News
Transforming Policy Recommendations into Concrete Actions: Advancing Information for All in West and Central Africa
On 25 May and 26 May 2023, UNESCO organized two capacity building workshops in Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, during the . The two workshops, supported by Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP), were co-organized by Information for All Programme (IFAP) Secretariat and the UNESCO Offices in Abidjan and Dakar as well as the participation of UNESCO Office in Yaounde. Aiming to enhance the capacity and follow-up actions of the national assessments of UNESCO Internet Universality ROAM-X indicators in West and Central African countries and pave the way for advancing information for all and digital collaboration in the region, the events attracted over 50 stakeholders, ranging from national governments and policy makers, academics, NGOs and media representatives.
ROAM-X is a crucial tool to promote universal access to information and build inclusive, equitable knowledge societies. Through the solid evidence and recommendations generated by the assessments, IFAP can advise governments on formulating effective policies that help reduce digital divide and safeguard human rights online. In this sense, IFAP will continue to support the implementation of ROAM-X framework and the follow-up policy actions.
Xianhong Hu, UNESCO representative of Information for All Programme (IFAP) Secretariat, presented that the ROAM-X indicators national assessment has fast expanded in 44 countries across five continents since 2019, and underlined that the unique strength of ROAM-X indicators lies not in ranking purpose but offering contextualized diagnosis and evidence based recommendations, involving inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogues, where public sector, private sector, civil society, and other social groups were involved, to ensure that no one is left behind in digital governance and digital development.
Dr. Kossi Amessinou, West Africa Regional Director of the Africa ICT Foundation, shared the significant impact of the : “The government has carried out several reforms and actions based on the recommendations of the ROAM-X report, in particular the implementation of the Artificial Intelligence strategy. Private sector actors have also leveraged the report's recommendations to advocate for reduced costs of accessing international internet bandwidth, a move that will benefit end-users.” These remarkable developments showcase the tangible benefits that emerge when policy suggestions from the ROAM-X framework are translated into concrete actions.
The composition of Multistakeholder Advisory Board (MAB) is the key and determines the quality of the assessment. The project should not stop with the end of the assessment and the MAB should continue to function with UNESCO’s and national stakeholders support to ensure the main recommendations are translated into concrete actions.
Michel Kenmoe, the West Africa regional advisor for communication, moderated the sessions and concluded that, with regards to the main theme of the WAIGF economic resilience and digital sovereignty in West Africa the “application of the ROAM-X framework provides government and all stakeholders opportunities to integrate humanistic principles in the pursuit for digital sovereignty”.
Participants from West Africa agreed in the discussion that the ROAM-X framework served as a quite useful toolkit for the regulation, co-regulation, and self-regulation of digital platforms in the region.
In the end, participants reached a consensus that the multistakeholder mechanism and synergies at national level, which lie at the core of the ROAM-X framework, should be sustained to translate the policy recommendations to concrete actions. This consensus reflects a shared commitment to ensuring universal access to information and human rights in West and Central Africa.
Internet Universality ROAM-X framework for universal access to information and human rights
UNESCO ROAM-X framework has effectively helped more than 44 countries around the globe (including Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Congo RC, Congo RDC, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Gambia, Niger and Senegal in West and Central Africa) assess the current progress of national Internet development and identify gaps and opportunities for improving digital ecosystme. Among them, six countries – Benin, Kenya, Senegal, Brazil, Germany, and Thailand have completed the assessment, which has contributed to the development of national digital policies.
The framework resonates with UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP), which prioritizes Information Access, Information Ethics, Information for Development, Information Literacy, and Multilingualism and supports the development and operationalization of UN Secretary General’s Global Digital Compact (GDC).
UNESCO encourages more countries and stakeholders to join the and conduct voluntary assessment so as to make a joint effort to advance rights-based and human-centered digital governance.
