By Kadijatu Bangura, Reporter D.S
Dr. Ibrahim Seaga Shaw, Chairman and Information Commissioner of the Right to Access Information Commission of Sierra Leone (RAIC), has been invited by UNESCO to participate as a panelist at the upcoming three-day Regional Conference on Information Integrity in West Africa and the Sahel. The event will take place from September 3rd to 5th, 2025, in Praia, Cape Verde.
Organized by UNESCO, the conference aims to tackle pressing issues such as misinformation, disinformation, fake news, hate speech, and digital governance, with the goal of fostering trust within the regional information ecosystem.
With the rapid transition to digital technologies, particularly through social media, public discourse and information flow are undergoing significant changes. While these advancements offer numerous benefits, they also present major challenges, including the rise of fake news and misinformation, which threaten the integrity and reliability of information. Addressing these challenges will require coordinated responses from both regional and national stakeholders in information and digital governance.
Dr. Seaga Shaw is set to speak on a plenary panel that will explore strategies for leveraging inclusive access to information and public interest data to enhance information integrity across West Africa and the Sahel.
“We have made substantial progress in our nation regarding access to information, with requests increasing phenomenally from 112 in 2019 to 19,496 in 2023. Over 90% of these requests have been processed and fulfilled. Our digital infrastructure now facilitates quicker and easier access to information,” he noted. Dr. Shaw plans to share insights on Sierra Leone’s achievements in promoting information integrity while also addressing challenges and proposing viable solutions for the region. “In this era of artificial intelligence and advanced social media, it is essential to develop regional strategies to combat misinformation and promote access to information and open governance,” he added.
Key objectives of the conference include promoting a coherent policy approach to information integrity, enhancing governance of digital platforms while safeguarding human rights, building resilience against disinformation and hate speech, and fostering inclusive access to information.
Expected outcomes of the conference encompass the adoption of a policy framework for information integrity in West Africa and the Sahel, context-relevant governance approaches, and the establishment of a coordinated action plan to support information integrity.
Dr. Shaw emphasized the timely nature of this conference, noting its role as a precursor to the 17th International Conference of Information Commissioners, which will be hosted in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in September 2026, focusing on information integrity in the digital age.
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