By Dennis Peprah
Accra, April 24, GNA- Dr Aida Opoku-Mensah, the Managing Director of the Centric Digital Ghana on Wednesday, asked stakeholders and actors to harness a transformative power of digital technology to create a better society for all.
That could be done if stakeholders embraced diversity of thoughts, perspectives and remained steadfast in their commitment to advancing digital rights and inclusion.
Dr Opoku-Mensah, who is also the Board Vice Chair, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organisation, threw the challenge at the 11th Digital Rights and Inclusive Forum 2024 (DRIF24), underway in Accra.
The three-day conference is being organised by the Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organisation and other partners on the theme: “Fostering rights and inclusion in the digital age”.
Participants comprised of hundreds of delegates, civil society organisations and actors, NGOs and the academia drawn from 61 countries across the world.
Other partner organisations in Ghana collaborating with PIN include E-Governance and Internet Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA), University of Media, Arts and Communication, Media Foundation for West Africa, Inclusive Tech Group, Internet Society (ISOC) Ghana Chapter, and Human Security Research Centre (HSRC).
Event sponsors included Wikimedia, African Digital Rights Network, Ford Foundation, Luminate, Google, Kingdom of The Netherlands, Mott Foundation, Open Technology Fund (OTF), Internews, Small Media, among others.
Dr Opoku-Mensah said actors in the digital revolution agenda ought to embrace diversity and do more to deepen their understanding and inspire meaningful action.
Throwing more light on the forum, she said the event provided a rich selection of 80 sessions for the delegates to choose from, saying the DRIF24 focused Trust and Accountability, Data Protection, Privacy and Surveillance, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Digital Inclusion and Marginalised Groups, all critical areas in the dynamic tech world.
Dr Opoku-Mensah, said the forum allowed for deepening collaboration and knowledge-sharing, and he expressed the hope that the insights gained, and connections forged at the forum would inspire tangible action and positive change in the pursuit of a more equitable and just digital future.
“At the end of the three days, we envisage that we would have all gained a deeper understanding of the challenges, opportunities and threats in the digital landscape as well as a renewed commitment to advancing digital rights and inclusion for all,” she stated .
She said the forum’s agenda was also spot-on, reflecting the array of challenges and opportunities that accompany the digital revolution.
Dr Albert Antwi-Bosiako, the Director-General of the Cyber Security Authority, said Ghana had made significant strides to expand digital infrastructure and connectivity by constructing over a 1,000 new rural telephony sites in rural areas across.
He said the sites were geared towards expanding network coverage and internet access and underlined the need for the nation to tackle barriers that hindered access to the internet and ensure they were adequately removed to uphold the digital rights of all citizens.
Digital inclusion, Dr Antwi-Bosiako said was not just about access to the internet but also about ensuring that all individuals had the skills and knowledge to fully participate in the digital economy.
That required investing in digital literacy and education initiatives to empower citizens with the skills they needed to navigate the digital landscape and take advantage of the opportunities presented by the internet, he said.
The forum would showcase a range of reports, toolkits, initiatives and platforms from various organisations, including the PIN’s Ripoti-a platform empowering individuals to report digital rights violations.
Additionally, Ayeta, a digital security platform will provide crucial support to human rights defenders, journalists and activists, while PIN’s annual report, would offer indispensable insights into digital rights and inclusion across 26 African countries.
That would serve as a guiding roadmap for policymakers, civil society organisations, governments, members of the academia and other relevant stakeholders.
The forum would further premiere of PIN’s 4th Short Film, “Undersight,” which highlights the transformative power of storytelling in driving social change.
GNA