Heads of the most prominent freedom of expression organisations in Africa are holding a Strategy Meeting in Accra on March 12-13, 2015 to discuss internet freedom in Africa.
The meeting will mainly focus on the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. It will specifically discuss strategies for creating awareness about the principles of the Declaration and seeking endorsement for the Declaration from all those who have stakes in the internet in Africa.
The African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms is a Pan-African initiative that seeks to elaborate on the principles which are necessary to uphold human and people’s rights on the internet. It also seeks to cultivate an internet environment that can best meet Africa’s social and economic development needs and goals.
“It is important to popularise the document so that all stakeholders, including the public appreciate its tenets and the need to safeguard our collective ability to connect, communicate and conduct business anytime, anywhere, around and across the world using the internet” said Dora B. Mawutor, Programme Officer at the Media Foundation for West Africa (the local organising organisation).
A special opening ceremony for this important meeting will be held on March 12, 2015 at the Mensvic Grand Hotel in East Legon, Accra. Ghana’s Minister of Communications is the Special Guest of Honour.
The opening session will bring together critical stakeholders in the internet ecosystem in Ghana including government, civil society, academia, technical and business communities, the media and the end-users.
Ghana was chosen for this all-important meeting in recognition of the country’s commendable media and freedom of expression environment. It is also in recognition of the country’s commitment to internet freedom which is demonstrated by Ghana’s place as one of the only three African countries that are members of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC).
