Highlight- Launch of the IDRC Project!!!
DRIF26 Day 1: A Forum That Dares to Speak Up
My recap of the 13th edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum
There is something uniquely energizing about being in a room full of people who believe that the digital world can and must work for everyone. That was the atmosphere that greeted attendees as the 13th edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF26) opened its doors today, and Day 1 did not disappoint.
Setting the Tone: An Opening That Meant Business
The opening ceremony wasted no time getting to the heart of things. The Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative In took the stage to unpack this year’s theme — Building Inclusive and Resilient Digital Futures and delivered what may well be the defining statement of the entire forum:
“When people are excluded, we need to speak up.”
Simple. Direct. Necessary. It was the kind of line that doesn’t just open a conference it sets a standard for everything that follows.
The Sessions: Where the Real Work Happens
Once the curtain came down on the opening ceremony, DRIF26 was officially live, and the sessions that followed made it clear that this forum is not interested in surface-level conversations.
A 13-Month Research Project on Information Integrity in West and Central Africa was formally launched a significant commitment to understanding how information flows, distorts, and impacts communities across the region. This is the kind of long-form, rigorous work that advocacy desperately needs more of, and I was glad to see it take center stage.
The session on Digital Inclusion for Wellbeing and Civic Participation in the Global South broadened the lens on what digital inclusion actually means. It is not just about access to a device or a data connection it is about whether people can meaningfully participate in civic life, protect their wellbeing, and have a seat at the table in decisions that affect them.
Perhaps the most thought-provoking session of the day was Resilience in the Age of AI: Governing Emerging Technologies for an Inclusive Digital Future. As artificial intelligence continues to reshape industries and societies, the question of who governs these technologies and in whose interest has never been more urgent.
What I’m Taking Away from Day 1
If I had to distill the spirit of Day 1 into a few key ideas, they would be these:
Africa deserves AI that speaks its languages. Not metaphorically literally. The conversation around Africans building AI systems that understand African languages was a reminder that technology that cannot speak to you is technology that was not built for you.
Mental health is a civic right. This reframing struck me. Wellbeing is not a personal luxury or a wellness trend it is part of the broader ecosystem of rights and innovation that determines whether communities thrive.
Dignity is not a regional issue. The quote that closed the day carried the weight of everything that had been said before it:
“All humans are born free in rights and human dignity and that includes Africa.”
It should not need to be said. And yet, here we are still saying it, still fighting for it, and forums like DRIF26 are part of why that fight continues.
Day 1 has laid a strong foundation. I cannot wait to see what the days ahead bring.
Follow along as I continue to share updates from DRIF26. #DRIF26 #DigitalRights #InclusiveDigitalFutures
