The Yar’Adua Foundation and Enough is Enough Nigeria, in collaboration with key international and local development partners and civil society organisations, are to hold a two-day conference on “New Media and Governance” in Abuja from 14th to 15th May 2012.
New media played an important role in the Arab Spring in North Africa as well as the 2011 Nigerian elections, when thousands of Nigerians used it to report and comment on the electoral process. With an estimated 95 million active mobile phone lines and 45.9million internet users, new media is a critical tool for positive change in a democracy like Nigeria. New media technology has enabled the promotion of sustainable development, good governance, and peaceful coexistence on the African continent.
The conference will bring together government policy makers, representatives of civil society, academic institutions, the private sector and youth to explore the use of new media to enhance governance, transparency and accountability.Three hundred and fifty participants, including 200 civil society groups and community-based organisations, 50 university and secondary school students, 50 government policy makers and 50 corporate representatives are expected at the conference. A conference report will be available electronically and in hard copy.
This conference presents an important opportunity to share experiences and knowledge of tools used around the world to enhance the work of government policy makers, civil society activists, students and community-based organizers for the public good.
