The 3-Line Summary
- The 16th West African IGF (WAIGF) met in Dakar, Senegal, on 11–12 July 2024 in hybrid format, as stakeholders from 15 member states debated 'Disruptive Technologies: How Far, Thus Far' — the region's answer to the AI moment.
- The final communiqué urged innovation-friendly legal frameworks for AI and emerging technologies, ratification of the Malabo Convention, Universal Acceptance programmes and spectrum for community networks, and announced the WAPNIG parliamentary network.
- Weeks before the Global Digital Compact's adoption, the region committed on paper to injecting West African priorities into the UN process — the same AI-governance contest every country now faces.
Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on West African IGF 2024 in Dakar draws on official outputs, session records and on-site reporting. In a hurry? The three lines above and the diagrams carry the gist.
📍 The catalogue lists Lagos, but the official communiqué, ARTP release and ECOWAS host list all place the 16th edition (2024) in Dakar, Senegal. Lagos hosted an early edition (circa 2010). Some press coverage gives 10–12 July including pre-events.
Conference at a Glance (from official records)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | 16th edition |
| Dates | 11–12 July 2024 |
| Venue | Dakar, Senegal (hybrid) |
| Theme | Disruptive Technologies: How Far, Thus Far |
| Host | Hosted by Senegal (Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs), with the ECOWAS Commission, UN IGF Secretariat, Internet Society, ICANN, IGFSA, Senegal's ARTP and FDSUT, Yango and other partners |
| Outcome | Final Communiqué adopted in Dakar on 12 July 2024, noting the establishment of the West Africa Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance (WAPNIG) and that ECOWAS would announce the host of the 17th edition in May 2025 |
(See the source list at the end of this article.)
Discussion Digest — from the Session Records
Key exchanges extracted from session records and transcripts.
1. Disruptive Technologies — AI as the Foundation of the 4IR
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- The communiqué declares disruptive technologies such as AI 'undeniably essential foundations of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,' stressing opportunity while acknowledging risks and ethical concerns [1]
- Member states were urged to build 'innovative-friendly' legal frameworks for connectivity, AI and emerging technologies — and frameworks enabling independent verification of human-rights compliance [1]
- It also recognized that 'West Africa's youthful labor force remains untapped due to insufficient qualifications for the digital age' [1]
2. Cybersecurity and Data Governance — A Call to Ratify Malabo
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- The communiqué urged investment in AI for detecting and preventing cyber threats, and ratification and implementation of the AU's Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection [1]
- It also called for harmonizing data-protection and privacy regulation across the region in the age of disruptive technologies [1]
3. Institutionalizing Parliamentarians — The Launch of WAPNIG
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- The communiqué informed member states of the establishment of the West Africa Parliamentary Network on Internet Governance (WAPNIG) to shape digital-policy legislation [1][3]
- Regional lawmakers including Nigeria's Senator Shuaib Afolabi Salisu (Chair, Senate Committee on ICT & Cybersecurity) took part, encouraged to keep legislating for digital rights and inclusion [1][3]
4. The Global Digital Compact — Carrying Regional Voices into the UN Process
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- Member states were encouraged to engage in the Global Digital Compact and Summit of the Future so that West African realities shape the outcome [1][2]
- The opening brought together UN IGF Secretariat head Chengetai Masango, ECOWAS Commissioner Sédiko Douka (Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalisation) and WAIGF coordinator Mary Uduma — the region-to-UN circuit personified [1][2]
5. Host Senegal — The Regulator and a New Government's Digital Agenda
Sessions: Opening ceremony, 11 July, presided over by Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Affairs Alioune Sall
"(The company aims to) provide convenient, affordable, and secure tech solutions aligned with African market needs"
— Kadotien Alassane Soro (Yango West Africa Regional Manager) [2][3]
- ARTP Director-General Dahirou Thiam framed the opening around 'technological disruption' of the Internet by emerging technologies, arguing the digital-development narrative requires solving the Internet's fundamental problems first [2][3]
- Under Senegal's new 2024 government, the ministry, regulator ARTP and universal-service fund FDSUT jointly stood as hosts, with private-sector players such as Yango taking part [2][3]
Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered
Q. Wasn't 2024 held in Lagos?
A. No. The 16th edition met in Dakar, Senegal, on 11–12 July 2024 — confirmed by the official communiqué, Senegal's regulator ARTP and ECOWAS records. Lagos hosted an early edition.
Q. What did it decide?
A. Nothing binding, but the final communiqué urged AI-ready legal frameworks, Malabo Convention ratification and community-network support, and announced the WAPNIG parliamentary network.
Q. Why should I care?
A. It is a region organizing to shape AI rules through the UN's Global Digital Compact — the same process shaping AI and data policy in every country.
What Is West African IGF? (for first-time readers)
West African IGF is a National or Regional IGF Initiative (NRI), aligning local internet governance discussion with global IGF principles.
Why It Matters to You
What was discussed here becomes the baseline for national digital policy, platform rules and AI regulation worldwide within a few years. The principles confirmed at the 2024 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.
Sources & References
- 16th Edition of the West African Internet Governance Forum — Communique (Dakar, 11–12 July 2024) — WAIGF / ECOWAS (accessed 2026-07-11)
- OUVERTURE A DAKAR DE LA 16E EDITION DU FORUM OUEST AFRICAIN SUR LA GOUVERNANCE DE L'INTERNET (WAIGF)（仏語。引用は翻訳） — ARTP（セネガル郵便電気通信規制庁） (accessed 2026-07-11)
- YANGO takes part in West African Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF) to promote dynamic development of the digital sector in Senegal and West Africa — Pan African Visions (accessed 2026-07-11)
- About Us — West African Internet Governance Forum（歴代開催地: 2024 – Dakar） — WAIGF / ECOWAS (accessed 2026-07-11)
- 16ÈME ÉDITION DU FORUM OUEST-AFRICAIN SUR LA GOUVERNANCE DE L'INTERNET — Communiqué final（仏語版） — WAIGF / ECOWAS (accessed 2026-07-11)
Quotes are translated or condensed from the records listed above. Bracketed numbers [n] refer to the source list.
Related links
- IGF official (NRI list): https://www.intgovforum.org/en/content/national-and-regional-igf-initiatives
- Japan IGF: https://japanigf.jp/
- Yuki Nakazawa's blog: https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Revision History
Rev. 1 — published 20 September 2024, 10:00 (Article published)
Rev. 2 — updated 11 July 2026, 02:14 (Fully revised into the in-depth edition: added the 3-line summary, minutes digest, short talk, source list and diagrams (all quotes verified against the listed sources))
— 中澤祐樹
