About the Event
The Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) is launching the “Road to Ghana” Community Engagement Series as part of preparations for the 15th Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF 2026), which will be hosted by the Government of Ghana in Accra from 2–5 November 2026 under the theme:
“Advancing Africa’s Digital Future Through Innovation, Inclusion, and Trust.”
The first session will focus on the role of National, Regional, and Youth Internet Governance Forum Initiatives (NRIs) in advancing the implementation of the WSIS+20 Outcomes and the Global Digital Compact (GDC) across Africa.
Background
The adoption of the WSIS+20 Outcome Document provides renewed political momentum for advancing an inclusive, people-centred and development-oriented information society. It reaffirms the importance of multistakeholder cooperation, inclusive participation and strengthened digital cooperation at global, regional and national levels.
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF), originally established through paragraphs 72–80 of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society (2005), continues to serve as a key platform for multistakeholder dialogue on public policy issues related to the Internet and digital technologies.
Building on the IGF mandate and its subsequent renewal through the WSIS+10 Review Outcome Document (A/RES/70/125) and reaffirmation in the WSIS+20 Outcome Document (A/RES/80/173), National, Regional and Youth Internet Governance Forum Initiatives (NRIs) have emerged as important mechanisms for extending multistakeholder dialogue and cooperation to regional, national and local levels.
While independently organised and community-driven, NRIs play an important role in fostering inclusive participation, promoting digital cooperation, identifying emerging policy challenges, and supporting the localisation of the WSIS Action Lines and the Global Digital Compact.
Africa hosts one of the world’s most vibrant NRI ecosystems, comprising national IGFs, Youth IGFs, parliamentary IGFs, subregional IGFs and other community-driven initiatives.
As implementation of the WSIS+20 Outcomes shifts from global commitments towards regional and national action, there is an opportunity to further strengthen the African NRI architecture as a platform for stakeholder engagement, capacity-building, policy dialogue, knowledge-sharing and monitoring progress towards common digital development goals.
This community engagement session will explore how the African NRI ecosystem can contribute to translating the WSIS+20 Outcomes and the Global Digital Compact into concrete actions, partnerships and policy processes across the continent. It will also identify the capacities, resources and collaborative mechanisms required to enhance the effectiveness, sustainability and impact of NRIs in Africa.