On 9 September 2026, the Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) Secretariat hosted ‘Road to Ghana: Community Engagement Series #1‘, on ‘Leveraging the NRI Ecosystem for the Implementation of the WSIS+20 Outcomes and the Global Digital Compact in Africa‘.
This was the first session in a series launched in preparation for the 15th Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF 2026), 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‘. It focused on the role of National, Regional, and Youth Internet Governance Forum Initiatives (NRIs) in advancing implementation of the WSIS+20 Outcomes and the Global Digital Compact (GDC) across Africa, exploring how the African NRI ecosystem can translate them into concrete actions, partnerships and policy processes, and identifying the capacities, resources and collaborative mechanisms needed to strengthen NRI effectiveness, sustainability and impact.
SCENE SETTING: WSIS+20, GDC AND THE FUTURE OF NRIs
Mactar Seck – UNECA
Mihret Woodmatas – AUC (TBC)
Hon. Alhagie Mbow – Chair, Africa IGF MAG
Isabelle Lois – Vice-Chair, CSTD
Deniz Susar – UN DESA
Vladimir Stankovic – ITU
Anja Gengo – IGF Secretariat
WSIS+20 OUTCOME REFLECTIONS
Davide Storti – UNESCO
ON THE 2026 WSIS FORUM SESSION ‘FROM DIALOGUE TO PRACTICE: NRI-DRIVEN MULTISTAKEHOLDER LABS’
Eng. Concettina Cassa – Head of International Affairs, Agency for Digital Italy (AgID)
BREAKOUT GROUPS
Group 1 – Sustainability and Capacity Development
Facilitator: Mary Uduma; Rapporteur: Fatou Sarr
Group 2 – WSIS+20 and GDC Implementation
Facilitator: Lillian Nalwoga; Rapporteur: Winnie Kamau
Group 3 – Inclusion and Multistakeholder Participation
Facilitators: Dr Jimson Olufuye, Mohamed Farahat; Rapporteur: Yao Amevi A. Sossou, Policy Chair, NPOC, ICANN
Group 4 – Future Architecture of the African NRI Ecosystem
Facilitator: Anriette Esterhuysen; Rapporteur: Michel Tchonang Linze
MODERATOR
Sorene Assefa – Coordinator, Africa IGF Secretariat
#AfIGF2026 #RoadToGhana #WSIS20 #NRIs
![Confirmed — that settles the format. HYBRID stands on the definition (physical venue + a direct online participation path), and the Indico account requirement is worth carrying in the block since it's a real friction point for remote viewers. Provenance noted: this comes from you, not from the page. Full block, revised: --- **HYBRID 02 NOV [start time not stated] UTC - 15th Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF 2026)** *(Format: HYBRID confirmed — in-person in Accra plus online participation. Online participation registration is via UN Indico and **requires a UN Indico account**; confirmed by Joly, who registered. The landing page itself only shows a section headed "In-Person & Online Registration" with a single Indico link and does not describe the online participation path.)* The **2026 Africa Internet Governance Forum**, styled on the page as "Welcome to 2026 Africa Internet Governance Forum" and elsewhere as the **15th Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF 2026)**, takes place in **Accra, Ghana**. The core AfIGF 2026 programme runs **2–5 November 2026**. **No start time and no timezone are stated anywhere on the page**, so the UTC value in the title line cannot be derived from this source. (Accra is UTC+0 year-round, but the page states no local start time to convert.) **⚠ Venue conflict within the single source.** The page body places the Forum in Accra, Ghana ("Experience the Beauty, Culture, and Warmth of Accra"; "2026 Africa Internet Governance Forum Accra, Ghana"). The site header, footer, and Contact Information block all give the address as **"Africa Hall and ECA Conference Center, Menelik II Ave, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia"**. Both appear on https://igf.africa/africa-igf-2026/ . Looks like a stale template address, but not silently resolvable — **verify the Accra venue before publishing**; no Accra venue name is given on the page. **Hosting organisation.** The site is the **Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF)**, with a Secretariat and a MAG (Multistakeholder Advisory Group) — both terms used unexpanded on the page beyond the menu labels "Secretariat" and "MAG Members". Ghana is named as host country, with the **Host Country Website** linking to https://moc.gov.gh/ (Ghana's Ministry of Communications — **the page does not spell out this ministry's name**; the link is labelled "Host Country Website" only). **No explicit statement of who convenes or co-organises the Forum appears on this page.** **Partners and sponsors** are shown as logos only, under "Our Partners and Sponsors — Collaborating for a Connected and Inclusive Africa", with no accompanying text assigning roles. Identifiable from image filenames and link targets: MOC Ghana; ECA; AU; **UNDESA** (https://www.un.org/en/desa); **ISOC Foundation** (https://www.isocfoundation.org/); **ICANN** (https://www.icann.org/en); **Ethiopian Airlines** (https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/); **AFRINIC** (https://www.afrinic.net/). Names as rendered in logo filenames, not as written prose — treat with care. **Description, in the page's own framing.** Under "Main Thematic Areas and Subthemes — Advancing Africa's Digital Future Through Innovation, Inclusion, and Trust": as Africa continues its digital transformation journey, the 2026 Forum focuses on fostering innovation, expanding digital inclusion, strengthening trust in digital systems, and promoting collaborative governance approaches that benefit all communities across the continent. The Forum is presented as "A multi-stakeholder forum — Inclusive Internet governance dialogue." **Tracks.** The page announces "Four different Tracks" but then lists five items: - **Main Africa IGF Track** — 2–5 November 2026, "featuring high-level dialogues, panel discussions, workshops, networking opportunities, and multistakeholder policy discussions." - **Youth Track** (https://igf.africa/youth-track/) — "Coming Soon". - **Parliamentarian Track** (https://igf.africa/parliamentary-track/) — "Coming Soon". *(Menu elsewhere calls this "Parliamentary Track".)* - **African School on IG (AfriSIG)** (https://afrisig.org/) — the African School on Internet Governance will be held **28 October to 1 November 2026**, ahead of the Forum. - **Children's IGF Track** — the 1st Africa Children's IGF, "a dedicated platform for children aged 13–17 to engage in meaningful discussions on Internet governance, digital technologies, and the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa's digital future." Held as a **Day Zero event** of AfIGF 2026 in Accra. ⚠ The Children's IGF card links to https://igf.africa/parliamentary-track/ , not to the Children's track page listed in the menu (https://igf.africa/children-igf-track/) — apparent broken link on the page. - **Judicial Dialogue on Internet Governance** — the Inaugural African Judicial Dialogue on Internet Governance, "a high-level special track during the 15th Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF 2026) in Accra, Ghana," bringing together judges from across Africa to examine the legal and policy implications of the continent's rapidly evolving digital landscape. ⚠ This card also links to https://afrisig.org/ rather than https://igf.africa/judicial-dialogue-on-internet-governance/ . **Speakers, moderators, facilitators, hosts: none listed.** The page carries no names of any individuals. Agenda and the SCHED schedule are both marked "Coming Soon"; Visa Requirements, Tourism Areas, Accommodation, and Flight Information are also "Coming Soon". **URLs.** - Landing page: https://igf.africa/africa-igf-2026/ - Registration (in-person & online, via UN Indico; **UN Indico account required**): https://indico.un.org/event/1024148/registrations/26700/ - Session proposals (Sessionize): https://sessionize.com/africaigf-2026 — "Open from 20 Jun - 20 Jul 2026" (window has closed); call text at https://igf.africa/2026-session-proposals/ - YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@africaigf — **listed as a site-wide social link in header and footer; no livestream URL, stream schedule, or statement that sessions will be webcast appears on this page.** - WhatsApp community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/CRGL1MbWppAIIsbKuJKBaf (link labelled "Join the Official Africa IGF **2025** WhatsApp Community" at https://igf.africa/join-the-official-africa-igf-2025-whatsapp-community/ — 2025 in the label, presented under 2026 quick links) - Accommodation: https://igf.africa/accomodation-2026/ *(spelling as on site)* - Travel & logistics: https://igf.africa/travel-2026 - Related announcement: https://igf.africa/ghana-is-hosting-the-15th-africa-internet-governance-forum-afigf-2026/ - Contact email: info@igf.africa **Open items to resolve before publishing:** start time and timezone; Accra venue name; Accra vs. Addis Ababa address conflict; whether the online participation platform (Zoom, or Indico-hosted, or other) is named anywhere, and whether a public YouTube stream will run alongside it; agenda/SCHED once published; any named speakers. If the Indico event page (https://indico.un.org/event/1024148/) shows dates, times, timezone, or a venue that the landing page doesn't, that's the fastest fix for the time and venue gaps — though it may be behind the login now that you're registered, in which case it's an extension pass rather than a fetch.](https://i0.wp.com/isoc.live/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/africa-igf-2026.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&ssl=1)
