Paradigm Initiative with support from the Gambian Press Union will be hosting an Internet Policy Training (IPT) in Gambia. The training which will hold in Banjul, Gambia from 11th-13th July 2017 will be taught by a team of experts and will focus on various Internet policy topics.
According to ‘Gbenga Sesan, the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, “The subject of Internet Policy has never been more important on the continent than it is in recent times. Its relevance is no longer just an area of interest for policy makers, regulators and advocates but also for individuals who are using the internet for activism, advocacy or just engagement in the political, economic and social-cultural space as well other actors such as media whose work is largely impacted by the Internet.”
The Gambia, a country that has never had a change of government through an election until January 2017, has joined the likes of Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal in a successful democratic transition. According to Adeboye Adegoke, Program Manager at Paradigm Initiative; “this presents a huge opportunity for the Gambia to get its Internet policy landscape right especially as it relates to promoting forward-looking, rights-respecting and innovation-friendly Internet Policy.”
“The training is coming up at a very strategic time in the Gambian political landscape with recent change in Government and at a time the Internet has become very crucial to the work of various stakeholders such as the media, the civil society and the government,” says Bai Emil Touray, President of Gambian Press Union.
Participants at the training have been drawn from the Gambia media, civil society and government agencies. Selection was based on best-fit considerations alongside the likelihood that the workshop will be useful for participants’ on-going work.