The bridge to the unconnected
African women as architects of inclusive internet governance, universal acceptance, and information integrity.
This session examines how African women can move from digital access to structural agency — engaging in internet governance, advancing Universal Acceptance, strengthening information integrity, and countering AI-generated disinformation, to serve as essential economic and safety bridges for underserved communities.
09:00–10:00 EDT
Program Schedule
Opening & Special Presentations
Moderated by Martha Omoekpen Alade (Executive Director, WITIN)
- Dr. Markie IdowuChair, WITIN Advisory Board
- Yaovi AtohounDirector, Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Director for Africa, ICANN
- Anriette EsterhuysenSenior Advisor / Former Executive Director, APC
- Dr. Rajendra Pratap Gupta, PhDGlobal Co-Chair, Policy Network on AI at UN IGF; Chair, Digital First Foundation
- Amb. Dr. Lavina RamkissoonAU Ambassador; AI & Tech Leader
- Jutta CrollChairwoman, Stiftung Digitale Chancen; Co-Facilitator, IGF Dynamic Coalition
Panel Session
Moderated by Somto Akujuruobi (Communications & Community Coordinator, WITIN)
- Tinuade OguntuyiFounder, Tinuadeniyi Tech Foundation
- Adejoke Opeyemi-OgungbireFounder/CEO, DESIRE Health Inclusive Organization
- Olabimpe A. AdeloroFounder & President, Global Women in Digital Governance Initiative (GWDGI)
- Dr. Mary Taiwo AjideFounder/Director, AIM²E® Lab & Network
Five spans of the bridge
Participants will leave with practical pathways for building inclusive, locally responsive digital systems — systems that help communities identify, challenge, and redress digital misrepresentation while participating meaningfully in shaping fair and accountable technologies.
Internet governance
Moving African women from the edges of digital access into the multistakeholder rooms where the rules of the internet are actually written.
Universal Acceptance
Advancing systems that work correctly in every script, language, and currency — so that a name written in Yoruba, Amharic, or Hausa is treated as equal to one written in Latin script.
Information integrity
Strengthening the systems and norms that determine what information reaches underserved communities, and whether it can be relied on.
Countering AI-generated disinformation
Building the literacy, tools, and networks needed to identify, challenge, and redress synthetic media and digital misrepresentation before it causes harm.
Economic and safety bridges
Positioning African women as the essential link between underserved communities and the opportunity, protection, and voice a fair digital future should offer.
What are you doing to build a Digit’all Future?
This session is convened in the spirit of that question — inviting organizations across the digital ecosystem to move from commitment to structural agency.
Who this session is for
- Policymakers and regulators working on internet governance and digital inclusion
- African women leaders, technologists, and entrepreneurs in the digital economy
- Internet governance and Universal Acceptance practitioners
- Civil society, media, and information-integrity researchers
- UN agencies, ITU Members, and multilateral digital-development partners
Join us on the bridge
This is a virtual session — reserve your seat and the link will be sent ahead of time. Tue, 6 October 2026 · 14:00–15:00 WAT / 09:00–10:00 EDT.
Reserve your seat