A delegation from Paradigm Initiative (PIN) will join global policymakers, civil society actors, researchers, and platform governance experts at the UNESCO 2026 International Conference on Platform Governance, taking place at the Future Africa Campus, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
PIN’s participation builds on its continued engagement with UNESCO, following its contribution to the previous UNESCO consultation in Cape Verde in 2025, where the organisation participated as a key stakeholder on information integrity and platform governance issues in Africa. This engagement reflects PIN’s sustained commitment to shaping inclusive, rights-respecting digital governance frameworks that respond to the lived realities of communities across the continent.
The UNESCO 2026 International Conference on Platform Governance provides a critical global platform for advancing dialogue on platform accountability, content governance, election integrity, and the protection of human rights in digital spaces. The conference convenes governments, civil society, academia, and the private sector to strengthen cooperative and context-aware approaches to platform governance, particularly in the Global South.
Through its participation, PIN will draw on its research, advocacy, and community-based work to elevate African perspectives in global policy discussions. The organisation will highlight emerging risks to information integrity, democratic participation, and civic space, while contributing practical, solution-oriented insights grounded in regional experience.
The Paradigm Initiative team participating in the conference includes Thobekile Matimbe, PIN’s Senior Manager, Partnerships and Engagements, and Bridgette Ndlovu, Partnership and Engagement Officer, who will contribute across multiple sessions.
Key moments to look out for include: (SEE TABLE)
About PIN
Paradigm Initiative (PIN) connects under-served young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures digital rights for all. We have worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007 and across Africa since 2017, building experience, community trust, and an organisational culture that positions us as a leading non-governmental organisation in ICT for Development and digital rights on the continent.
We promote a rights-respecting continent through our team in subregional offices in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Our interventions span more than 27 African countries. Paradigm Initiative pushes for an Internet that is open, accessible, and affordable to all.
Our programmes include a Life Skills, ICTs, Financial Literacy, and Entrepreneurship (LIFE) Training Programme, a digital readiness workshop for youth, and a Life at Schools Club Programme. PIN has also built online platforms such as Ayeta and Ripoti that educate and serve as safe spaces for reporting digital rights violations.
| Session Title | Team member participating | Host | Date | Time (CAT) | Room/Venue | Sessions Link/ Highlight |
| Promoting Rights-Respecting Platform Governance in the Global South | Thobekile Matimbe – Participating as a speaker | GPD | 13 February | 11:45-13:00pm | Conference Room 1 | |
| African Alliance for Access to Data Conference | African Alliance for Access to Data | 12 February | 14:30-15:45 pm | Auditorium | ||
| Governance in action Election Integrity and Content Provenance | Thobekile Matimbe | African Alliance for Access to Data | 13 February | 11-12;30 pm | ||
| Regional Session Asia Advancing Accountable Platform Governance in Asia: Regional Trends and Global Frameworks. | 13 February | 2-3:30 pm | ||||
| Governance in Action | African Alliance for Access to Data. | 13 February | 10.00 – 11:30 | Conference Room 2 | GPD will share insights from a recent report *Data access for researchers within digital platforms: unpacking the human rights implications, practical opportunities, and challenges for the Global Majority | |
| Regional session on Asia, by ASEAN | ASEAN | 13 February | 15:30-17:00 | Conference Room 2 | ||
| Moving from Principles to Action | GPD | 12 February | 10:00 – 11:15 am | Auditorium |
India AI Impact Summit Sessions and Press Statement
Country: New Delhi, India
| Session Title | Team member participating | Host | Date | Time (GMT +5:30) | Venue | Sessions Link |
| Platform Governance & AI: Global Majority perspectives | Thobekile Matimbe | Global Partners Digital | 18 February | 14:00 – 17:00 | The LaLiT New Delhi | |
| ‘Data Governance at the Intersection of Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence’ | Bridgette Ndlovu | Tech Global Institute | 17 February | 1:30-2:25pm | Shakuntalam Banquet in Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, | |
| Shared Learning Forum on AI | Thobekile Matimbe | Global Network Initiative | 16 February | N/A | N/A |