Preparing the Ground for the West Africa Internet Governance Forum: A review of Internet public policy interests and processes in selected countries in the region

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) reviews Internet public policy and governance in West Africa. It examines the region's telecommunications infrastructure, the impact of privatization and liberalization, and the results of a 2010 survey conducted across seven West African countries to gauge stakeholder interest in national and regional Internet Governance Forums (IGFs).

• There is overwhelming support among surveyed stakeholders in West Africa for the establishment of national multi-stakeholder Internet governance forums (IGFs) to discuss policy and challenges, with 91% of respondents expressing a desire for such a mechanism.
• While access to the Internet is the primary concern for respondents due to extremely low penetration in the region, there is also significant concern regarding security, privacy, and the abuse or misuse of the Internet.
• Survey respondents identified a strong need for a holistic approach to Internet governance that intersects with other public policy areas, including economic development, health, education, and environmental stewardship.
• There is a strong consensus that Internet governance in West Africa should be a shared responsibility between the government, private sector, technical developers, and users, although approximately one-third of respondents believe the government should hold sole responsibility.
• West African stakeholders recognize that Internet issues are trans-boundary and support active knowledge sharing and engagement with other nations both regionally and globally.
• The region has seen a dramatic increase in mobile phone penetration, effectively 'leapfrogging' fixed-line infrastructure, with Ghana reporting 63 mobile phones per 100 people.
• Privatization and liberalization of telecommunications have yielded mixed results; Senegal is cited as a success due to the privatization of Sonatel, whereas Nigeria and Ghana faced more difficult processes due to government reluctance or poor packaging of incumbents.
• Infrastructure gaps persist in West Africa, specifically a lack of regional Internet backbones and a shortage of domestic Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), with only Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and Nigeria possessing them.
• ECOWAS has attempted to harmonize regional ICT policy by passing acts on cybercrime and personal data protection in 2008, though the report notes that domesticating these instruments and increasing digital literacy are necessary for effectiveness.
• The 2010 survey suffered from a significant gender bias, with 85% of respondents being male, which the authors suggest may have excluded the concerns of women from the findings.

APA

Akoh, B., Egede-Nissen, B., MacLean, D., & Creech, H. (2011). Preparing the Ground for the West Africa Internet Governance Forum: A review of Internet public policy interests and processes in selected countries in the region. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/preparing_the_ground_west_africa_internet_gov.pdf

Chicago

Akoh, Ben, Bjørnar Egede-Nissen, Don MacLean, and Heather Creech. Preparing the Ground for the West Africa Internet Governance Forum: A review of Internet public policy interests and processes in selected countries in the region. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/preparing_the_ground_west_africa_internet_gov.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Akoh |first1=Ben |last2=Egede-Nissen |first2=Bjørnar |last3=MacLean |first3=Don |last4=Creech |first4=Heather |title=Preparing the Ground for the West Africa Internet Governance Forum: A review of Internet public policy interests and processes in selected countries in the region |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/preparing_the_ground_west_africa_internet_gov.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{akoh2011preparing, author = {Akoh, Ben and Egede-Nissen, Bjørnar and MacLean, Don and Creech, Heather}, title = {{Preparing the Ground for the West Africa Internet Governance Forum: A review of Internet public policy interests and processes in selected countries in the region}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/preparing_the_ground_west_africa_internet_gov.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }