Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has announced a call for session proposals for the 2026 edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF26), scheduled to take place from April 14 to 16, 2026, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
The forum, now in its 13th edition, offers a platform for stakeholders across the digital ecosystem—including policymakers, civil society, academia, media, and the private sector—to exchange ideas, showcase solutions, and drive progress in digital rights and inclusion.
The 2026 theme, “Building Inclusive and Resilient Digital Futures,” builds on the 2025 theme, “Promoting Digital Ubuntu in Approaches to Technology.”
DRIF26 will feature sub-themes such as digital security, trust and accountability, data protection, privacy and cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, digital inclusion for marginalised groups, human rights and freedoms, and digital and internet governance.
PIN, a leading pan-African non-profit organisation, said the forum continues to foster cross-sector collaboration and amplify voices working to shape inclusive digital policies.
In 2025, DRIF was held in Lusaka, Zambia, with 1,399 registered attendees and 623 in-person participants from 65 countries. Previous editions were hosted in Accra, Ghana (2024), and Nairobi, Kenya (2023), with growing participation each year.
Since its inception in 2013, DRIF has evolved into a premier platform for dialogue on digital policy, rights, and inclusion, accommodating diverse perspectives from civil society, technology companies, government, and academia.
