FREETOWN – Speaking on the opening day of the week-long West Africa Internet Governance Forum (WAIGF 2026) on 14th May, Minister of Communication, Technology and Innovation, Salimah Bah, called on West African policymakers to prioritise regional integration and the digital economy as a pathway to peace and prosperity.
The forum, which is still underway at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown, has brought together over 500 participants from across the ECOWAS region under the theme “Digital Sovereignty and Economic Value in West Africa’s Integrated Digital Market.”
Bah urged stakeholders to move beyond policy statements to concrete actions. “How do we ensure that the internet translates to economic value?” she asked.
She warned that no African country can go it alone in the digital economy and called on social media companies to invest in local content moderation and equal monetisation for African creators.
“If there was economic advancement, less of our people will be risking their lives to jump on boats,” she said.
