WAIGF Opening Ceremony & Keynote

Summary

The transcript covers the opening session of the 2025 West African Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) held in Abuja, Nigeria. The event’s theme was “Building a Resilient, Inclusive, and Safe Digital Future for West Africa.” Various dignitaries and stakeholders from across West Africa and beyond delivered opening remarks and goodwill messages. Key speakers included Nigerian government officials, representatives from ECOWAS, heads of Nigerian tech agencies, and delegates from international organizations like the UN IGF Secretariat.

Speakers emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in addressing digital challenges and shaping internet governance policies. They highlighted issues such as digital inclusion, cybersecurity, data protection, and leveraging technology for economic development. The multi-stakeholder nature of the forum was repeatedly stressed, with participants from government, private sector, civil society, academia, and youth all represented.

Several speakers noted Nigeria’s leadership role in the region’s digital landscape and its efforts in areas like AI strategy, digital literacy, and infrastructure development. The importance of the parliamentary track in translating forum outcomes into legislation was highlighted. Speakers also emphasized the need for African perspectives to shape global digital norms and standards.

The discussion underscored the critical role of internet governance in building a digital future that is not only technologically advanced but also inclusive, secure, and beneficial to all West African citizens. The forum was positioned as a key platform for regional dialogue and collaboration on these crucial issues.

Keypoints

Major discussion points:

– Building a resilient, inclusive and safe digital future for West Africa

– The importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in internet governance

– The role of parliamentarians and policymakers in shaping digital policies

– Challenges around cybersecurity, data protection, and digital inclusion

– Nigeria’s leadership role in regional digital transformation efforts

Overall purpose:

The purpose of this discussion was to open the 2025 West African Internet Governance Forum, bringing together stakeholders from across the region to discuss key issues in internet governance and digital policy. The goal was to foster dialogue and collaboration to shape the digital future of West Africa.

Tone:

The overall tone was formal yet optimistic. Speakers expressed enthusiasm about the potential of digital technologies while acknowledging challenges. There was a strong emphasis on collaboration and inclusivity. The tone became slightly more urgent when discussing the need for concrete actions and outcomes from the forum.

Speakers

– Gbenga Sesan: Member of the United Nations IGF Leadership Panel, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative

– Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi: Director General of NITDA

– Vincent Olatunji: National Commissioner, Nigerian Data Protection Commission (represented)

– Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju: Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone

РH.E S̩diko Douka: ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization

– Hajia Sani: Moderator

– Bosun Tijani: Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy of Nigeria

– Aminu Maida: Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission

– Adedeji Stanley Olajide: Chairman of the House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity in the Nigerian House of Representatives

– Amrita Choudhury: Chair of the IGF Supporting Association

– Shuaib Afolabi Salisu: Senator, Chair of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime

– Anja Gengo: Representative from the IGF Secretariat

– Emmanuel Vitus: Moderator

– Jane Egerton-Idehen: Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT

– Dimie Shively Warowei: Chair of the LOC and Chair of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum

Additional speakers:

– Mary Uduma: West Africa IGF chair

– Chengetai Masango: Head of the United Nations IGF Secretariat (mentioned but did not speak)

– NIMC representative: Representing the Director-General Chief Executive of the National Identity Management Commission

The 17th West African Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) opened in Abuja, Nigeria, under the theme “Building a Resilient, Inclusive, and Safe Digital Future for West Africa”. This high-level event brought together a diverse array of stakeholders from across the region and beyond, including government officials, tech industry leaders, civil society representatives, and delegates from international organisations.

Key Themes and Discussions

1. Multi-stakeholder Collaboration and Regional Integration

Dimie Shively Warowei, Chair of the LOC and Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, emphasized the importance of the multi-stakeholder model in internet governance. She explained that this approach brings together governments, the private sector, civil society, and the technical community to address internet-related public policy issues collaboratively.

Speakers consistently highlighted the forum’s role in enabling dialogue and shared learning across West Africa. Aminu Maida, Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, noted the importance of this regional platform for addressing common challenges. H.E Sédiko Douka, ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation, stressed the need for collaboration on cross-border digital issues, including cyber security and cybercrime, and the importance of regional policy harmonisation efforts.

2. Building a Resilient, Inclusive and Safe Digital Future

Gbenga Sesan, a member of the UN IGF Leadership Panel, stressed that internet governance is crucial for establishing digital norms and policies. He called for having difficult conversations and not pretending everything is alright in West Africa regarding internet governance.

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, outlined specific initiatives:

– Efforts to improve subsea cable resilience

– A technology talent accelerator program

– Development of national AI strategies

– The need to improve digital infrastructure and digital literacy across the region

Jane Egerton-Idehen, Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT, highlighted the potential of satellite communications to connect remote areas. She also emphasized the importance of inclusion beyond gender and color, extending to economic levels and rural areas.

3. Role of Policymakers and Government

The critical role of policymakers and government in shaping the digital transformation was a significant point of discussion:

– Parliamentary Involvement: Shuaib Afolabi Salisu, Chair of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime, highlighted the key role parliamentarians play in shaping internet governance policies.

– Regulatory Frameworks: Aminu Maida emphasised the need for robust regulatory frameworks for cybersecurity and data protection.

– Forward-looking Policies: Adedeji Stanley Olajide, Chairman of the House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, stressed the importance of responsive and forward-looking digital regulations.

4. Youth Engagement and Capacity Building

The importance of youth participation in shaping the digital future was a point of strong agreement among speakers:

– Jane Egerton-Idehen described youth as key architects of the next digital wave.

– Bosun Tijani highlighted the importance of digital literacy programmes and talent development.

– Gbenga Sesan emphasised that youth participation is crucial in internet governance discussions.

– Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, stressed the need to empower young digital natives.

5. Parliamentary Track

Several speakers emphasized the importance of the parliamentary track in this forum:

– Shuaib Afolabi Salisu highlighted the significance of parliamentary involvement in internet governance.

– Adedeji Stanley Olajide stressed the need for responsive and forward-looking digital regulations.

– The implementation of a parliamentary track in the upcoming Nigerian IGF in September was announced as a key action item.

Key Takeaways and Action Items

The forum produced several key takeaways and action items:

1. Nigeria to host an open forum at the Global IGF on ‘digital literacy as a precondition to achieving universal access’

2. Implementation of a parliamentary track in the upcoming Nigerian IGF in September

3. Contribution of West African perspectives to the WSIS+20 review process

4. Development of an ‘Abuja Declaration’ on using the internet to address pressing regional problems

Upcoming Events

Speakers mentioned two important upcoming events:

1. The African IGF in Tanzania

2. The global IGF in Norway

Conclusion

The opening session of the 17th WAIGF set a tone of collaboration, inclusivity, and forward-thinking approach to internet governance in West Africa. The discussions highlighted the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration, youth engagement, and parliamentary involvement in shaping the region’s digital future. As the forum progresses, it will be crucial to translate these discussions into tangible policies and initiatives that can drive inclusive and sustainable digital development across the region.

The session concluded with an announcement for a group photograph and lunch break.

Hajia Sani: and the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission, Nigeria’s own telco giant and regulator, Malang Wada Maida. I don’t want to call him Aminu because if I call him Aminu, I think I should be calling him my brother Aminu. Okay, let me just say my brother Malang Aminu Wada Maida. Thank you very much. Please take a bow sir. Also here present, permit me to introduce another brother of mine. And one person who keeps inspiring me. He’s the backbone of everything that we do on the internet. He is the Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone, Nigeria Limited, Professor Adeyanju, Ibrahim Adeyanju. Thank you very much. You’re welcome, sir. Permit me to also introduce another one of our very senior people here present today. He’s actually represented, I don’t know. Just one second, please. I don’t want to call the wrong name. Let me call those who are here present, and then we can get to those who are represented. Permit me to introduce again my colleague Emmanuel Vitous. He will introduce those from the rest of West Africa. Thank you.

Emmanuel Vitus: Thank you very much. I would like to recognize the presence of His Excellency Mr. Sédiko Douka, Commissioner of the CDAO in charge of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization. We also have the honor of welcoming several parliamentarians from all over the region, whose essential participation can create Internet governance in our public policies. Allow me to introduce the Honorable Birom Sowé of the Republic of Gambia, the Honorable Mariama Bangura of Sierra Leone, the Honorable Marieto Dieng of Senegal, the Honorable Hélène Hatto-Rey of Liberia. We also have the honor of welcoming the Honorable Yawza Nassar of Ivory Coast. We have the esteemed honor of having His Excellency Madam Minister Lydia Akwariba of Ghana. And to close the list of our internationals, we have two important members of this network, the Honorable Massani, Crown Prince of Niger, and the Honorable Gérard Benanchi of Pena. Thank you. I will now give the floor to my colleague to introduce the Honorable dignitaries of Nigeria. And we will come back to what is still happening, because we still have a long way to go.

Hajia Sani: Thank you very much Emmanuel. Now let me formally introduce the representative of the Honourable Minister of Information and National Orientation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Itbidapo Okonu. The Honourable Minister was to be here but they were called to an emergent meeting in the villa. Mr. Okonu please. Thank you very much. Please come forward. It is also my pleasure to introduce representative of the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency of Nigeria, NITDA, who the DG should have been here but is also away on very important official assignment. He’s here aptly represented by Mr. Oladejo Olawumi, Director IT Infrastructure Solutions. Mr. Oladejo, please come forward. He just stepped out. All right. Also here present representing the National Commissioner of the National Data Protection Commission is Mr. Ebitayo Olufemi. He is the Head of Finance of the NDPC. You’re welcome. Representing the Director General of the National Identity Management Commission is Dr. Avan Ikoku. Dr. Avan Ikoku, please take a bow. Thank you very much. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, permit me to hand the mic over to my colleague to kindly interpret what we just said. Thank you. Thank you very much. Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, Vincent Olatunji, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Bosun Tijani Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we’re going ahead to introduce more people as they come in. In the interim, we have a lot of guests here who have so many conflicting assignments and would like to get started. Therefore, I’m going to hand over to my colleague to commence the goodwill from the ECOWAS region. Thank you.

Emmanuel Vitus: Thank you very much. So, allow me to officially open this West African Forum on Internet Governance. We are going to start the ball of introductions or welcome. We will start with the ECOWAS Commission. We are in Abuja. We are at their home. We will start with His Excellency, Mr. Sédiko Douka. He is the ECOWAS Commissioner in charge of Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization. Mr. Commissioner, I invite you to come up to the podium. I would like to take the floor for your opening speeches, under your ovations, please.

H.E Sédiko Douka: Good morning. I saw there is 14 persons who are supposed to speak, so may I prepare a speech? Maybe it can take me at least five minutes, but I think if I speak in French, it will be short. According to the number of speakers that I saw, 14 persons. So, Honorable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Honorable Parliamentarians coming from EQUASM Ambassadorate, the Director General of NITIDA, NCC and ODA Parastatal intervening in the area of IT, representative of Internet Corporation for Assign Name and Numbers, ICANN, representative of Internet Society, CHAPTA Nigeria, representative of the Internet Governance Ecosystem of West African Countries, ladies and gentlemen. I am particularly pleased to warmly welcome you. to the official opening of the 70th edition of the West African Internet Governance Forum that brings together here in Nigeria government officials, private sector, civil society, academia, and the technical community of West Africa to deliberate on the topic of building a resilient, inclusive, and safe digital future for West Africa. So, on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Dr. Omar Ali Oture, allow me please to begin by expressing sincere appreciation and gratitude to His Excellency Wola Ayemetinobu, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and also Chairman of the Authority of ECOWAS Head of State and Government for his undeniable commitment and support for the region’s progress. I also extend my thanks to the Minister of Communication, Innovation, and the Digital Economy of Nigeria and all the others responsible for the parastatel in the IT sector. My deep gratitude also goes to the partners and all stakeholders of the West African Internet Governance Forum. Before I continue, as I said, there are a lot of speakers, and we are at the 17th edition of this forum. So, as I said, on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, I welcome you. And I think that for three days now, we are at the 4th edition. Tomorrow, we will conclude that we will have good exchanges and we will also have good conclusions. You can simply draw conclusions. And in the field of the digital economy, Thank you. And now we will focus on everything related to Internet governance, cyber security, cybercrime, as well as other important areas in the telecommunications sector. So, ladies and gentlemen, members of the Parliament, I welcome you and wish you a good conclusion. Thank you very much.

Emmanuel Vitus: Thank you very much. The Commissioner has shortened everything so that the audience can listen to the other dignitaries who are among us. So, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, every edition of YGF is special. Last year, we were in the vibrant city of Dakar. It was very, very special. Not just because this is the land of bold ideas. Every West African country is a land of bold ideas. But Nigeria is special. Nigeria remains today a digital powerhouse, a leader not only in innovation, but in shaping the region and its governance agenda. At the center of this drive stands a visionary leader, one who speaks the language of code, policy, community and innovation all at once. Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy, your leadership has helped elevate the role of digital transformation in Nigeria’s national development. and has inspired the entire region to remain focused and for it is from such an agenda as the Commissioner just said, you have brought that energy, that clarity and that conviction at the continental stage. Today, your presence at YGF sends a strong message. So without further ado and with deepest appreciation to Nigeria’s hospitality and leadership, it is my honour to invite Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to deliver the opening statement and the keynote address of the West African YGF 2025.

Bosun Tijani: Distinguished Senator Shoaib Afolabi, my own very Senator and my brother, the Chair of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security. Another leader, Honourable Stanley Adedeji, the Chair of the House Committee of ICT and Cyber Security. The parliamentarians from across West Africa, welcome once again to Abuja. Madam Mary Usuma, the Chair of the West Africa Internet Governance Forum. To all the heads of agencies present here today, all senior government officials and diplomatic corps members present here today, delegates and participants, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, good morning once again. On behalf of the federal governments of Nigeria, it is a great honor to welcome you all to Abuja for the 17th edition of the West Africa Internet Governance Forum. This year’s forum is particularly special. Of course, not just because we’re hosting you here in Nigeria, but because we got out at a time that is extremely important for our collective digital journey. This forum has over the years evolved into a critical regional platform, one that enables open dialogue, shared learning, and the shaping of strategies that will govern how we as a region navigate our digital future. This year’s theme, building a resilient, inclusive, and safe digital future for West Africa, calls on all of us to deepen our efforts in strengthening the foundations of digital ecosystem. At a time where digital technologies are transforming every facets of life, resilience, inclusivity, and safety are no longer optional, but they are essential. And as the host country, Nigeria is deeply committed to supporting a robust and equitable landscape, digital landscape across the West Africa region. If you follow, you will see strong leadership from our government around championing subsea cable resilience. And for those who know, the internet that we talk about today, over 99% of it is being carried by subsea cable. And not only is Nigeria leading the African continent to actually help the world shape how these cables become more resilient, we’re also working actively through the ITU advisory board to ensure that there’s a robust subsea cable redundancy protocol for the West African region. As you can also see from the commitment of Mr. President towards promoting data protection and privacy through our data protection commission, we are committed to ensuring that resources are put into these institutions to help to continue to deepen our digital economy. Our government is also committed to accelerating digital literacy across the entire country, which is part of why we’ve not only set target for ourselves to drive. have significant progress in digital literacy across the country. We’re also at the minute running the world’s known largest technology talent accelerator program. As a government, we’ve committed to developing our national AI strategy, one of the best on the African continent. And more recently, we’ve released our digital public infrastructure standards and framework to guide how technology is used, particularly digital technology is used to deliver services to our people whilst building trust. I can also boldly announce that by Tuesday next week, Mr. President will be chairing an inter-agency committee which is focused on accelerating the deployment of digital public infrastructure across Nigerian governments. We’re working to deepen and democratize access to internet, protect users’ rights, enable innovation that uplift our economies and empower our people. We also recognize that these goals cannot be achieved in isolation. They require collaboration between governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, technical communities, the academia, and most importantly, the youth who are the largest drivers of our digital economies. Internet governance is more than a policy conversation. It is about shaping values and architecture of our digital society. It is about who gets to participate, whose voices are heard, and how we ensure that technology remains a force for good, protecting rights, advancing development, and bridging divides. As we reflect on global processes like the WSIS plus 20, the global digital compact, and the regional policy harmonization effort, we must put our West African perspectives at the center. We should ensure that our realities are also contributing in shaping digital norms that are being set globally. Also, I must commend the inclusion of the West African School of Internet Governance and UTIGF, which are powerful testimonies. to the future that we are working towards. One that is led by an informed, empowered and digitally literate population. I’d like to encourage us not to leave here just with declarations but with commitments. Commitments to build infrastructure that reaches the underserved, promote digital literacy and digital rights at individual level, create inclusive policies to secure our cyberspace and to foster innovation that reflects our values and aspirations as a region, even as we leverage the internet to strengthen our economies. Nigeria is proud to stand with all West African nations in shaping digital future. One that is resilient, inclusive and safe. I wish us all a productive and impactful forum. Thank you.

Hajia Sani: I’m sure we can do much better than that. Another round of applause for the Minister. Thank you so much. You have left us with a lot of food for thought and we pray that Almighty God enables each and every one of us here present and those at home and those online to commit as you have requested to a more resilient and more prosperous and sustainable internet. Thank you so very much Honourable Minister. Just before we call for the group photograph because we are well aware of the time, very limited time that the Honourable Minister has, I would like to quickly introduce the National Assembly team members here present. Senator Shoaibu Afolabi Stalisu, thank you so very much for joining us. Senator Sadiq Omar, thank you so very much for being part of this. Senator Sani Zambo Deura, thank you very much. Senator Aminu Iyia Abbas, thank you also for being. for being here. We also have members of the House of Representatives here present. Honorable Moktar Shagaya, thank you very much for coming. Honorable Ademu Nnamaliki, thank you so much for being here. And Honorable Hassan Kekakwu Jakdua, thank you very much for being here. Kindly permit me, all protocols observed, to request again the Honorable Minister to please climb back to the stage and would request everybody on the first and the second row to please join him, sorry, to please join him on the high table or what we call the elevated table so that we can take a group photograph. Thank you so much. May we have also Madam Mary Uduma as well as the Mr. Gbenga, is he still here? Gbenga Sesan, oh very good, thank you. Is the Internet Society President here present? Mr. Akunle, he can be represented by Mr. Akibu. Mr. Akibu, please join the elevated table. Thank you. Media, are we done? Thank you very much. Thank you all very much. I don’t know. I can see you are very busy. So, who’s the order? Who’s next? Now, we’re going to introduce Mr. Uduma and then we’ll go for the session. So, once we came in, we cancelled everything. We did cancel. Thank you. and I would like to thank you for your generosity. Yes, we are the brothers. Thank you. We are 100% brothers. I’m speaking to you. I’m thinking too much about the country. So, we did this. So, why did you come back? It’s your next. I’m not sure if you know. Yeah, you know, in the town I came from, so Chengetai, from Ikea. No, no. I’m better off without you. Without you. Yes. Yes, I’m always your presence. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. I am going to quickly introduce the rest of our very special guests who are present and hopefully the others would join us or meet us halfway through the event. It’s my pleasure to welcome and acknowledge the presence of Mr. Gbenga Sesan, UNIGF leadership panel member. Thank you so very much for being here. I’m also pleased to welcome my sister and my very senior sister, actually, and my very good friend, Mrs. Mary Uduma, West Africa IGF chair. Thank you so very much, madam. All of your work is pushing the rest of us to do more. Thank you so much for that. My brother also, Dimie Shively Warowei. Where is he? I saw him a bit earlier. Oh, thank you so very much. He’s the chair of Nigeria IGF. Thank you all very much for coming. Permit me to give the mic now back to Ima to introduce our special guests who are online. Thank you.

Emmanuel Vitus: Thank you very much. So online we have Mr. Chengetai Masango. He’s the head of the United Nations IGF Secretariat. We also have Madam Amrita Shudri, who is the chair for the IGF Supporting Association. So now permit me to welcome Chengetai Masango all the way from Geneva, mostly on Zoom, to give us his goodwill message. If the technical team is ready, we can allow Mr. Chengetai Masango to give us his opening remarks.

Anja Gengo: Emmanuel, this is Anja Gengo from the IGF Secretariat. Can you hear me?

Emmanuel Vitus: Well, I can see Anja.

Anja Gengo: Yes, can you hear me?

Emmanuel Vitus: I think Chengetai will now be joining us, and Anja Nyenko, who also works at the IGF as a secretariat in charge of the national regional initiatives, will be speaking in the name of the United Nations, and welcome our delegates.

Anja Gengo: Thank you very much Emmanuel, can you hear me?

Emmanuel Vitus: Yes, now we can hear you.

Anja Gengo: Excellent, well thank you very much. Chengetai was on the call and has been waiting, unfortunately he has another meeting in person, and I’m not quite sure that he will be able to speak, but I’m here as a backup, and I hope that is fine if I say a few words and pass on the message on Chengetai’s behalf and on behalf of the IGF secretariat. Well, thank you very much. Excellencies, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor for the United Nations Internet Governance Forum Secretariat to join you today on the occasion of the 2025 edition of the West African Internet Governance Forum, hosted there in Nigeria and online. At the outset, please allow us to express sincere appreciation to the Government of Nigeria, the ECOWAS Commission, the West African IGF Multistakeholder Organizing Committee, and of course to the entire community for convening this crucial platform for regional dialogue on digital policy. This year’s theme, Building a Resilient, Inclusive and Safe Digital Future for West Africa, sets an ambitious and necessary agenda. It calls on us to look beyond connectivity alone and to confront deeper questions. What kind of digital future are we building? And more importantly, for whom are we building it? Answering these questions requires more than a vision, it demands shared responsibility. Our collective task is to design and govern a digital ecosystem that reaches every community, protects every stakeholder, and creates meaningful opportunities for all. Digital resilience means not just surviving disruptions, but adapting, innovating, and thriving in the face of change. It means embedding flexibility, trust, and equity in the very foundations of our digital spaces. In this context, we would like to take a moment to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions made during yesterday’s West African Youth IGF. That energy, insight, and determination really shone to all of us the inspiration and instruction and determination that young people, our future, have. And on that point, young people should not merely be looked at as future leaders. They are already actively shaping our digital present, just as shown yesterday. Their leadership, creativity, and bold vision must continue to inform the policies and practices we develop, ensuring that West Africa’s digital future is truly inclusive and intergenerational. The conversations we are having in this forum are deeply relevant. Whether we are discussing data protection, cybersecurity, digital trade, or the governance of frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, the message is the same. We must act together. A safe and inclusive digital West Africa cannot be built in silos. It requires a collaboration across governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, and of course, our young people. We are particularly pleased to see strong cooperation you have established with legislators across the region, illustrated through your parliamentary track. This collaboration helps ensure that digital laws are shaped through a multi-stakeholder approach, leading to more informed, balanced, and robust online regulation. And this multi-stakeholder approach is much more than a method. It is a principle, how we ensure that digital policies reflect the lived realities of all people in the region. It is how we build legitimacy, accountability, and ultimately, trust. Please remember that our work here in West Africa feeds into broader regional and global processes. The outcomes of this forum will inform discussions at the African IGF in Tanzania, and also contribute meaningfully to global deliberations, including the 20-year review of the World Summit on the Information Society, and of course the 20th Annual Internet Governance Forum. And I use this opportunity on behalf of the Secretariat and the head of its office, Chengetai Masango, to invite you to join us for the 20th Annual IGF meeting, hosted by the Government of Norway in Lillestrøm from 23rd to 27th of June, under the theme Building Digital Governance Together. Let us all unite in this global momentum of reflection, renewal and change-making in Internet governance. Ladies and gentlemen, let me close by reaffirming our belief in West Africa’s potential to lead. This region has long been a powerhouse of innovation, creativity and resilience. Now is the time to channel that same spirit into shaping a digital future that truly serves us all. We wish you a productive and inspiring West Africa IGF 2025. Thank you very much.

Hajia Sani: Thank you so very much, Anja Janko, representative of the United Nations Internet Governance Forum, and the Secretariat. We truly appreciate your good words and your kind participation in this event. Going further, let me quickly also recognize the presence of the representative of the Clerk of the National Assembly of Nigeria’s National Assembly, that is Malama Fatima Arabi. She’s the Director ICT in the National Assembly. Thank you so much for joining us. Allow me to also introduce the representative of the President of NIRA, who is ably represented by Mrs. Sheehy Onasanya. Thank you very much. Thank you so much for joining us. Also here present is the Vice President of the National Association of Computing Students, NACOS Nationwide, represented here. Thank you for joining us. Permit me to hand the mic over now to my colleague Emmanuel to introduce our next goodwill message giver.

Emmanuel Vitus: Okay, thank you very much. We’ll take our next speaker online. I think sometimes when you raise your hand online you can be tired as well. So let me acknowledge Amrita Shudri from the IGF Supporting Association, a key partner whose support has been vital in the continuity of this forum over the years. Amrita, thank you. The floor is yours.

Amrita Choudhury: Thank you so much. I hope I’m audible to all of you. I hope you can hear me.

Emmanuel Vitus: We can hear you. We can hear you.

Amrita Choudhury: Great. Thank you so much. So Excellencies, distinguished guests and friends in the room and online. Thank you for inviting me to this 2025 West African IGF. And first I would like to congratulate the organizers, Emmanuel, Mary, Wisdom, and everyone who has been part of this entire journey of West Africa IGF. On behalf of the IGF Support Association, we are actually very glad to support this event. And our objective always has been to support the IGF and its ecosystems of national and regional IGFs, since we believe it is the only multi-stakeholder bottom-up process that discusses not only global issues, but also issues relevant to a particular country or a region. in a bottom-up process such as the one you are holding today. In this context, I find the theme building a resilient, inclusive, and safe digital future for West Africa as a very appropriate theme. In case you want to know more about IGFSA, please visit our website or speak to Wisdom, who is in our executive committee, and I also see Jimson in the room, who has been an active member and EC member in the past. They can share more about our membership and how you can spread the word of what we do. I hope you have a fruitful discussion today, and as Anya mentioned, do submit your report and also articulate the outcomes in the Global IGF next month, approximately one month later, and also in the African IGF next week. Your voices are important, and therefore we do hope you keep contributing your perspective and making a difference, especially when the WSIS plus 20 review is on. We do hope that the voices from Africa, from West Africa, and places which were not represented much earlier are heard. So thank you so much. I will keep it brief, and all the best.

Hajia Sani: That’s the chair of the IGF Supporting Association, Ms. Amrita Choudhury. Thank you so very much for joining us online, and we look forward to including African voices, Nigerian voices, West African voices on the internet space. Thank you so very much. Please, let’s give another round of applause. Permit me to breach again the schedule that we’re running, because we have a lot of people here, like I said earlier, who have humongous assignments in front of them. So we’re going to have to take the goodwill messages of some of our chief executives here present so they can get back to the very busy work that they have in front of them. Permit me to welcome to the stage Dr. Aminu Maida, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission. Please give him a round of applause. Thank you.

Aminu Maida: Ladies and gentlemen, let me establish protocols. To the Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Senator Shoaibu Afolabi-Salessu, who I must take a few seconds to commend for his passion and dedication towards the success of this event. Believe me, if there was a speck of dust on the carpet, he was that passionate towards the success of that event. So I think we all have to thank him and appreciate him for that. The Chairman, House Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Honorable Stanley Adediji, my very own Senator from Katsina, Senator Nasu Sani Zongwendora, distinguished Senators here and Honorable Members of the House of Assembly, my fellow Chief Executives, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization, the National Commissioner for Data Protection Ably Represented, the Head of the Secretariat of the UN of the Internet Governance Forum, the Secretary of State of the United Nations, and other dignitaries here. Distinguished guests, honorable speakers, members of the media, and esteemed participants, I am honored to welcome you all to this edition of the West Africa Internet Governance Forum and its leadership for sustaining West Africa Internet Governance Forum 2025. This year we gather under the crucial theme Building a Resilient, Inclusive and Safe Digital Future for West Africa, a theme that underscores the urgency of our collective responsibility to shape a digital landscape that empowers all and bridges inequality in our region. Permit me to begin by expressing sincere appreciation to the West Africa Internet Governance Forum and its leadership for sustaining this critical platform for dialogue and collaboration. Innovation and emerging technologies are daily realities for us in West Africa and it therefore behoves on us to be at the forefront of conversations around digital governance. Forums such as this one enable constructive exchanges and foster regional cooperation in addressing complex internet-related challenges. The internet stands as one of the most transformative innovations of our time. It forms the backbone of global communication, real-time access to information, and ever-expanding range of digital services. It has redefined education and work, enabling online learning and seamless remote collaboration across borders. Economically, the internet fuels e-commerce, drives innovation, and generates employment across multiple sectors. Its impact is equally profound in areas like finance and healthcare delivery. In every sense, the internet has become indispensable to us, shaping how we connect, learn, and engage with the world around us. As West Africa deepens its digital transformation, policymakers, legislators, regulators, and industry players must confront emerging safety threats that undermine trust and security online. From AI-generated misinformation and deepfake fraud to online gender-based violence and the exploitation of minors, the risks are becoming more complex and cross-border in nature. These challenges demand responsive, forward-looking policies that prioritize user protection, strengthen cyber resilience, and promote digital literacy. It is only through collaborative, well-regulated governance that we can safeguard the Internet as a space for opportunity, inclusion, and innovation. At the Nigerian Communications Commission, our mandate extends beyond regulation to actively safeguarding the rights of users, especially vulnerable groups, through robust educational and enforcement mechanisms. To this end, we have recently developed a standard operating procedure for the child online protection, which outlines stakeholder responsibilities and reporting protocols to ensure a safer digital space for children in Nigeria. Recognizing also the growing sophistication of cyber threats targeting our telecoms infrastructure, as part of Nigeria’s critical national information infrastructure, we are also developing a comprehensive cyber security framework for the communications sector. This initiative aims to unify the sector’s cyber security posture, enhance infrastructure resilience, and align with national and international best practices. We will continue to work with stakeholders to shape these efforts and ensure trust, safety, and security remain central to our digital transformation journey. For more UN videos visit www.un.org As artificial intelligence continues to reshape our world, Nigeria is actively laying the groundwork to harness its potential for inclusive development. As you heard earlier from the Honorable Minister, last year, Nigeria started the journey towards creating its own AI strategy, and through investments in data infrastructure such as we have seen recently from the likes of RAC Center, MTN, Airtel, opening up new data centers, broadband expansion, and supportive regulatory frameworks. From healthcare to agriculture, education to enterprise, AI offers unprecedented opportunities for innovation across West Africa. But realizing this potential will require continued collaboration, shared standards, and a collective vision for secure, inclusive, and a digital-empowered subregion. This forum provides us with a timely platform for us to align our strategies and reaffirm our shared commitment to shaping a future where technology truly serves our people. It is my sincere hope that the WIGF 2025 will fully leverage its multi-stakeholder platform to generate actionable ideas that foster responsible Internet use across the subregion. The outcome of this forum should build consensus on practical recommendations for both state and non-state actors in the Internet ecosystem. I encourage us all to encourage stimulating discussions and drive meaningful outcomes that will serve as West Africa’s contribution to the Global Internet Governance Forum. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much, and I wish us all successful deliberations. Thank you.

Hajia Sani: Thank you so very much, Executive Vice-Chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission, for that very rich keynote, goodwill message. Thank you so very much. We appreciate you. May I quickly call on the Director General of, Managing Director, I should say, of Galaxy Backbone and Professor Adeyanju to please give us his goodwill. Thank you. The representative of the DG NIMC should please stand by. He’s coming immediately after. Thank you.

Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju: Good afternoon, gentlemen and ladies. All protocol well observed. I think I must recognize my chairman from the National Assembly, irrespective. Distinguished Senator Sally Suafala Bishoib, your recognizer, and Honorable Stanley Adedeji Odidiomo, your recognizer. All other senators and House of Representatives are present. The organizers, the commissioners from ECOWAS, the UN, and so on. So distinguished delegates, esteemed participants, and valued stakeholders, it’s with immense pleasure that I present my goodwill and warm facilitations to all attendees of this 2025 edition of the West African Internet Governance Forum. It’s actually a pleasure to address our distinguished assembly of leaders, innovators, policymakers, and advocates committed to shaping the future of digital convenience in our region. At a time when the world is grappling with the implication of AI, artificial intelligence, the complexities of digital regulation, and the urgent imperative of data protection, the role of inclusive, accountable, and forward-looking governance has never been more critical. As stakeholders, we play a vital role in crafting the policies and regulatory approaches that will guide our digital evolution. This forum stands as a testament to our region’s collective commitment to shaping a digital future grounded in inclusive governance, robust regulation, and a shared responsibility. Digital governance is not only about technology, it’s about trust, it’s about access, it’s about equity, it’s about resilience in a rapidly evolving world. As we navigate the complexities of the digital age, the importance of coherent, rights-based, and forward-looking regulatory frameworks cannot be overemphasized. At Galaxy BlackBone, we are proud to support the internet in Nigeria using our digital infrastructure, including Fiber, BlackBone, as well as our data centers. We’re actually proud as an enabler, platform, and aggregator of IC services for governments and enterprises. As we delve into what the next few days, let’s also remain guided by a shared vision of a digitally empowered West Africa, and by large Africa, where governance structures are responsive, regulations are enabling, and no one is left behind in a digital transformation journey. To this end, I wish to commend the West African Internet Governance Forum for creating a collaborative space where diverse voices, from policymakers, to developers, academics, to entrepreneurs, and to civil societies, as well as our youths, can meaningfully engage on a few things. I’ll mention a few of them. The first one is building And lastly, to promote local innovation and indigenous data ecosystems. On behalf of all of us at Galaxy Backbone Limited, we would like to congratulate the organizers for convening this timely and essential forum. Your dedication to fostering dialogue and collaboration on these critical issues is truly commendable. I am confident that the insights gained and the partnership forged at this forum will significantly contribute to shaping a positive and impactful trajectory for our region and indeed the world. I am wishing you an impactful discussion as part of this forum, Long Live the West African Internet Governance Forum and Long Live a Connected and Inclusive West Africa. Thank you.

Hajia Sani: Thank you so very much, Professor Adeyanju. As always, quintessential, straight to the point and never miss his words. Yes, we have a lot to learn. Please permit me to very quickly take just half a second of a break just for us to reposition the podium to the center. It’s quite heavy. So you have to lift it. All of you have to lift it together. It’s quite heavy. It’s very heavy. From the base. Yes. Aha. Very good. It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s all right. Right in the center. It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s all right. Okay. It’s sitting on the cable. Can we pull away the cable, please? Very good. Thank you so very much. That’s the power of men. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, kindly permit me to invite very quickly, all protocols also duly observed, the Senator, Chair of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybercrime, Senator Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu. Thank you so very much, sir. Please take the stage for your goodwill message. Thank you.

Shuaib Afolabi Salisu: Yeah, good morning, all. The Chair of the House Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, my brother and friend, the Senators, there are large numbers, particularly my Deputy Chair of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Distinguished Senator Zani Zangodara, the head of our agencies from the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, I can see NEDA represented. I can see the lady in the house, the MD of NECOMSAT, and of course the MD of Galaxy Backbone. And I can also see the representative of NEMSI. I’d like to thank in particular the Permanent Secretary, Minister of Information and National Orientation, who is representing the Honorable Minister. The Minister was told about this program two days ago and is kind enough to send you. I must also thank the local organizing committees. In particular, Madam Mary Udom, I thank you so much. I thank Dr. O’Hara from NEDA, and I thank in particular NCC for being a very good host. The EVC has gone, but convey my deep appreciation for all you have done to make this place very conducive. I do not take this for granted, and I’d like to thank you. But in particular, I thank my colleagues from West African countries, the parliamentarians from West African countries, from Benin Republic, to Senegal, to the Gambia, to Cote d’Ivoire. Thank you so much for coming. This is the real ECOWAS. The ECOWAS of the future is the ECOWAS where the internet connects all our people in West Africa. Fifty years ago, our fathers, our forebears, and our grandfathers, they were all in the ECOWAS. They were all in the ECOWAS, and they are still in the ECOWAS. Senegal, you should be proud, last year you hosted this, and then you passed the baton to Nigeria, and this is my first hosting as the chairman of the West African Parliamentary Network of Internet Governors. Senegal, if you are here, wonderful, I thank you so much for being such a wonderful host last year. Liberia, I’m hoping that you’re going to host the next one. Sierra Leone, you are never far from us. Nigeria was there when we were going through some challenging period, and somebody told me that one out of every Sierra Leonean children, maybe one of them is a Nigerian, our soldiers were there in large numbers, and they did a lot of eco-wise integration. I’m not going to do a DNA test. The Gambia, very wonderful, my deputies from Gambia, it’s not here because of another function. Please convey my warm regards to him. My job is just to thank you. Thank you because we could put all of this together, I wouldn’t show up. But you have come to Nigeria. You have come to the sectariat of eco-wise. There is no better place for West African Internet Governance Forum to hold except Nigeria. Particularly at this time, when Nigeria is not only host to eco-wise, our president is also the chairman of the eco-wise authority, and I’m also hosting in my capacity as chairman of APNIC, and for every unicorn that comes out of Africa, every ten, seven of them are from Nigeria. So you are home of technology. And this is also home of Gbenga Sheson. That young man, who does a very wonderful job for United Nations. I thank you for the facilitation of parliamentarians who come from different West African countries to be able to attend this event. Dr. James Lufui, we have been together in the trenches of IT for several years. Abilake Magidola, many, many times we have crafted policies for our country in the areas of ICT, and today, I never knew I was going to come and chair the committee on ICT and cyber security. My team from National Assembly, my SLAs, my clerks, my staff. How can you get anything significant done without the support of others? So this output is not to an individual, it’s to all of us in the National Assembly, it’s to all our staff, and it’s to Nigeria as a whole. So as we gather here together and we are going, let us have an Abuja Declaration. Abuja Declaration that will say we are going to use the Internet, not just in an inclusive manner. We will use the Internet to solve the problems, the most pressing problems confronting our different nations. Let us share experiences. Let us know what is happening in Ghana in terms of public service reform and technology. Let other countries benefit from my experience in crafting data protection laws, cybercrime laws in Nigeria. Let Benin Republic come to the table and share what is happening in Benin Republic. Perhaps the people in Cote d’Ivoire could benefit from that. Let our youth, and I could see here that we have National Assembly of Computer Science students here. If you are a NACOS member and you are here, let me see your hands up. Thank you so much. In my student days, I was president of NACOS, so that’s also my constituency. I’d love to see all of you. Let us go back, particularly the youth. Let our use of the Internet be for something that is productive. Let’s take advantage of a lot of government initiatives from the 3M team. Let us take advantage of some of the initiatives that are creating jobs. The data protection law in Nigeria has created a party for data protection officers. Take advantage of that. The 3M team program is creating expertise in cyber security and artificial intelligence. Take full charge of that. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as we go back to our various countries, let us know and remember that well done is always better than well said. Welcome to Nigeria.

Emmanuel Vitus: Thank you very much, Distinguished Senator Salisu. Your passion for digital transformation is a source of inspiration for all of us. Thank you. Thank you for your participation and your belief in regional dialogue have brought together the parliamentarians that we have here today from across 10 West African countries. Your leadership is a reminder that progress is not just about policy, but also the people. Right now, it’s my great pleasure to introduce one of Nigeria’s leading voices in digital policy, Honorable Adedeji Stanley Olajide. He’s the chairman of the House of Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity in the Nigerian House of Representatives. He has been playing a key role for the parliamentary track of this forum. Honorable, sorry for pronouncing your name, but I’m not a Yoruba. Somebody said yesterday, a young man Yoruba does not pronounce his eldest name. The floor is yours.

Adedeji Stanley Olajide: Thank you. You’re forgiven for that pronunciation. Good afternoon to you all. Again, let me give you the right pronunciation of my name. I am Honorable Adedeji Stanley Olajide. I am a member of the National Assembly House of Representatives. I bring you greetings from the House of Representatives under the leadership of Right Honorable Tajudin Abbas, PhD. It also gladdens my heart that a lot of our members are here from the National Assembly. These are the days when you have forums like this, and you can’t find National Assembly members. From the from my colleague. Chairman, ICT and Cyber Security, Distinguished Senator Shoaib Afolabis-Alissu, and his Deputy Daurah, Honorable Senator Daurah, because she was a former member of the House of Reps before he moved to the Senate. And let me stand on a really well-established protocol by my brother. Let me read a phrase to you by Deepak Chopra. It says, Sussex includes good health, energy, enthusiasm for life, fulfilling relationships, creative freedom, emotional and physical stability, and sense of well-being and peace of mind. I also say to you today, Internet is right under all of this, because we are all glued to it. Our continent is at a crucial turning point. We’re in a digital age where information technology is redefining how we live, how we work, how we do business. From Nigeria all the way to South Africa, the global economy is evolving. And those who fail to evolve with it risk being left behind. It is no longer enough to be skilled with your hands. In today’s world, you must also be skilled with your devices, your phone, your tablet, your computers, and the Internet drives all of that. That’s to show you how important this forum is. It gladdens me also, again, that as a youth myself hey no I mean I always like to say I said that yesterday and a lot of people took an exception to that and I said you know what in my mind I am because in how I do things I’m very adventurous I take a lot of risk and I dare anything that comes my way and I’m a digital logical human being if it’s not logical it can never make sense for me so today as we gotta hear all of my colleagues from all around West Africa welcome to Nigeria I always say this we are the giant of Africa I’m sorry you know I just must tell you but we are together on this journey it’s no longer lip service it’s one that basically we are going to lead the way we are going to take that rightful position technology is going to be one of the ways we are going to lead and it’s not just going to lead in how we conduct business we are going to lead in how we interact with you because in us for us to be successful we have to develop good relationship with you we have to work together we have to collaborate so that at the end of the day we can have one Africa remember I said something on dinner table last night I said I am looking forward and honestly inshallah we will get there I’m looking forward to the time where we’ll only carry one passport in Africa we are only going to carry one currency in Africa and we are going to share the same common values where the whole world will feel threatened by where we stand and the position will continue to take I want to thank you very much for this opportunity to address you again I didn’t come prepared Thank you very much and God bless you.

Hajia Sani: Okay, thank you so very much Honorable Adedeji. We truly, truly, truly appreciate your wonderful words of encouragement and we will leave Abuja 2025 with exactly that same mission and that same goal. Thank you so very much. May I quickly make an announcement, please. Everyone who is leaving, kindly leave behind the headsets. They belong to this building. They’re already coded to this building. You can’t go with them. Thank you very much. It’s just a reminder. We haven’t said anybody has taken one, but please let’s just leave it behind and let it stay with the chairs. Thank you very much. Permit me to quickly recognize and welcome Managing Director of NYCOMSAT, Madam Jane Egerton-Idehen. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Sorry, while she’s going to the high table, the Senator here present with us and Some members of the House of Representatives also present requested to proceed to the State House for a very urgent meeting. Thank you so very much for attending and thank you for your presence. We truly appreciate. Please give them all a round of applause. Thank you very much. Madam Jane, you have the table. Thank you.

Jane Egerton-Idehen: I know a lot of people have left, so I’ll take this opportunity to say thanks as well. I want to acknowledge them even though as they are leaving. So I’m going to stand on all the existing protocols. I know the Senator and the Honorable Member for the Heads of the ICT in the House are leaving, but I really want to acknowledge the fact that they were… Oh, Honorable Sani, you’re still here. So thank you so much, sir. I need to acknowledge the fact that you’re here. I really want to acknowledge the fact that we have other Heads of Agencies here, other Heads of the Parliamentary from different countries in West Africa here. So I truly want to appreciate that. For those of you that don’t know, my name is Jane Egerton-Edehe. I’m the MD for NIGCOMSAT, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited. I’m really delighted to be a participant at this event at the 2025 West African Internet Governance Forum. It is truly an honor to stand in front of some familiar faces because I can see Benga Sessa there, Ola from Wikipedia as well. I know he’s somewhere in the hall. So it’s truly an honor to stand in front of some familiar faces, but it’s also an honor to stand before a diverse community of innovators, policy makers, scholars, young digital natives. I did see them outside, they were there, as well as other members that are committed to this vision and our progress in the region. I also want to say that this year’s theme, because I’m going to keep this short ahead, I have just a few minutes, isn’t it? That this year’s theme of building a resilient, inclusive and safe digital future for West Africa speaks directly to the heart of what we can all achieve together. I remember speaking yesterday to a group and telling them what I believe inclusion is. Inclusion for us is beyond gender, is beyond color. And I think we need to consider that inclusion could also mean in terms of people living under different levels of economic growth. Inclusion for us means that even though we’re talking about internet and digital connectivity, it means that we are creating an inclusive environment for the internet where not just people in the urban areas, I keep saying it, have access, like we say, but even people in the rural areas. Because if we’re able to create that true inclusion when it comes to digital connectivity, then just like the EBC said, things like e-commerce, telehealth, things like smart agriculture would really get to every nook and cranny of West Africa. Because I believe the economies of this world are evolving, isn’t it? But truly, one of the fastest-growing economies is the digital economy, and that is truly driven by ICT, by the internet. And we know for countries like West Africa, where we have one of the highest, I think West Africa is one of the highest places for access in terms of cost, we still have a lot to do when it comes to penetration levels for the internet. So we still have a lot of work to do. That’s why this event is truly important. At NARCHCOMSAT, we’re not just providing satellite communication services. We’re actually building bridges, bridges that connect rural schools to global knowledge, that empower local businesses with the access to new markets, that strengthen emergency response and secure communication, bridges that enable smart governance. We believe in a future where no community is left behind, no matter how remote. Our satellites are there in the orbit, but our mission is to deeply ground the development of the people and to also create all kinds of possibilities. To the young minds in the room, you are the architects of the next digital wave. May this forum inspire you to dream boldly, act bravely, and build relentlessly. Let us work together across borders, sectors, and generations to shape a digital West Africa that is not just resilient and inclusive, but is also secure and full of hope. Thank you and good morning.

Hajia Sani: Please, another round of applause. She’s a woman. Very impromptu, we asked her to stand and look at how she did. I beg, round of applause, Jerry. Thank you very much. We truly appreciate Madam Jane.

Emmanuel Vitus: So it is now my pleasure to introduce someone who really need no introduction in the digital rights circle across Africa, but we will give him one anyway. It is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Gbenga Sesan. He’s the member of the United Nations IGF Leadership Panel and Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, one of the continent’s most respected voices in this ecosystem. Today, we also thank Paradigm Initiative for their strong support for this forum, particularly enabling the presence of the parliamentarians from across West Africa in partnership with distinguished Senator Salisu. Gbenga, the floor is yours.

Gbenga Sesan: Thank you, Emmanuel. I guess I can go and take my seat since. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much. It’s a privilege to be here, not just because we’re discussing the internet, which is at the core of everything, but also because this is where the rubber meets the road. We’re living in interesting times where there is a lot of change going on. But one thing that is constant is that we do have this opportunity as West Africans to use the resources we have to create the opportunities that we need. Paradigm Initiative is privileged to be able to support in every way possible. It is our utmost delight that we have the parliamentarians in the room, along with other stakeholders. The reason for that is because for many years at the IJF we had conversations, we released documents, and then we went back to our countries, and then the conversations did not make it to Parliament, and so there were no legislative backup, you know, for the things that we discussed. Now, we do not only have parliamentarians, we have other stakeholders from government, we have civil society, hello civil society, we have the private sector, we have the academia, we have researchers, and I think it’s really important that we realize that the IJF is a multi-stakeholder event. Multi-stakeholder means that we have a bit less of protocol and a lot more of action, and I say that because this is West Africa. We have many things that we need to work on. We have issues around our connectivity. Just yesterday, we got alerts that, you know, there were a few countries in the region that were heavily affected by some of the strong winds, you know, that came yesterday, including some cities in Nigeria. So, reliance of our infrastructure and all. As we continue with these conversations, I also, apart from bringing you greetings from Parliament Initiative, I also bring you greetings from the leadership panel, the Secretary General’s high-level leadership panel. We will definitely see most of you in Lillstrom next month when we’ll have another opportunity to have a conversation about some of the work that we have done so far. We are putting together a report on Internet Governance Forum for the Secretary General, and one of the things that we look forward to is your input into that process. Let me close by saying that one of the exciting things about the IGF as a process is that it builds one level on the other. We have the West Africa IGF today and tomorrow. Next week, colleagues in this room and others will meet in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for the Africa IGF and then Lillstrom in Dar es Salaam. in Norway for the IGF in June. My hope, in addition to some of the exciting things that have been expressed in this room, is that as nations in West Africa, our own agenda, our desire, and the things that we want to happen for the internet will make their way through this conversation we’re having today, to the conversations next week, and to the conversations in Lindstrom at the IGF. So that at the end of the day, the IGF for us will not be about conversations alone, but it will be about action and also about results. And of course, I encourage us to have even the difficult conversations we need to have. One of the beautiful things about a family conversation is that you don’t pretend that everything is all right. I will not pretend that everything is all right in West Africa, as far as governance and the internet are concerned. We must have these conversations so that in the next few years, we will not repeat some of the mistakes we have made and we will get things right and become truly giants and examples for the rest of the world. Welcome to the West Africa IGF, and I thank you for contributing to the conversations. Thank you.

Hajia Sani: Another round of applause for Nguyen Gia, the quintessential Nguyen Gia. He never disappoints, he never disappoints. Thank you so very much. He will not be shy, and that is a fact. I think we all need to be bold about the decisions that we take, and Nguyen Gia leads that pack for us, representing us in the global IGF as the main Africa representative. Thank you for all the work that you do, Nguyen Gia. We truly appreciate you. Next, permit me to call the representative of the Director General of NIMC, whom I should have called a long while ago, but I had to appeal to him to please allow me to follow the due protocols already established. Thank you for being so patient with us, my brother. God bless you, Mr. Avan. Ikoko. Thank you. Bless you.

NIMC represent: Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, permit me also to stand on very well-established protocols here, and I had a pretty much long list, and in Nigeria we can be quite touchy with protocols, so I beg to hide under the already well-established one. I nevertheless cannot do without recognizing the Chairman House of Representatives Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, who is still in the hall, and also the members of the House of Representatives here, as well as, of course, the parliamentarians of the West African nations here present. I see quite a number of heads of ministries, departments, and agencies still in the hall, and you’re very well recognized, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. My assignment here is pretty much straight to the point. I’m representing the Director-General Chief Executive of the National Identity Management Commission, acronym NIMC. My Director-General Chief Executive is unavoidably absent. She’s about now in attending a conference somewhere in East Africa, an identity management conference, of course, which requires her presence. So I’ll go ahead to say a few things. by way of goodwill message to this wonderful gathering, a very special one at that, being hosted by our dear country Nigeria. It is with great honor and profound gratitude that I extend my goodwill and best wishes to the participants at this year’s West Africa Internet Governance Forum 2025. This forum has become a pivotal platform for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation in evolving the digital landscape in our region. As a custodian of Nigeria’s identity management system, the NIMC recognizes the critical role that secure, inclusive, and accessible digital infrastructure plays in fostering sustainable development. The theme of this year’s forum, building a resilient, inclusive, safe digital future for West Africa, resonates quite deeply with our commitment to leveraging technology and empower individuals, promote economic growth, and enhance regional integration. The forum provides a unique opportunity to address key challenges such as digital inclusion, cyber security, data governance, and regional cooperation. It is a platform to shape policies and frameworks that will ensure the internet remains a tool for innovation, equity, and progress across the West African sub-region. NIMC stands ready to contribute to these discussions by sharing insights of our efforts to build a robust identity ecosystem and safeguard privacy, promote trust, and facilitate access to essential services. We believe that a collaboration among stakeholders, of course including government, private sector, actors, civil society, Thank you all for joining us today. I want to start by saying that the work of society and academia is essential to realizing the full potential of the digital economy. As we deliberate over the next few days, of course today inclusive, I encourage all participants to share ideas boldly, engage constructively, and work towards actionable outcomes that will benefit the over 400 million people who call West Africa home. I commend the organizers of this year’s forum for their dedication and vision in hosting this event. May this forum be a resounding success, leading to impactful policies and partnerships that drive our region towards a digital inclusive future. Thank you and I wish everyone a fruitful discussion and a rewarding experience. Good afternoon.

Hajia Sani: Yes, thank you so very much. We appreciate your kind words. Permit me to quickly call the representative of the National Commissioner NDPC. Kindly give us your good word. Thank you. Please, you have a minute and a half. We were running very, very late on our schedule. I know you’ve been, you’re supposed to have spoken much earlier. Thank you.

Vincent Olatunji: I won’t take your time. Although the protocol has been established, I will ask for the permission of my egmo, Diogidiomo, that I should stand on it while I progress. Thank you very much, sir. But with that, I will still acknowledge your presence, sir. My Honorable, Honorable Stanley Adediji Ogidiomo, and then in absentia, Senator Shuaibe Afoladi Salisu. I will congratulate the, I’m here on behalf of Nigerian Data Protection. I’m here to represent the National Commissioner, Nigerian Data Protection Commission, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, who is outside Nigeria now. He’s in Addis Ababa propagating the gospel of data protection and privacy. So he sent me here to deliver this good word message. And first of all, he said I should congratulate the. The organizers of WAIGF 2025 for a robust organization and then thank you very much. And then I welcome all our guests from neighboring countries, the people from our West African countries. I welcome you to Nigeria and Abuja in specific. And every other person here present, you are welcome. No doubt that internet has changed the paradigm in the way we do things as individuals and as nations. And the same vein, it has brought about its own cones. When I say cones, I mean disadvantages. One of it is security. And when we talk about security, we’re talking about security of your data, personal data, as in PII, personally identifiable information about you. Those are the things that internet has brought about. And in the same way, that is why the Nigerian government has jumped into the ecosystem by legislating and putting into a law, Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, to promote and to protect how the data of Nigeria and Nigerians are being processed. This aspect of security is worthy of note that even in the last two weeks, Nigeria played the host to this kind of a program in NAPA, that’s the National Association of Data Protection Authorities in Africa. All of them were here, also in Abuja, to attend a program. And then that is to tell you that data protection is very key when it comes to internet. We have to be very careful the way we do and we throw our data around. And at this end, that is in IDNDPC, our advice to our guests that are here is that when you go back home, try as much as you can to liaise and cooperate with your DPA. NDPEC is more than ready to cooperate and collaborate with all stakeholders so that we can foster a secure cyber security in West Africa and to make sure that a good space of our internet is safe and sound. Once again, I thank you very much as organizers and as guests of this occasion, and I wish you a productive deliberation. Thank you.

Hajia Sani: Thank you so very much, representative of the National Commissioner for Nigeria’s Data Protection Commission. We truly appreciate your kind words. Permit me to last but not the least request the video playback of Director General of NITDA, one of the co-hosts of this event. Please go ahead, Technical.

Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi: I’m delighted to welcome you all to the 2025 edition of the West Africa Internet Governance Forum here in the vibrant city of Abuja, Nigeria. This year’s forum, themed Building a Resilient, Inclusive, and Safe Digital Future for West Africa, is a clarion call for our region to come together in pursuit of a secure, equitable, and forward-focused digital ecosystem. We are proud to host this event. important gathering here at the Digital Economy Complex NCC Annex Mbora, a befitting venue that reflects our collective aspiration for digital transformation. The West Africa Internet Governance Forum has consistently served as a vital platform for shaping policies, exchanging ideas, and forging partnerships that strengthen our regional digital posture. Over the course of this week, the forum will feature the West Africa African School of Internet Governance and the West Africa Youth Internet Forum. We will engage in critical dialogue, share practical insights to reflect on strategies to deepen digital inclusion, enhance cyber security, and ensure that no one is left behind in our journey to digital future. Nigeria remains firmly committed to advancing a digital economy that works for everyone. Our efforts are anchored in innovation, inclusivity, and resilience, principles that resonate strongly with the objectives of this forum. I believe the interactions and outcomes of this year’s forum will significantly contribute to our shared goals of building a prosperous and digitally empowered West Africa. I encourage every participant, policy makers, technologists, development partners, youth, and Civil Society to actively engage, connect, and co-create solutions that will shape our region’s digital future. Once again, I warmly welcome you to Abuja and wish you all a successful and impactful forum. Thank you for listening.

Hajia Sani: Kindly give him a warm applause. Thank you, DG Nitida, for your kind words. Permit me to quickly call the Chair of the LOC and Chair of the Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, Dimie Shively Warowei. Thank you so much. A round of applause for him, please. This is the Chair. We’ll see all of us soon. Thank you.

Dimie Shively Warowei: Good afternoon, everyone. My head. Good afternoon, everyone. Yeah, I’m going to interrupt now. I’m going to interrupt now. Yeah, it’s a great pleasure of mine to address this audience after we’ve had, um, you know, quite a lot of work put into this event. For me to start with, I think I need to stand on existing protocol. Well, specifically, I need to recognize the contributions of Senator Afolabi Salisu. He was here with us, but he has gone out for another national assignment. And also… Honourable Adedeji Stanley Olagide. I remember when the representative of NDPC talked, he spoke and then added a little bit of Ekorapo into that name and everybody applauded and I saw him smile too. But I can’t do that because they’ve not taught me to do it. So thank you very much. I must not also forget to talk about the contributions of specifically the EVC, NCC for providing this edifice for us to talk and deliberate as we go on with this Internet Governance Forum. And I must also recognize all other CEOs and heads of agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Innovation and Digital Economy. I also must recognize the MPs of other countries that have all come to make this event a glorious one. Now I’ll talk very briefly about the Internet journey, the IGF journey. We have mentioned Internet Governance Forum in several ways. People have a little bit of distilled what it looks like but I’m sure that purely some of us do not understand how this has come about and what we can gain from being part of this. So I’ll take a journey, I’ll take us through the IGF journey and to ensure that we make the best use of this opportunity that we have in front of us. So Internet Governance is a set of policies, principles and structured cooperation between diverse communities working to ensure the Internet is safe, inclusive, sustainable, resilient. President, futuristic, and beneficial to all. At the inception, the Internet, which was a product of government-funded research, was solely a technical affair, where few interests were represented and their driving force was making profit. Now, however, the exponential worldwide usage and adoption of the Internet necessitated the inclusion of diverse communities, all working to ensure its sustainability now and in the future. The IGF was birthed as a solution, as a resolution of the WSIS in Tunis in 2005, the first held in Athens in 2006, which established the multi-stakeholder model of governance, culminating in this year’s 20-year review, codenamed WSIS, that’s World Society on Internet Society, plus 20. There are other variants of collaborations to cooperation, such as the Global Digital Impact and the NetMundial. As part of the scheduled discussions at this year’s IGF in Norway, our contributions from this West Africa IGF would aggregate with other regional ones in determining the model’s retention. By this, I mean all that there is a key component of what the outcome of this should be. That means that the multi-stakeholder model that has been adopted for these past 20 years will be reviewed as we go to Norway to further discuss and review how impactful the IGF has been. So we’ll make sure that as part of the contributions here and how beneficial it has been this far, we should be able to make a commitment as West Africa to show the digital world that this multi-stakeholder approach is good enough for us to continue. So with this, I’ll talk a little bit about what multi-stakeholderism means. Hajia has in place three governance principles of multi-stakeholders, consensus, and decentralization. Through the decentralization, local solutions are found to local problems. Challenges of access, affordability, exclusion, infrastructure, biases, digital rights, fake news, and all that peculiar to our region provides the avenue for discussion and solutions and recommendations for consideration and adoption nationally, regionally, as well as can be escalated globally where necessary. So issues we have within us, digital challenges we have within us, affordability, cybercrimes and all that within us, we can find solutions to read. This solution can be escalated as it goes on until we get to the global level where our voices will be heard. Secondly, decisions are made by consensus. Nobody lords over any other person. Members of the community all work together as equals. So that is a very effective way of ensuring that the IGF goes on and people benefit from collaborating in it. Thirdly, the multi-stakeholder model ensures that deliberations are inclusive and carries the voice of all stakeholders. And there are some specific stakeholders that combine to form the IGF. The technical community decides on the policies and standards that work behind the internet for us to see. As users, you type a URL on your browser and things come out, whatever you want to do. The communication we do, the TikTok we do, all that happens. But we should know that at the back end, standards are being established. We also have the infrastructure, the exchanges that ensure that if you have to communicate with somebody in another country, the various nodes it passes through before it gets there are also being monitored and ensure that the service that you get is seamless and it is fruitful. So those technical communities are behind this. They are part of the multi-stakeholder of this Internet Governance Forum. Of course, we have the academia who do R&D and other kinds of next generation capacity building, particularly the use we had yesterday. They ensure that they are knowledgeable in the IGF protocols. We also have the private sector, the Googles and the Flutter waves and all that you use are all part of the community that ensures that the IGF and the Internet is working perfectly for us to go on. So as YGF 2025 has brought together key stakeholders, policymakers, industry experts, civil society representatives and thought leaders to deliberate on pertinent issues surrounding Internet Governance and its impact on socio-economic development across the region. The theme of this year’s forum, Building a Resilient, Inclusive and Safe Digital Future for West Africa, holds the potential to come up with solutions that could drive sustainable growth, security and online safety, doggedness and to foster innovation in our day-to-day activities. The critical challenges in the path of the IGF includes managing the practice of emerging technologies, issues like AI, the ethical issues around it, blockchain, cyber security, data privacy and data sovereignty are all issues that we will discuss here, so that will ensure that we come out with resolutions that will be impactful to all. In addition, navigating… The internet is a borderless platform, regulations and rules that apply to country A does not apply to country B. So to navigate these borderless jurisdictions is also a challenge, which we are going to address as we go on as well. Government’s roles are also important. Government leads in the process of developing policies for all of us, and managing government as well as private sector, as well as other multistakeholders is indeed a difficult challenge, which the IGF is trying to navigate as we go on. So Nigeria, on behalf of NIGF, that’s Nigeria Internet Governance Forum, on behalf of Nigeria, secured an open forum slot that we’ll discuss at the Global IGF on the topic digital literacy as a precondition to achieving universal access. Those who have attended the Global IGF understands that there is an open forum where countries can air, government agencies and companies can air what peculiar issues they have in their own localities. And this year, despite the vast number of applications that the Global IGF got, Nigeria was able to get a slot for discussing at the open forum. And my charge here is to all of us, to all of us, both the neighbouring countries that are here with us, to join us in deliberating and discussing that at the global level. Thank you very much. One other thing I want to talk about will be that the parliamentary track that has taken place here is very crucial. and N.I.G.F. . It is a great opportunity for us to be able to establish and carry on with the Internet governance and provision of policies as we go on. So my promise as the chair of N.I.G.F. is that we will strive to make sure that the parliamentary tract is implemented in the Nigerian IGF, which we have set out to hold in September. So on that note, I want to say, welcome, all of you. When that time comes, please support us as we deliberate our local issues in the IGF. Thank you.

Hajia Sani: Thank you so very much, Chair, IGF Nigeria, Dimie Shively Warowei. We truly appreciate. Another round of applause for him, please. They put together, they are the brains behind all of the sessions that we’re going to be going through today. Just a quick announcement of some house rules. Right after this, we’re going to do a group photograph with the honorable where’s our honorable member? Yes. Okay. He’s coming back. Okay. We’re going to take a group photograph with him, with the rest of us who are still here present, as many of us as the space can accommodate. And thereafter, we’re going to take a break for lunch. We’re aware that people have been seated for a long time. We want them to stand up so nothing happens to their hip or their waist. So we’ll go on a lunch break. After lunch, we’re going to reconvene here for the high-level session, which that’s going to be actually two high-level sessions. One high-level session and one plenary. So the high-level session will happen here. We’ll have a plenary in another hall. Just right here, too. Oh, okay. That’s after our session. Okay. That’s after the high-level. The plenary will follow after the high-level. Pardon my confusion. I haven’t had my lunch yet. Thank you very much. We truly appreciate it. So on behalf of all of our very special invited guests, we thank you all for this very wonderful session. We thank you for staying the time with us, and we wish you a very happy lunch. Please, let’s return as soon as we can. Lunch will be for just 30 minutes. We hope everybody will be here by 1.25, because at exactly 1.30, we’re starting the next session, which is the main session. Hold on for the French version.

Agreement points

Importance of youth participation in shaping digital future

Speakers

– Gbenga Sesan
– Jane Egerton-Idehen
– Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju
– Anja Gengo

Arguments

Youth participation crucial in internet governance discussions

Youth are key architects of the next digital wave

Need to empower young digital natives

Importance of youth participation in shaping digital future

Summary

Multiple speakers emphasized the crucial role of young people in shaping the digital landscape of West Africa, calling for their active involvement in internet governance discussions and decision-making processes.

Need for inclusive internet access

Speakers

– Bosun Tijani
– Jane Egerton-Idehen
– NIMC represent

Arguments

Need to develop robust digital infrastructure and literacy

Need for inclusive internet access

Importance of secure and accessible digital identity systems

Summary

Speakers agreed on the importance of extending internet access to all communities, including rural areas, and ensuring that digital infrastructure is both secure and accessible to promote inclusive development.

Importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration

Speakers

– Gbenga Sesan
– Dimie Shively Warowei
– Anja Gengo
– Hajia Sani

Arguments

Internet governance is crucial for shaping digital norms and policies

Multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential

Need for multi-stakeholder collaboration in internet governance

Importance of multi-stakeholder participation in the forum

Summary

Speakers consistently emphasized the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in internet governance, highlighting how this approach ensures inclusivity and allows for diverse perspectives in shaping digital policies.

Similar viewpoints

These speakers emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and policy harmonization in addressing digital challenges and promoting integration across West Africa.

Speakers

– Bosun Tijani
РH.E S̩diko Douka
– Shuaib Afolabi Salisu

Arguments

Importance of regional policy harmonization efforts

Importance of regional cooperation on digital policies

Internet connectivity is crucial for regional integration

Both speakers stressed the importance of robust regulatory frameworks for cybersecurity and data protection, highlighting the need for legislation and institutional mechanisms to address these issues.

Speakers

– Aminu Maida
– Vincent Olatunji

Arguments

Regulatory frameworks needed for cybersecurity and data protection

Data protection and privacy are key priorities

Unexpected consensus

Satellite communications for connecting remote areas

Speakers

– Jane Egerton-Idehen
– Bosun Tijani

Arguments

Satellite communications can connect remote areas

Need to develop robust digital infrastructure and literacy

Explanation

While most discussions focused on traditional internet infrastructure, there was an unexpected consensus on the potential of satellite communications to bridge the digital divide, especially in remote areas. This highlights a growing recognition of alternative technologies for achieving universal connectivity.

Overall assessment

Summary

The main areas of agreement included the importance of youth participation, the need for inclusive internet access, multi-stakeholder collaboration, regional cooperation, and robust regulatory frameworks for cybersecurity and data protection.

Consensus level

There was a high level of consensus among speakers on the key issues facing internet governance in West Africa. This strong agreement suggests a shared vision for the region’s digital future and may facilitate more coordinated efforts in policy-making and implementation. However, the consensus also highlights the need for concrete action plans to address these widely recognized challenges.

Different viewpoints

Unexpected differences

Overall assessment

Summary

The speakers demonstrated a high level of agreement on key issues related to digital development in West Africa. Common themes included the importance of digital infrastructure, inclusive access, youth engagement, regional cooperation, and leveraging emerging technologies for development.

Disagreement level

Very low. Speakers presented complementary rather than conflicting viewpoints, focusing on different aspects of a shared vision for digital transformation in the region. This alignment suggests a strong foundation for collaborative efforts in advancing digital policies and initiatives across West Africa.

Partial agreements

Similar viewpoints

These speakers emphasized the importance of regional cooperation and policy harmonization in addressing digital challenges and promoting integration across West Africa.

Speakers

– Bosun Tijani
РH.E S̩diko Douka
– Shuaib Afolabi Salisu

Arguments

Importance of regional policy harmonization efforts

Importance of regional cooperation on digital policies

Internet connectivity is crucial for regional integration

Both speakers stressed the importance of robust regulatory frameworks for cybersecurity and data protection, highlighting the need for legislation and institutional mechanisms to address these issues.

Speakers

– Aminu Maida
– Vincent Olatunji

Arguments

Regulatory frameworks needed for cybersecurity and data protection

Data protection and privacy are key priorities

Key takeaways

Building a resilient, inclusive and safe digital future for West Africa is a key priority

Multi-stakeholder collaboration is essential for effective internet governance

Policymakers and governments play a crucial role in shaping digital transformation

Youth engagement and capacity building are vital for the region’s digital future

Regional integration and cooperation are necessary to address shared digital challenges

Emerging technologies like AI and blockchain present both opportunities and governance challenges

Resolutions and action items

Nigeria to host an open forum at the Global IGF on ‘digital literacy as a precondition to achieving universal access’

Implement a parliamentary track in the upcoming Nigerian IGF in September

Contribute West African perspectives to the WSIS+20 review process

Develop an ‘Abuja Declaration’ on using the internet to address pressing regional problems

Unresolved issues

Specific strategies for improving internet affordability in the region

Concrete plans for harmonizing digital policies across West African countries

Detailed approaches for addressing cybersecurity threats in the region

Mechanisms for ensuring equitable access to digital infrastructure in rural areas

Suggested compromises

None identified

Digital governance is not only about technology, it’s about trust, it’s about access, it’s about equity, it’s about resilience in a rapidly evolving world.

Speaker

Representative of NDPC

Reason

This comment succinctly captures the multifaceted nature of digital governance beyond just the technical aspects.

Impact

It broadened the scope of the discussion from purely technological concerns to social and ethical dimensions of internet governance.

Let us work together across borders, sectors, and generations to shape a digital West Africa that is not just resilient and inclusive, but is also secure and full of hope.

Speaker

Jane Egerton-Idehen

Reason

This comment emphasizes the need for collaboration and a positive vision for the region’s digital future.

Impact

It set an aspirational tone for the forum and encouraged participants to think beyond national boundaries.

One of the beautiful things about a family conversation is that you don’t pretend that everything is all right. I will not pretend that everything is all right in West Africa, as far as governance and the internet are concerned.

Speaker

Gbenga Sesan

Reason

This comment candidly acknowledges challenges in the region and encourages honest dialogue.

Impact

It opened the door for more critical and constructive discussions about internet governance issues in West Africa.

Internet governance is more than a policy conversation. It is about shaping values and architecture of our digital society. It is about who gets to participate, whose voices are heard, and how we ensure that technology remains a force for good, protecting rights, advancing development, and bridging divides.

Speaker

Bosun Tijani

Reason

This comment eloquently frames internet governance as a broader societal issue with significant implications.

Impact

It elevated the discussion from technical policy matters to the broader societal impacts and ethical considerations of internet governance.

The IGF was birthed as a solution, as a resolution of the WSIS in Tunis in 2005, the first held in Athens in 2006, which established the multi-stakeholder model of governance, culminating in this year’s 20-year review, codenamed WSIS, that’s World Society on Internet Society, plus 20.

Speaker

Dimie Shively Warowei

Reason

This comment provides important historical context for the Internet Governance Forum and its multi-stakeholder approach.

Impact

It grounded the discussion in the historical development of internet governance and highlighted the significance of the current moment in reviewing this approach.

Overall assessment

These key comments shaped the discussion by broadening its scope beyond technical matters to encompass social, ethical, and collaborative dimensions of internet governance. They encouraged a more holistic, critical, and forward-looking approach to addressing digital challenges in West Africa. The comments also emphasized the importance of inclusive dialogue, regional cooperation, and the need to balance technological progress with human rights and societal values. This set the stage for a rich, multifaceted conversation about building a resilient, inclusive, and safe digital future for the region.