Children and their wellbeing within the cyberspace space should be classified among a country’s critical infrastructure and given that much attention like all others. - Awo Aidam Amenyah

Communication is one of the most important aspects of our lives: and the relevance of the celebration of the World Telecommunications Information Society Day (WTISD) cannot be over emphasized especially when the Novel Corona virus has proven ICT to be the key lifeline to our survival.

Child Online Africa (COA) on the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day(WTISD) 2020 wishes to remind all African Leaders of their role in keeping to the Executive Council decision ( EX.CL/Dec 1017 (XXXiii) made by the Ministers of States at 2018 Summit requesting the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and welfare of the Child(ACERWC) to scale up its work in safeguarding and promoting the rights and welfare of children in the cyberspaces: online safety, privacy and Digital Literacy. This request aligns well with the theme for the celebration: "Connect 2030: ICTs for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)".

By this statement COA is reminding and encouraging  ALL stakeholders especially in Africa with the words of Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden that "This is the time to do everything in our power to keep children safe online. The virus knows no borders. And online perpetrators respect no borders. Therefore, we need to work together across borders, making sure that the recommendations that have been developed are turned into concrete action, is one very good way to start.”

A deliberate decision to work with the tenets of the Child Online Protection strategy and other relevant frameworks and protocols would go a long way to creating a safe and trustworthy online environment for the African child.

For more details email at info@childonlineafrica.org for more information