The forum, scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2026, at the Welcome Centre Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos, will bring together policymakers, tech innovators, and civil society under the theme: “Sustaining WSIS Vision with Multistakeholder Synergy in Nigeria.”

This year’s theme aligns with the recent UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/80/173, which reaffirms the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) vision.

The 2026 NDSF aims to address the critical need for connecting all citizens, ensuring the affordability of digital technologies, and increasing investment in Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to bridge the widening digital divide.

Speaking on the upcoming event, Ogbuefi Remmy Nweke, Group Executive Editor and Lead Consulting Strategist at ITREALMS Media, emphasized that the stability of Nigeria’s digital economy depends on collaborative security.

“Building an inclusive, open, and secure digital space remains paramount,” Nweke stated. “Beyond connectivity, we must ensure that our digital ecosystem protects children online and remains resilient against global threats. The 2026 NDSF serves as a catalyst for the multistakeholder synergy required to achieve these goals.”

Key Highlights of NDSF 2026:

Focus on Emerging Tech: In-depth discourse on IPv6 adoption, Domain Name System (DNS) security, and the evolution of Digital Public Infrastructure.

Child Online Protection: Strategies for creating a safer internet for the younger generation.

Strategic Collaboration: Continuing a long-standing partnership with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), NITDA, and Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).

Smart Infrastructure: Exploring how telecommunications and satellite technology can drive the “Smart Nigeria” agenda.

The forum will feature a keynote address titled “Sustaining the WSIS Vision via Telecoms: Driving Multistakeholder Synergy for Nigeria’s Future,” expected to be delivered by leadership from the nation’s top regulatory bodies.

Since its inception, NDSF, hosted by DigitalSENSE Africa (DSA), an ICANN-certified At-Large Structure; has been at the forefront of motivating public discourse on the business and technological benefits of advancing internet governance.

Members of the press, stakeholders in the ICT sector, and the general public are invited to join this milestone event to help shape the trajectory of Nigeria’s digital sovereignty.

Confirming this in Lagos, the Lead Consulting Strategist, DigitalSENSE Africa, a project of ITREALMS Media group, Sir Remmy Nweke, said that they would be speaking at the panel session on ‘Stakeholders role in innovative digital economy and safer civic space in Nigeria’ by sharing their respective representation perspectives.

He also said that the 2024 edition of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Africa forum on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) overarching theme is ‘IG4D: Innovative Digital Economy and Safer Civic Space in Nigeria’ would be presided over by the Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda, Mr. Edetaen Ojo.

Nweke outlined that Engr. Gbenga Adebayo, is the chairman, Association of Telecommunications Licensed Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr. Muhammed Rudman is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Mr. Gbenga Sesan is an accomplished social entrepreneur and Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative International whereas Ms Francisca Iloezumma is the Data Protection Officer at the only Nigeria-based Domain Name Registrar accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Upperlink Limited.

This panel session, he revealed, is supported by the Domain Name System Women in Nigeria (DNS WomenNG) led by Mrs. Nkem Nweke, a former member of the Executive Board of Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NIRA), managers of the .NG country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).

The Lead Consulting Strategist at DigitalSENSE Africa, recollected that the Managing Director of Digital Realty Nigeria, Engr. Ikechukwu Nnamani has been confirmed a special guest speaker;

He equally said that 2024 marks the 15th year of activism by DigitalSENSE Africa and some notable industry role models and corporate organisations have been lined-up for recognition.

Recall that the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) series on Internet Governance for Development made a debut in 2009 and has remained a rallying point for Internet stakeholders and eco-system in the country.

NDSF series on IG4D powered by ITREALMS Media group is hosted by DigitalSENSE Africa, an At-Large Structure (ALS) certified by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), in collaboration with relevant stakeholders including Internet Society (ISOC), Nigeria chapter, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Digital Realty Nigeria, to name but a few.

The Lead Consulting Strategist, DigitalSENSE Africa, a project of ITREALMS Media group, Sir Remmy Nweke, made this disclosure, saying that Mr. Ojo, a renowned internet freedom advocate on the continent has been confirmed to chair this year’s forum on the theme “IG4D: Innovative Digital Economy & Safer Civic Space in Nigeria.”

He also said that this year marks the 15 years of Internet and domain name advocacy in Nigeria by DigitalSENSE Africa and would be held at the prestigious Welcome Centre Hotels, along international Airport Road, Lagos.

As said by Nweke, the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum (NDSF) series on Internet Governance for Development, made a debut in 2009 and has remained a rallying point for Internet stakeholders and eco-system in the country.

Stressing that some recognition has been lined up for corporates and individuals who distinguished themselves in deepening Internet penetration across access, openness, affordability, connectivity, advocacy and empowerment of the citizenry on the use and application of the internet for good.

NDSF series on IG4D, powered by ITREALMS Media group is hosted by DigitalSENSE Africa, an At-Large Structure (ALS) certified by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), in collaboration with relevant stakeholders including Internet Society (ISOC), Nigeria chapter, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Digital Realty Nigeria, among others.

Nweke recalled that Mr. Ojo holds a Bachelor’s degree in English Studies from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) and a Master’s degree in International Journalism from City University in London, where he was a British Chevening Scholar.

He also has a diploma in NGO Management from Galilee College in Israel and was a Visiting Media Fellow at DeWitt Wallace Center for Communications and Journalism at Duke University, North Carolina, in the United States.

Mr. Ojo currently serves as a member of the Advisory Network of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), a partnership of 39 governments around the world working to advance Internet freedom; a member of the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC) of Nigeria, and as Chair of the Board of the International Press Centre (IPC) in Lagos.

He has sat on the boards and governing bodies of numerous organizations around the world.

He served as inaugural Co-Chair of the National Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in Nigeria from 2016 to 2019 with then Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN).

He has also been Chair of the Steering Committee of the African Freedom of Expression Exchange (AFEX), a network of freedom of expression organizations in Africa; Chair of the Working Group of the African Platform on Access to Information (APAI); Convenor (Chair) of the governing Council of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), a global network of freedom of expression organizations based in Toronto, Canada; Chair of the Board of Directors of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in Ghana; Chair of the Africa Freedom of Information Centre (AFIC); a member of the Board of International Media Support (IMS) in Denmark; a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD); a member of the Task Force of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) that coordinated the Strengthening Africa’s Media (STREAM) process; a member of the Advisory Group of the Africa Media Development Initiative (AMDI); and a member of the Steering Committee of the Web We Want, a global campaign for Internet freedom; among others.

From 2004 to 2007, Mr. Ojo was UNESCO’s Technical Adviser to the Government of Liberia in the post-war reconstruction of the media sector in Liberia. He was also Coordinator of the International Partnership on Media and Conflict Prevention in West Africa, an alliance of UN agencies, international, regional and national non-governmental organizations.

In 2013, he was a member of the International Advisory Committee for UNESCO’s project on “The Safety of Online Media Actors Doing Journalism” and was also in 2013 named an Internet Freedom Fellow by the U.S. State Department.

Ojo received several honours including the 2018, “Defender of Press Freedom Award” by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) among others.

In January 2024, Mr. Ojo was named by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), based in Kampala, Uganda, as one of 10 digital rights experts across Africa who have played a pivotal role in shaping the continent’s digital and Internet freedom advocacy landscape over the past 10 years.