Can you tell us about your activities?
I am a blogger and founder of Réalité de femme (www.realitedefemme.com), a media outlet dedicated to promoting women's empowerment and female leadership. On January 22, 2022, I was appointed head of the Association of Bloggers of Côte d'Ivoire.
In addition to blogging, I am President of the NGO Femme Autonome Espoir de Demain (FAED), an organization that works to promote the rights of women and children.
As an entrepreneur in the communications and media sector, I am CEO of the agency Réelle Communication & Compagnie.
Can you tell us about your association? What are its missions? How many people are involved?
The Association of Bloggers of Côte d'Ivoire (ABCI) was created on August 23, 2013. The ABCI is the first platform for exchanges on the theme of blogging in Côte d'Ivoire.
The ABCI has nearly a hundred members (influencers and bloggers).
ABCI's mission is to work towards the development of local content production, freedom of expression, and the democratization of web culture and best practices among young people. Recognized for their constructive contribution to the communications sector, ABCI members have been made Knights in the Order of Merit for Communication. These include: – Mr. Israël Guebo, Mr. Cyriac Gbogou, Ms. Kakou alias Yehni Djidji, Mr. Thierry Koffi Mensah.
2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Association of Bloggers of Côte d'Ivoire. Can you take stock of these 10 years of activity? What are your ambitions for the future?
In terms of results, it should be noted that 10 years after its creation, the ABCI is now positioned as a key player in the web ecosystem in Côte d'Ivoire. In terms of activities, the ABCI has trained hundreds of young people in the proper use of social media.
ABCI is a leadership incubator. Thanks to this environment that encourages leadership and community initiative, several of its members have launched projects that are highly beneficial to society.
Last year, we launched a training program in blogging and content creation called "La blog académie" (The Blog Academy). After the call for applications, more than 500 young people expressed their desire to participate in the training. However, as ABCI operates on its own funds, it was only able to select 15 young women and men.
For 2023, which has been declared the Year of Youth, we plan to train even more young people in content creation and fact-checking. We intend to launch activities in schools to get closer to our target audience.
How has blogging developed in Côte d'Ivoire over the past ten years?
Between 2010 and 2020, blogging in Côte d'Ivoire experienced a boom, with bloggers inspiring readers with their unique writing styles. We live in a rapidly changing world, and blogging is no exception. Traditional blogging still has its place, but content creators are increasingly turning to video production with the advent of social media platforms such as TikTok and the introduction of Facebook Live.
Today, Ivorian bloggers are reinventing themselves. They are no longer content to just write, but are combining their writing with content such as podcasts and videos. Nevertheless, the basis of blogging remains web writing.
Do you have any key figures to share? How many bloggers are there in the country today?
Unfortunately, we don't have accurate figures for Ivorian bloggers. But as far as the ABCI is concerned, we have 98 active members and more than 200 young aspiring bloggers.
What are the main challenges you face?
Our main challenge is to make the Ivorian web a healthy space, where stakeholders and users can get the most out of it. That's why ABCI puts training at the heart of its activities.
ABCI's second challenge is to encourage more high-quality Ivorian content creators who can drive positive change on our continent.
We are committed to this fight. But we are faced with a lack of financial resources. This is the place for me to appeal to institutions and donors to support ABCI's activities.
You work in particular to promote good practices on the web among young people. What are these good practices?
Good web practices include:
- The healthy use of social media
- Compliance with established legal standards for digital use
- Verifying information before publishing or sharing it on social media
- Using the web to develop your personal branding and find opportunities.
How is blogging a source of opportunities and integration for the younger generation?
The essence of blogging is to share your passion, inform, educate, or defend a cause.
Through blogging, bloggers showcase their talents and skills. By creating a blog, young people open themselves up to the world. The blog thus becomes the blogger's resume.
Beyond the activity itself, many young people have been able to enter the workforce thanks to blogging. In addition to professional integration, young people can monetize their blogs. Blogging is therefore a tool for empowering young people that should be made more widely available.
The Ivorian government wants to regulate the web by defining a legal framework for bloggers and influencers, similar to that of the media. What is your view on this legislation, which is now in force?
If we aspire to a fair and equitable society, we must put in place effective legal mechanisms that protect the rights of every citizen. The web, which has become a platform for ordinary citizens to express themselves, must have a minimum set of rules.
Côte d'Ivoire has nearly 7 million social media users. Given the impact that bloggers, activists, and influencers can have on the behavior of internet users, regulation is necessary in the world of content creators.
The main principle of blogging is freedom of expression. Given that ABCI is an association with a civic commitment, as long as this law does not infringe on our freedom of expression, we can only support this reform.
Beyond regulation, the reform of the audiovisual communication law is a step forward for content creators. This law recognizes the existence of bloggers, activists, and influencers, which is a first in Ivorian law.
Finally, do you have any news to share? Any new projects to unveil?
As far as ABCI is concerned, we are going to launch the selection process for the second cohort of the blog academy. In the coming months, we are planning a training tour of schools in Côte d'Ivoire.