Côte d’Ivoire to host DRIF26, pioneering digital rights forum in Francophone Africa

Stanley Ihedigbo

Registration is now open for the 2026 Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF26), a landmark bilingual event that will gather hundreds of global delegates in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, to explore, discuss, and advance digital rights and inclusion across Francophone Africa and beyond.

The forum will take place at the Radisson Blu Abidjan Airport Hotel from 14th to 16th April 2026, offering a unique platform to explore, discuss, and advance digital rights and inclusion across Francophone Africa and beyond.

This year’s DRIF event, the first one in a Francophone country, will be held under the theme, Building Inclusive and Resilient Digital Futures, in response to ongoing rapid digital expansion, uneven internet access, rising surveillance, shrinking civic space and funding, more so across the Global South. This theme builds on the 2025 one, which was “Promoting Digital Ubuntu in Approaches to Technology,” which called for inclusive and collaborative approaches to advancing digital rights and inclusion across the Global South.

The 2026 forum will be hosted by Paradigm Initiative in collaboration with the organisation’s partner, Coalition Ivoirienne des Défenseurs des Droits Humains (CIDDH). The event sponsors include Ford Foundation, International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Human Rights Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Mott Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund, Wikimedia and individual supporters.

The event previously known as the Internet Freedom Forum (IFF) has been held since 2013, bringing together almost 3,000 delegates from over 70 countries across the world. The first event, which was held in Nigeria, brought together 53 delegates from 30 countries. In 2019, the event’s name was changed from IFF to DRIF to incorporate digital inclusion aspects. Last year’s edition was held in Lusaka, Zambia, the 2024 one held in Accra, Ghana and the 2023 edition held in Nairobi, Kenya.

Thematic areas covered under DRIF are: Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Trust and Accountability, Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion and Marginalised Groups, Digital Security, Human Rights and Freedoms.

This year, PIN has received 449 session proposals, up from 346 proposals that were received in 2025. The sessions include workshops, day zero events, tech demos, product launches, lightning talks and panel sessions. The session hosts should expect to receive feedback from PIN on 28th February, 2026, regarding the status of their proposals.

Delegates at the event include representatives from the civil society, non-governmental organisations, academia, media, funding partners, the United Nations, the technical community, government, the private sector within the digital ecosystem to share experiences and map strategies that transcend geographical boundaries.

The meeting provides a platform for tough topical global issues on digital rights and inclusion, accommodating views and opinions from civil society, technology companies, funders, governments, UN bodies, media, academia, and other stakeholders.