This is one of the approaches, which led to the organization of a multi -active consultation on November 27, 2024 in Yaoundé.
Is it possible today to consider healthy use of the Internet in Cameroon? This is the question to which, the organizations of civil society in the field, gathered around representatives of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, of the Antic, (National Telecommunications Agency), of Camtel, want to respond in the affirmative, provided they of course fight effectively against a gangrene which sows confusion all day long on social networks and other connection platforms, namely: disinformation.
An evil of all time that has penetrated Cameroonian society into all its components, distilling, lies and relief, hate speech and divisions, manipulation and confusion. What to do today to oppose him a response to the dimension of the danger he represents?
The answer to this question may come from the multi-actors' concertation organized in Yaoundé on November 27, 2024, to discuss current and future threats and propose avenues of action in order to guarantee a free, safe and accessible internet for all.
“There are many threats to the Internet in Cameroon; among which disinformation. It is fundamentally harmful to our country in this sense, that it participates in conveying dangerous messages, false information to manipulate opinion and endanger an important category of the population. Through disinformation, we are also witnessing the proliferation of hatred speeches, which sow doubt, division and threatens social cohesion. Such a practice does not continue to prosper without us doing nothing to stop it. This is one of the objectives of this consultation, which consists in finding avenues of solutions to considerably reduce its negative effects, failing to eradicate it completely. ” Declares Abdou MFOPA one of the organizers of this activity.
For 24 hours, therefore, public and private administrations, civil society organizations, crossed the verb to put in the same basket concrete solutions to be presented to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications in the form of proposals in order to hope or even these reflections start their application process on the ground.
Until that it happens, the path is still long. Meanwhile, the evil continues to gain the field in a fragile context, marked by the almost certain absence of rigid regulations, specifically dedicated to the fight against disinformation in Cameroon.
Christian Essimi