Registration Opens for the 10th edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF23) in Nairobi, Kenya

Registration is now open for the 10th Edition of Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF23), a pan-African bilingual event that will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from April 12th to 14th, 2023. 

Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading Pan-African Digital Rights and Inclusion organization, has been convening DRIF since 2013. The forum, whose theme is  Building A Sustainable Internet For All will be held at Sarova Stanley Hotel, bringing together 300 hundred 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. KICTANet is a multi-stakeholder think tank in Kenya for ICT policy and regulation. So far, the event sponsors are the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Wikimedia Foundation, Google, and Global Network Initiative (GNI).

This year, the organization 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. 

Ms. Thobekile Matimbe, PIN’s Partnerships and Engagements Manager, said 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.

Ms. Grace Githaiga, the Convenor and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KICTANet, said 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 said.

Last year’s DRIF under the theme, Towards a Digitally Inclusive Africa was a hybrid event which was able to reach 1,300 individuals. Physical sessions were hosted in 17 African countries.
The link to the forum’s registration can be accessed here: https://bit.ly/DRIF23Registration 

Paradigm Initiative (PIN) connects underserved young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures the protection of their rights. It has worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007 and across Africa since 2017, building experience, community trust, and an organizational culture that positions it as a leading social enterprise in ICT for Development and Digital Rights on the continent.

Across our regional offices in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and beyond, we have impacted youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs. The organization’s programs include Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship (LIFE) training program, Dufuna, a digital readiness workshop for girls, and life at school club program.

PIN has also built online platforms that educate and serve as safe spaces for reporting digital rights violations. These mediums, in the form of reports, short films, and educational online platforms, include Ayeta, Londa, and Ripoti.