from ALLOYCE KIMBUNGA in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania
Tanzania Bureau
DAR-ES-SALAAM, (CAJ News) – TANZANIA will co-host next month’s Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica23).
The move is in line with the country’s digital transformation and wider digitalisation efforts.
“We are pleased to support such an important event in Africa,” said Nape Nnauye, the Minister of Information, Communication and Information Technology.
The minister said in recent years, the government had steadily worked at enhancing its digital transformation through the Tanzania Digital Economy Framework to enhance its capacities within the government and for the citizens to enjoy digital services.
“We value this opportunity to showcase our commitment to promoting internet access in the country and the region. As a Ministry, we have made significant strides in expanding internet access and are committed to ensuring that the internet is a safe and enabling space for all users, especially women, youth, and marginalised groups,” Nnauye said.
An initiative of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), FIFAfrica is the largest and most influential gathering on technology’s role in driving socio-economic and political development in Africa.
It brings together policymakers, regulators, human rights defenders, academia, law enforcement representatives, media, and other stakeholders from across Africa and beyond to discuss the most pressing issues and opportunities for advancing privacy, free expression, inclusion, free flow of information, civic participation and innovation online.
The forum is set for Dar es Salaam on September 27-29.
The Forum has previously been held in Uganda, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zambia and South Africa. It is expected to assemble at least 400 participants from across the continent and beyond.
“We are pleased to co-host FIFAfrica23 alongside the Tanzania Ministry of Information, Communication and Information Technology. This partnership is a testament to the shared vision and commitment of CIPESA and the Government of Tanzania to promote an open and inclusive internet in Africa,” said Dr Wairagala Wakabi, CIPESA’s Executive Director.
Under the leadership of its first female President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, a proponent for civil rights and women’s rights, the country has undergone political and legal reforms aimed at enhancing civic space and the digitalisation agenda.
Some countries in the continent have lately been blocking the internet to quell unrest.
– CAJ News