The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), will on Tuesday March 25, 2014, bring together civil society groups and key stakeholders in the internet ecosystem in Ghana to discuss ways of making the internet a major development tool in Ghana.
The forum is under the theme: “Internet freedom and citizens’ empowerment for participatory and accountable governance in Ghana”. It is being organised in partnership with key stakeholders including the Ministry of Communications (MoC), the National Communication Authority (NCA), National Information Technology Agency (NITA), Internet Society Ghana (ISOC-Ghana) and the Telecommunications Chamber.
The forum, which is expected to feature an address by the Minister of Communications and heads of the other partner institutions, will explore ways of making the internet a major facilitator of free expression and development in Ghana.
“This is going to be a major forum on the internet in Ghana. It will offer an ideal platform for the key stakeholders to highlight any ongoing or planned initiatives for expanding internet freedom and making the internet accessible and affordable to the majority of Ghanaians,” explained, Mrs Dora Mawutor, the MFWA’s Programme Officer for Communications, Research and Content Marketing.
Mrs Mawutor further explained that the forum will also help identify ways in which the internet can be a tool for empowering citizens to fully participate in governance. “The internet has become a major tool for promoting transparency and accountability in governance and all national development processes in many countries around the world. It is important that we take steps to facilitate a similar process in Ghana,” said, Mrs Mawutor.
The forum forms part of the MFWA’s ongoing internet freedom project which is being implemented in partnership with the UK-based Global Partners-Digital. The project, which was commenced last year, has already resulted in the formation of a vibrant, active civil society coalition on internet freedom in Ghana.
“We are extremely delighted to be partnering all the major actors and players in the internet environment in Ghana for this important project,” the Programme Officer emphasised.