Africa must define digital future by media freedom, data sovereignty – broadcasters

Africa must lead its digital future and ensure it is defined by media freedom, data sovereignty and inclusive growth, the Conference of African Broadcasters (Africast) said in Lagos.

It also said it would be crucial to instill in African children and youths, indigenous cultural values, discipline and responsibility through tailored broadcast content to safeguard them against harm.

This is contained in a communique the conference issued at the end of the 14th Biennial Conference of African Broadcasters (Africast 2025).

The event held in Ikeja from Oct. 20 to Oct. 24.

The motion for adoption of the communique was moved by Mrs Dotun Olaitan, Executive Chairman, Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State, and seconded by Mr Solomon Oyeleke, Head of Programmes at SEAP 89.1 FM, Okeho, Oyo State.

It stated: “To safeguard children against harm in this new generational shift, it is crucial to instill indigenous cultural values, discipline and responsibility through tailored content.”

According to the communique, children are essential to the future but possess high vulnerability and susceptibility to harm.

The communique said that children and youths should be participate in the next Africast edition.

It said that it was important to make them an active part of conversations that would lead to formulation of policy concerning them.

It urged that Africa should effectively leverage education and entertainment broadcast content as transformative tools for education, cultural preservation and social change in the contemporary digital landscape.

`Africa should strengthen Intellectual Property (IP) and data protection laws. Regulators must safeguard Africa’s cultural heritage, norms and values in content.

“Regulation should aim at protecting consumers against privacy intrusion, online defamation and harmful content, with public enlightenment on digital rights,” it added.

It said that regulators should move beyond urban connectivity to focus on financially-viable models for rural reach, leveraging the synergistic potential of telecoms, cloud computing. and satellite technology.

It noted that artistes who specialised in portraying content with positive African values were hardly rewarded, urging that the situation should be looked into.

According to the communique, Nigeria is a major influencer of global culture, and the success of Afrobeats is a point of national pride.

It, however, said that while Afrobeats was not solely defined by nudity or pornography, those elements existed and were often commercially successful due to audience demand.

“This presents a complex cultural challenge that needs aggressive policies. ‘Immorality’ in content is a global issue, amplified by youngsters’ access to communication tools.”

The communique said that Africa was already on the path of digital journey but greater collaboration was still needed among regulatory agencies and other stakeholders.

“There is need for regulatory convergence to address the dynamic digital technological landscape. Regulatory agility is necessary.

“African regulators should aim at promoting collaboration by implementing concurrent jurisdictional approaches to regulate the digital space, avoiding gaps and overlaps,” it said.

The communique also noted that obsolete laws were a challenge to regulation and education was key to understanding what should be regulated.

It said there was need for the development and enactment of updated legislation to equip national media regulators with legal authority, tools and flexibilities required to govern digital platforms, content creators and emerging technologies.

It urged that activities of unregistered online broadcasters should be regulated.

It said that digital infrastructure should be designated as essential national assets, and regulatory agencies should implement forward-looking policies to enable innovation and empower local content providers to thrive.

“There is need for African governments to enhance continental cooperation, modernise institutions, create a fertile ground for growth, and ensure seamless regional connectivity and digital integration

“Africa must actively lead in shaping its digital future, ensuring it is defined by media freedom, data sovereignty and inclusive growth for all its people.

“African regulators must be structurally and financially independent, with inclusive legal frameworks.

It called on African governments to subsidise infrastructure deployment and create deliberate financial interventions, similar to western models, to make operational costs feasible and bridge the digital divide.