Ghana is playing host to the 2020 edition of the Freedom Online Conference (FCO).
The two-day Conference kicked off at the Kofi Annan International Peace-keeping Training Centre on Thursday, February 6, 2020.
Being held under the theme: ‘Achieving A Common Vision Internet Freedom.’
It is being attended by participants or representatives including ambassadors, from across the world, namely Germany, US, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Denmark, among others.
The Conference aims among other things ensuring the protection of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of global citizens on the cyber ecosystem.
It also aims to afford the participants an opportunity
to renew theirr individual and collective commitments and pathways towards a rights-respecting framework that will not only preserve but also enhance their online freedoms.
Delivering a keynote address at the opening session of the Conference, Ghana’s Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, urged the protection and promotion of the fundamental human rights and freedoms of persons online.
She observed that Ghana cherished human rights protection.
She stated that the country’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo who is a human rights lawyer, is keen on strengthening state mechanisms aimed at safeguarding the fundamental human rights of Ghanaians both within the physical world and on the cyberspace.
She epressed gratitude that the Freedom Online platform has opened its doors to everyone.
According to her, access to the Internet is an important developmental tool for growth.
Ghana’s National Cybersecurity Advisor, Dr Albert Antwi-Boasiako, recounted that the Freedom Online Coalition, founded in 2011, is an inter-governmental body, currently comprising 31 countries which are deeply committed to working together to support Internet freedom and protect fundamental human rights online.
Ghana, he said, has been the Chair of the FOC beginning March 2019 and the National Cyber Security Centre of the Ministry of Communications is the focal point for the implementation of FOC activities.
“This conference is one of such activities. Ladies and Gentlemen, this Conference is being organized under the theme “Achieving a Common Vision for Internet Freedom’ and this theme is very relevant especially at a time where issues pertaining to internet freedom have become very topical,” according to him.
He stated that the governments all over the world are the key actors in what is perceived as the current tension in the cyberspace and addressing these tensions require a human-right centered leadership from governments.
In 2019, he explained that Ghana was selected to provide this leadership among the Coalition and under the leadership of the Hon Minister for Communications, the National Cyber Security Centre has actively engaged with FOC Members through diplomatic coordination, productions of joint statements, dialogue with civil society organizations, informal and bilateral meetings and dialogue-based conferences and workshops.
“An important deliverable under our mandate is the production of the joint statement on Digital Inclusion, with the government of Germany which the Hon Minister and the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany will launch within the next hour,” he said.
The Conference expected to end on Friday, February 7, is the third of its kind in Africa and the first in the West African sub-region
BY Melvin Tarlue