Ghana’s Dennis Coffie Named In TikTok’s New Members Of The Africa Safety Advisory Council

Dennis Coffie, a Ghanaian has been appointed as a part of TikTok’s sub-Saharan Africa safety advisory council.

With the introduction of its inaugural Safety Advisory Council and the expansion of its #SaferTogether community education campaign, TikTok is making significant progress toward improving safety on its platform throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

In order to guarantee a positive and secure platform environment, the video-sharing social media platform has collaborated with key stakeholders, such as policymakers, academics, NGOs, and community leaders.

TikTok’s Safety Summit was held in Nairobi, Kenya, and this announcement was made there.

Since 2020, TikTok has set up nine regional Safety Advisory Councils in addition to the U.S. Content Advisory Council. Each of these councils is made up of experts in areas like free speech, hate speech, and protecting children from harm.

TikTok’s policies, product features, and safety procedures are all shaped by these councils, who make sure the platform is always ready for new challenges.

In addition, the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council, will bring together local experts who will work with TikTok to create forward-thinking policies and address safety issues in the region.

The platform’s commitment to user safety and the creation of a positive online environment will be strengthened by their input, which will assist TikTok in managing current issues and anticipating challenges in the future.

The Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council consists of the following members:

• Prof Guy Berger, Rhodes University (South Africa)

• Dennis Coffie, Content creator (Ghana)

• Peter Cunliffe-Jones, University of Westminster Visiting Research Fellow (UK)

• Aisha Dabo, Co-Founder and coordinator of AfricTivistes (Senegal)

• Lillian Kariuki, Founder and Executive Director of Watoto Watch Network (Kenya)

• Dr Akinola Olojo, Expert on preventing and countering violent extremism (Nigeria)

• Prof Medhane Tadesse, Policy academic on peace and security issues (Ethiopia)

• Berhan Taye, Independent Researcher (Ethiopia)

Valiant Richey, TikTok’s Global Head of Outreach and Partnerships, Trust and Safety, stated:

“With the launch of the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council, we are demonstrating our commitment to including expert African voices in our Trust and Safety work. This group of leaders was chosen for their broad range of expertise and experience, and we look forward to working with them over the coming years.”

The purpose of this iteration of the #SaferTogether campaign is to actively engage the community in promoting a fundamental comprehension of the platform’s safety features and community guidelines.

To raise awareness of the significance of adhering to TikTok’s community standards, this initiative will include workshops, social media outreach, and partnerships with key stakeholders. The campaign aims to encourage teamwork in order to create a safe space for creative expression.

The campaign for community empowerment emphasizes the significance of safety as a shared responsibility. The TikTok community will be directly addressed in this section of the campaign.

Ghana Government Deploys New Initiatives To Address SOE Inefficiencies

At the inaugural TikTok Safer Internet Summit in Ghana earlier this year, TikTok made the official announcement of its partnership with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Division.

This partnership will assist in the delivery of digital literacy programs throughout Africa, demonstrating to young people and their caregivers how to use digital platforms to diversify their income in a secure and engaging manner.

Safaricom has been a well established vital partner of TikTok, working together on various mobile and network drives throughout the course of recent years, including TikTok data bundles and partaking in the #LevelUpAfrica Creator event.

Safaricom expressed strong support for TikTok’s recent efforts to improve online safety in Africa in light of these ongoing collaborations.