34 Speakers Confirmed For The Uganda Social Media Conference

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) will be hosting their sixth (6th) edition of the Uganda Social Media Conference online from 25th to 26th, August 2021 under the theme “Digital democracy in a Post Pandemic World”. The conference will be hosted in a hybrid format to ensure effective interaction between online participants and onsite participants; at the Kampala Serena Hotel. This is a way of following SOPs and directives on Covid-19 that restricts gatherings that could easily spread the coronavirus.

The Uganda Social Media Conference will gather key stakeholders from the government, civil society, academia, researchers, policy-makers, and the media for a constructive exchange on the impact of social media on the state and society —highlighting both, opportunities and challenges it brings.

Topics including; Social media & elections in Africa, Citizen journalism vs digital newsrooms, Digital diplomacy, Impact of social media on mental health, Tackling emerging digital threats (including extremism, trafficking, radicalization), The rise of global social movements & social media, and Re-framing the climate change agenda on social media, will be discussed.

Other topics that will be covered include; the crisis of state surveillance, digital privacy, data protection, and the gig economy —which is currently a major source of income for a majority of youths in urban centers.

To discuss the topics, KAS has confirmed 34 speakers for the conference including; Dr. William Tayeebwa; Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow of American Council of Learned Societies, Adonia Ayebare; Ugandan Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. Paul Kasenene; Wellness & Nutrition Specialist, Ms. Anna Reismann; Country Director of KAS Uganda, Raymond Mujuni; Investigative Journalist, Awel Uwihanganye; Founder of LéO Africa Institute, to mention a few.

Among the speakers include; lecturers, journalists, researchers, ambassadors, doctors, communication experts, advocates, politicians, entrepreneurs, feminist writers, activists among others.

The event will kick off on August 25th with a keynote speech on “The Rebirth of Social Media and Digital Politics in Africa” by Dr. William Tayeebwa. Another keynote speech will be delivered on the second day of the conference, Aug 26th, by Ms. Agnes Igoye “Tackling emerging digital threats”.

Day 1: Aug 25th, 2021

Topics that will be covered;

1. Keynote speech from Dr. William Tayeebwa.
2. Digital Diplomacy: The rise of algorithms and implications for big tech in African Institutions,
3. Governments, and Individuals.
4. Impact of social media on mental health: Hitting the pause button.
5. Re-framing the climate change agenda on social media.
6. Citizen journalism vs digital newsrooms: Building a consensus for new media.
7. Social media and Elections in Africa.

Day 2: Aug 26th, 2021

Topics that will be covered;

1. Keynote speech from Ms. Agnes Igoye.
2. Tackling emerging digital threats: Extremism, trafficking, and Radicalization.
3. The rise of Global Social movements and social media.

The 6th edition of the Uganda Social Media Conference will promote the exchange of ideas, networking, and collaboration on the above topics for citizen engagement, political campaigning, misinformation, political polarization, populism, e-Government, smart cities, to mention a few.

To register and attend the conference is free of charge;

1. Open the URL https://socialmedia.ug/ on your preferred web browser via your smartphone, tablet, laptop, or PC.
2. Once the website is open, from the menu select ‘Register’ to continue.
3. From the registration portal, enter the required details and click ‘Register’.
4. An email will be sent to your registered email and it will contain the ‘Webinar ID’ and ‘Password’ for the event.
5. You can add the event to your Google, Outlook, or Yahoo calendar so that you are reminded when the event is about to kick off.