With only 13 days to go, momentum is building for the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF26), scheduled to take place from 14 to 16 April 2026 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. So far, over 800 participants from across the world have registered, representing civil society organisations, policymakers, tech innovators, academia, media, and advocacy groups.
This year’s edition of DRIF received 449 session proposals from speakers in 51 countries, reflecting the growing interest and engagement in shaping Africa’s digital future. DRIF 2026 is hosted in collaboration with the organisation’s partner, Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH), and sponsored by the Ford Foundation, Google, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Luminate, Human Rights Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Mott Foundation, TikTok, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, and Wikimedia Foundation. A special thanks for their unwavering support for DRIF.
Among the flagship initiatives at DRIF26 is the unveiling of the 2025 Londa Report, which highlights the state of digital rights and inclusion in Africa and features the newly introduced Score Index, which ranks countries’ adherence to core digital rights and inclusion principles. Londa provides governments, civil society, and tech actors with actionable insights to foster more inclusive, accountable, and resilient digital ecosystems. The report is one of the main toolkits that will be unveiled during the Forum, alongside the short film premieres and interactive workshops. Also to be launched at the Forum is the Digital Rights
On-Demand Learning (DROL) platform, and a report on information integrity in Africa, powered by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Other highlights include the Freedom Online Coalition’s engagement with the community as a build-up to celebrating its 15th anniversary, discussions addressing the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Resolutions, and key community activities such as launches, tech demos, panels, and engagements with high-level stakeholders from companies, the African Union, and Internet governance experts.
Thobekile Matimbe, Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagements, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), said: “DRIF26 is more than a Forum; it is a digital rights movement. Every year we are not meeting to talk, we meet to measure our progress as a community and to empower each other to shape digital policies, promote digital inclusion, and frame our collective strategies and commitments. This is why we take away community recommendations from our engagements. Amidst a challenging funding landscape, we appreciate all the efforts from the community to this cause.. Join us in making this iteration our best one yet.”
Previously known as the Internet Freedom Forum (IFF), DRIF has been held since 2013, bringing together nearly 3,000 delegates from over 70 countries worldwide. This year’s DRIF will be the first time the forum is being hosted in a French-speaking country, covering the following thematic areas: Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Trust and Accountability, Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion and Marginalised Groups, Digital Security, and Human Rights and Freedoms.
Individuals and organisations can also support the forum.
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