The 3-Line Summary
- The Government of Côte d'Ivoire hosted the 15th West African IGF (WAIGF) in Abidjan on 25–26 May 2023, in hybrid format, drawing stakeholders from across the region's fifteen member states.
- The 6th WASIG school ran on 22–24 May and the Youth West African IGF met on 24 May, consolidating the now-standard one-week package of school, youth forum and main meeting.
- Staged in West Africa's commercial hub in the second post-pandemic in-person year, the edition showcased the region's capacity-building-first model for running an IGF.
Welcome — this is the Japan IGF Support Organization. This in-depth report on West African IGF 2023 in Abidjan 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 Lomé, but records show the 15th edition (2023) was hosted in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Lomé does not appear in the list of past hosts in the official 2024 communiqué, and no record of a Lomé WAIGF was found.
Conference at a Glance (from official records)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Edition | 15th edition |
| Dates | 25–26 May 2023 |
| Venue | Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire (hybrid) |
| Theme | Regional governance themes (The official theme of the 2023 edition could not be confirmed in primary sources during this research and is therefore omitted.) |
| Pre-event | Preceded by the 6th West Africa School on Internet Governance (WASIG), 22–24 May; the Youth West African IGF held its annual meeting on 24 May in Abidjan |
| Host | Hosted by the Government of Côte d'Ivoire; organized by the ECOWAS Commission as WAIGF Secretariat |
(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. Côte d'Ivoire as Host — Meeting in West Africa's Commercial Hub
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- The Government of Côte d'Ivoire hosted the 15th edition, organized by the ECOWAS Commission as secretariat, in hybrid format on 25–26 May [1][2][4]
- Abidjan is home to an active national IGF (FGI-CI, recognized by the UN IGF Secretariat in 2020), tightening the link between national and regional forums [1][2][4]
2. A Three-tier Week — School, Youth IGF and Main Forum as One Package
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- The 6th WASIG ran as a three-day intensive on 22–24 May, with certificates for successful participants [2][3]
- The Youth West African IGF held its annual meeting on 24 May in Abidjan, institutionalizing the channel from youth voices into the main forum [2][3]
3. A Settled Regional Model — Maturity under the ECOWAS Secretariat
Sessions: Multiple sessions
- Fifteen editions on from 2008, the rotating-host model under the ECOWAS Commission secretariat was functioning as an established institution [4][5]
- The 2024 official communiqué lists past hosts — Accra, Dakar, Lagos, Freetown, Abidjan, Abuja, Niamey, Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Banjul and more — with Abidjan hosting for the second time [4][5]
Three-Minute Short Talk — Your Questions Answered
Q. Wasn't 2023 held in Lomé, Togo?
A. No. The 15th edition met in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Lomé does not appear in the official list of past hosts — the catalogue entry appears to be an error.
Q. How was the meeting structured?
A. As a three-tier week: the WASIG training school, the Youth West African IGF, then the two-day main forum — so newly trained participants feed straight into the debate.
Q. Why should I care?
A. The capacity-building-first design — school and youth forum wired into the main meeting — is a transferable model for national and regional IGFs anywhere.
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 2023 meeting are the foundation of the "next rules" for the phones, social platforms and AI services you use every day.
Sources & References
- West Africa IGF Coming May 2023（2023年大会: コートジボワール政府ホスト、アビジャン、ハイブリッド） — intgovforum.org (accessed 2026-07-11)
- ECOWAS-WAIGF West African School on Internet Governance Scholarship 2023（第15回WAIGF 5月25〜26日・第6回WASIG 5月22〜24日） — Opportunities For Africans (accessed 2026-07-11)
- Youth West African IGF（年次会合: 2023年5月24日、アビジャン） — intgovforum.org (accessed 2026-07-11)
- About Us — West African Internet Governance Forum（歴代開催地: 2023 – Abidjan） — WAIGF / ECOWAS (accessed 2026-07-11)
- 16th Edition of the West African Internet Governance Forum — Communique (past hosts list ending 'Accra & Abidjan') — 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 6 September 2023, 09:00 (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
