BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY

Hundreds to Descend on Nairobi for Digital Rights Forum

BUSINESS TODAYNov 4, 20221 Mins read1.3k

Kenya's capital city Nairobi. [Photo/ Kanu|Twitter]

Kenya will next year host the 10^th Edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF).

The forum, whose theme is Building A Sustainable Internet For All will take place in Nairobi from 11th to 13^th April 2023. Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading Pan-African Digital Rights and Inclusion organization has been convening DRIF since 2013.

The organization’s Partnerships and Engagements Manager, Ms. Thobekile Matimbe said the forum is a critical platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated, and partnerships forged for action.

“DRIF has been instrumental in setting the tone as an arena for interrogating the digital environment in Africa, discussing global trends and presenting solutions for tackling challenges faced in the region,” she added.

Ms. Thobekile said PIN expects 300 delegates to attend the in-person event in the city, whose venue will be announced in the coming days, and over 200 delegates to join pre-DRIF sessions. She used the opportunity to announce a call for session proposals welcoming responses from members of the civil society, technical community, academia, government and the private sector. The call opened on 2 November 2022 and will run until 31 December 2022.

READ>>Mutuma Mathiu Out, Ageyo In as NMG Shakes Up Top Editorial Suite

The event will be held in collaboration with several partners who will be announced in due course. The 9^th Edition of DRIF themed Towards a Digitally Inclusive Africa was a hybrid event with virtual sessions taking place from 12^th-14^th April and physical sessions taking place between 20th April and 20^th May, 2022. Physical sessions were hosted in 17 African countries and were attended by various organisations, activists, academia, legislature and policymakers within the digital ecosystem. DRIF23 will build on the engagements from the 9th Edition as tangible solutions are developed to address key concerns.