Sandbondtenga: The president of the High Council for Communication (CSC), Louis-Modeste Wendingoudi Oudraogo, has called for the responsible use of social networks and artificial intelligence (AI) to maintain peace and social cohesion in the context of Sandbondtenga's national reconquest.

According to Burkina Information Agency, this call was made during a public conference organized by the Sandbondtenga Provincial Resource Persons Framework. The event focused on addressing "Disinformation in the Age of Social Networks and Artificial Intelligence: Understanding, Verifying, and Acting to Preserve Peace and Social Cohesion in Sandbondtenga." The conference aimed to enhance the population's capacity to use digital platforms responsibly, fostering peace and unity.

Louis-Modeste Wendingoudi Oudraogo, CSC president, underscored the dual nature of communication, highlighting its potential to promote peace and development, while also warning against its ability to incite social unrest, division, and conflict. He emphasized the importance of verifying content before engaging with it on social media platforms.

Mr. Oudraogo further noted that while freedom of expression is a fundamental right, it should not be used to justify actions that defame, insult, manipulate, or disseminate content that could threaten security and social cohesion.

The conference, moderated by Minister of Health Dr. Robert Lucien Jean-Claude Kargougou and Minister of Secondary Education, Vocational and Technical Training Professor Moumouni Zoungrana, attracted significant interest and engagement from participants, who discussed appropriate behaviors in response to digital content. The full capacity of the multipurpose hall in Kaya reflected the community's keen interest in digital issues.

Speakers expressed the desire for more frequent conferences, especially targeting younger audiences who are increasingly exposed to social media. Isma«l Sawadogo, coordinator of the Kouls Provincial Resource Persons Framework, highlighted the conference's goal to provide a setting for training and creating awareness about the "healthy use of social networks and artificial intelligence" amid the national territory's reconquest. He vowed to expand the number of such conferences, covering various national interests.

Sawadogo encouraged participants to act as intermediaries in their communities and to stand against disinformation. The Naoka Naaba of Pissila, representing the traditional chieftaincy, praised the gathering of Sandbondtenga's people to discuss peace and social cohesion, hoping such initiatives would spread across the province and country to cultivate "digitally conscious citizens."

This inaugural edition received blessings from His Majesty Naaba Sigri Dima of Boussouma and was presided over by His Excellency Naaba Sinbdo, chief of the canton of Man.