocates, journalists and government officials from all across Africa have confirmed participation at the event, “said Adeboye Adegoke, Program Manager (ICT Policy) at PIN.

Some of the confirmed panelists are Hon. Chukwuemeka Ujam, the Vice Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Telecommunications, Titi Akinsanmi-Bolarinwa, Lead, Policy and Government Relations, Google, Ebele Okobi, Head of Public Policy, Africa, Facebook, Ephraim Kenyanito, Sub-Saharan Africa Policy Analyst, AccessNow, BudgIT co-founder, Seun Onigbinde, Japheth Omojuwa, award-winning journalist, Tolu Ogunlesi, Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria, among others.

Nani Jansen, Legal Director at Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) will deliver the keynote address. She has served in freedom of expression cases before national and international courts, and human rights tribunals, including the European Court of Human Rights, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the UN Human Rights Committee, among others.

To contribute to the conversation on a government policy level, PIN has invited the Nigerian Minister of Communications, National Security Adviser, Director General of Department of State Security Service, and the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission.

Participation at the event is by invitation only, and you can register on the event website, www.pinigeria.org/iff. The #IFF2016 Secretariat will contact all the applicants that have been selected. 

Osarumen Osamuyi Author

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