Accra, April 20, GNA-Founder and Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Dr. Joseph Kobla Wemakor is set to take centre stage at the RightsCon 2026 Summit, scheduled to take place from May 5–8, 2026 in Lusaka, Zambia.
He will convene and facilitate a high-level dialogue on press freedom and disability inclusion as part of the global summit organized by Access Now, an international non-profit organization headquartered in New York and globally recognized for defending and expanding digital rights.
A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said the featured session, titled “Silenced Twice: Press Freedom and Disability Voices Under Threat in Africa,” will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre (Kenneth Kaunda Wing).
It said the summit was expected to attract 2,500–4,000 in-person participants and over 3,000 virtual attendees from more than 150 countries, making it one of the world’s leading gatherings on digital rights, civic space, and inclusive development.
“Dr. Wemakor will lead the session aimed at highlighting the growing threats facing media freedom and marginalized communities across the continent.
“The session will examine how shrinking civic space and restrictions on press freedom compound inequalities, particularly for persons with disabilities who face “double marginalization”—both systemic exclusion and underrepresentation in media narratives”.
For over a decade, he has championed human rights, child protection, gender equality, climate justice, and sustainable livelihoods, leading high-impact initiatives that empower vulnerable communities across Ghana and beyond.
He serves as a Steering Committee Member of the Ghana Civil Society Organizations Platform on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as Convener of its Youth Sub-Platform, representing more than 500 civil society organizations nationwide.
On the global stage, Wemakor has represented Ghana and delivered keynote addresses, speeches, and panel interventions at numerous high-level continental and international forums, reinforcing his influence in advancing human rights and inclusive development.
His engagements include the United Nations High-Level Political Forum, the Pan-African Human Rights and Social Justice Conference, the International Seminar on Enhancing Human Rights Activities in North Korea, the Pan-African Conference on National Security and Human Rights (Nairobi), the South Korea COVID-19 Human Rights Forums, and the High-Level Africa Civil Society AML/CFT Conference in Gaborone, Botswana.
He has also delivered keynote addresses and served in prominent speaking roles, including as Special Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker at the Farmers Care Programme in Yilo Krobo, Somanya; as a Panel Speaker at the 3rd West Africa Civil Society Week in Accra; and as a featured speaker at the National Civil Society Conference commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the United Nations in Ghana.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba