By Mabinty M. Kamara
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) West Africa in partnership with the National Democratic Institute is set to host a regional conference on countering disinformation in the sub region.
The Conference which takes place in Lagos, Nigeria from the 9th to 11 July this year, according to the organizers will bring together stakeholders across civil society, the media and state institutions to explore the use of Artificial Intelligence and the role of Social Media Companies in combating information manipulation.
The conference in which the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists will be participating will serve as a platform for stakeholders from across the region to exchange knowledge, share best practices and develop collaborative strategies to address the spread of disinformation, hate speech, and other forms of information manipulation.
“Scholars and practitioners in the field of countering disinformation will have the space to reflect on the threats posed by disinformation as well as best practices and collaborative strategies to effectively counter it. In line with learned findings, which provide a plethora of evidence about how disinformation undermines the civic will, the electoral process, and ultimately trust in democratic institutions, NDI and CDD reckon that the outcomes of the conference will energize and enable effective synergies, which will safeguard the information space in the West Africa sub-region,” a statement from the CDD reads in part.
Speaking to Politico, the President of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalist Ahmed Sahid Nasralla said the conference is important and timely given the current state of information disorder in the region. He said he is looking forward to share Sierra Leone’s experience in countering dis/misinformation and learning from other countries as well. “The existential threat of dis/misinformation and hate speech undermines democracy, peace, and stability in our region and we need collaborative efforts to address it,” Nasralla said.
The event will have a particular focus on regional experiences in countering information manipulation in elections and transition contexts in the past year, the role of Artificial Intelligence in this field, the changing role of technology platforms and tools, the impact of information manipulation on women and marginalized communities and a review of good practices and development of actionable recommendations to counter these harmful phenomena.
The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops, and networking sessions.
Participants will engage in interactive discussions, share case studies, and learn from experts who are directly addressing disinformation and hate speech in the region.
There will be physical and online attendance to give a broad spectrum of participants an opportunity to be a part of the deliberations. According to CDD West Africa director, Dr. Dauda Garuba, the conference is supported by Global Affairs Canada.
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