Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading Pan-African Digital Rights and Inclusion organization, has opened registration for the 10th Edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF23), a pan-African bilingual event that will be held in Nairobi, Kenya from April 12th to 14th 2023.
The forum themed ‘Building A Sustainable Internet For All’ will be held at Sarova Stanley Hotel, bringing together 300 representatives from government, legislature, civil society, non-governmental organizations, academia, policymakers, technical community, and the private sector within the digital ecosystem.
The 2023 in-person forum will be hosted in collaboration with Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and other PIN partners with the sponsors of the event so far being the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Wikimedia Foundation, Google, and Global Network Initiative (GNI).
In a press statement, Ms. Thobekile Matimbe, PIN’s Partnerships and Engagements Manager, said that the organization and its partners are looking forward to hosting vibrant and thought-provoking sessions that will provide solutions to the current global digital challenges.
“The caliber of session proposals we received represents the thoughts, ideas, challenges, and solutions in the digital and inclusion space. At PIN, we are honored to provide a platform that acts as a melting point for stimulating discussions and great ideas. This will be a great forum, and we appreciate all our stakeholders who presented their proposals,” she added.
At the same time, the Convener and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KICTANet Ms. Grace Githaiga, said that the forum would play a key role in bringing together key players in the tech space at a time when the world is racing to catch up with many technological developments which are happening in quick succession.
“As a major think tank in the country, I would say this is a major event as it goes a long way in further entrenching Kenya’s position as a leader in the tech space both in the region and beyond,” Githaiga reiterated.
This year, the organization (PIN) sifted through 112 session applications and accepted 70 from partners in 23 countries across the world.
Sessions will focus on among other themes, Internet shutdowns, Universal Service Fund utilization, data protection, content moderation, and censorship. Also lined up at the event are key launches of research, platforms, and networks.
Last year’s DRIF under the theme, Towards a Digitally Inclusive Africa was a hybrid event which was able to reach 1,300 individuals where physical sessions were hosted in 17 African countries. The link to the forum’s registration form can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/DRIF23Registration
By Michael Omondi
