CIPESA

CIPESA works to promote inclusive and effective use of ICT in Africa for improved governance and livelihoods.

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

📢📢 Registration is NOW OPEN for #FIFAfrica26! 📢📢

The 13th edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa is heading to #Mauritius from September 28 – October 1, 2026 - and YOU are invited to be part of it.

Join over 500 participants from across Africa and beyond for exciting conversations, critical reflection, and collective action on #InternetFreedomAfrica and the future of our digital societies.

#FIFAfrica26 will convene policymakers, activists, journalists, academics, technologists, and creatives to engage the most pressing issues shaping Africa’s digital landscape, including:

🟠Digital Democracy and Civic Participation
🟠Data Governance and Sovereignty
🟠Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies
🟠Platform Accountability
🟠Digital Inclusion
🟠Digital Economy, Trade and Practices
🟠Movement Building
🟠Digital Security and Safety

Register now and secure your spot 👉🏾https://t.co/9Za5sywCQT

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

The Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa has served as a key platform for #DigitalInclusion over the years. This year’s edition, in 🇲🇺 #Mauritius, will continue to interrogate the needs of persons with disabilities. We believe the next step is for operators to ensure their commitments are reflected in everyday customer experiences, supported by clear targets and sustained engagement with regulators and civil society.

Register for #FIFAfrica26 here:https://t.co/tJVQGRhGJo
@pkimumwe

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

#Africa's telecom sector continues to treat #accessibility as optional ,not obligation. At a Disability Inclusion Conference in Addis Ababa, Safaricom Ethiopia invoked "Nothing About Us Without Us," yet for #Ethiopia's 🇪🇹 15–17 million persons with disabilities, the gap between policy and lived reality remains vast.

Our report, "ACCESS DENIED: How Telecom Operators in Africa Are Failing Persons With Disabilities" found major telecoms across Africa lack accessible products, trained staff, and affordable options. Inclusion must move from conference theme to measurable reality.
Read full article here:https://t.co/ZwpdbHPYqk
@pkimumwe
#DisabilityInclusion; #DigitalInclusion #PersonsWithDisabilities

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

There has been limited progress on #DigitalInclusion for #PersonsWithDisabilities in many African countries. At a recent Disability Inclusion Conference in Addis Ababa, Safaricom Ethiopia CEO Wim Vanhelleputte, put it plainly: inclusion means designing with persons with disabilities ,not just for them.
Yet across Africa, telecom operators continue to treat accessibility as optional. Operators must prioritise it by establishing senior management functions for accessibility and embedding universal design into products from the start.

We documented these findings & recommendations in our report "ACCESS DENIED: How Telecom Operators in Africa Are Failing Persons With Disabilities."
Read the Full Report Here: https://t.co/SOoocX4o4G
@pkimumwe
#DigitalRights #DisabilityInclusion

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

#Africa's telecom sector continues to treat #accessibility as optional ,not obligation. At a Disability Inclusion Conference in Addis Ababa, Safaricom Ethiopia invoked "Nothing About Us Without Us," yet for #Ethiopia's 🇪🇹 15–17 million persons with disabilities, the gap between policy and lived reality remains vast.

Our report, "ACCESS DENIED: How Telecom Operators in Africa Are Failing Persons With Disabilities" found major telecoms across Africa lack accessible products, trained staff, and affordable options. Inclusion must move from conference theme to measurable reality.
Read full article here:https://t.co/ZwpdbHPYqk
@pkimumwe
#DisabilityInclusion; #DigitalInclusion #PersonsWithDisabilities

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

#Kenya Doesn’t Have an AI Regulation Gap, It Has an Accountability Gap.

Kenya was recently reported to hold the world's highest #AI tool usage rate ,42.1% of internet-using adults. The piece looks beyond the headline figure to consider what adoption, capability, and oversight mean in the Kenyan context.
Drawing on the proposed Kenya AI Bill 2026, the National AI Strategy, and the role of platform algorithms in everyday digital life, it argues that Kenya's challenge is less a regulation gap than an accountability gap.
🔗 Read full article:https://t.co/6f64t0cXMA
🖊️:@bbyaru
#AIGovernance

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

A week ago, we were at the 19th Kenya Internet Governance Forum #KeIGF convened by @KICTANet in Nairobi. Preceding the main forum was the Kenya Youth IGF, held on 20th May, which brought together youth from across East African region to deliberate on #techpolicy issues.
The convening highlighted a generation actively engaged in shaping digital governance conversations through such convenings both nationally and globally and through active participation in consultations on legislative frameworks.

#KeIGF noted the strides various stakeholders made in bridging the digital divide. However, critical concerns around emerging technology laws and policies were also raised, especially whether these frameworks are designed to protect citizens or risk suppressing civic space and limiting access to evolving digital opportunities. Concerns about #surveillance, #datasovereignty, #dataprotection, internet shutdowns, punitive legislation, and #digitalexclusion were also highlighted.

Calls were made for stronger coordination, more meaningful inclusion, and sustained investment in youth capacity within internet governance spaces.

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

The response to the #FIFAfrica26 Call for Session Proposals has been remarkable, submissions are pouring in from across the continent and beyond, reflecting the breadth of voices ready to shape Africa's digital future in Mauritius this September.
If you have been finalising an idea, this is your last nudge: submissions close on 29th May. The clock is winding down, but there is still room at the table for the sessions that will move the needle on digital rights in Africa.

Don't sit this one out. Submit before Friday closes the window.
🔗:https://t.co/tJVQGRhGJo

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

🇿🇼 #Zimbabwe's new National Artificial Intelligence(#AI) Strategy gives #African states a practical template for adopting AI without deepening dependency.
Six pillars anchor it:

1⃣Talent & capacity development.
2⃣Infrastructure & computational sovereignty
3⃣AI adoption & service transformation
4⃣Governance, ethics & regulation
5⃣Research, development & innovation
6⃣Strategic international collaboration

It aligns with the AU Continental AI Strategy and treats data sovereignty as a precondition ,not an afterthought. The real test now is whether implementation matches ambition.

Read full article here:https://t.co/LvGWeyJ3a2

[KICTANet @KICTANet]

"Every African has the right to affordable, safe, and meaningful access to the internet."

Thank you @cipesaug for your valuable support at #AfTPS2026.

12 years. 14 countries. Africa's leading digital rights forum. One mission: internet freedom for all.

#KeIGF2026 #DigitalRights #InternetFreedom #TechPolicy

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

This feeling is more common than you think , and honestly, it's often a sign you have something worth sharing. FIFAfrica welcomes voices at every stage, from first-time contributors to seasoned advocates. The room is built for people exactly like you. Go for it ,we'd love to see your proposal in.

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

Have you registered for #FIFAfrica26 yet?
And submitted your session proposal?
Africa's premier digital rights Forum lands in Mauritius, 28 Sept – 1 Oct 2026.
Join 500+ policymakers, technologists, journalists & advocates from 60+ countries, and help shape the agenda.
Don't just attend. Lead a panel, workshop, lightning talk or exhibition.
Register & submit: https://t.co/UjIdZrIQsf
#InternetFreedomAfrica

[IFEX @IFEX]

#Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 @cipesaug applauds Zimbabwe's adoption of its National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy as an important step towards advancing tech-enabled digital and socio-economic transformation.

https://t.co/zEGKD11lAn

[IFEX @IFEX]

#Africa 🌍 @cipesaug recommends ways to rethink platform design and accountability to Combat TFGBV in Africa.

https://t.co/GoSjoDi5zP

[KICTANet @KICTANet]

Meet Raylenne Kambua — moderating the Access & Digital Inclusion panel at #KenyaYouthIGF today.

🇰🇪Journalist. Communications professional. Internet Governance Fellow. And the person who helped build a Kiswahili lexicon for technology-facilitated gender-based violence because advocacy must speak your language. #KenyaYouthIGF #AfTPS2026

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

For over a decade, we've documented Africa's digital rights landscape through the annual State of Internet Freedom in Africa reports. From the first edition in 2014 investigating policies in East Africa, to the 2025 report on AI and digital democracy.

These reports have shaped policy conversations across the continent, and each one has been launched at FIFAfrica ,the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa.
Access past reports here:https://t.co/UUUH0aB5Ry

Now it's your turn to shape the conversation.
⏰ The Call for Proposals for #FIFAfrica26 closes on 29 May.

Submit your session ideas on digital democracy, data governance, AI, platform accountability, digital inclusion, and more here: https://t.co/RbBtTyF6gX

🗓️ #Mauritius | 28 September – 1 October 2026
#InternetFreedomAfrica #FIFAfrica26

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

Our Technology Officer, Brian Byaruhanga, joined the PRIVACY & PROTECTION IN A DIGITAL WORLD panel this week, breaking down what we share online (often without knowing), the trade-offs we make for convenience, and the practical steps to take back some control.
From digital hygiene basics to knowing your rights, participants left with real knowledge and practical tools to stay safe online.
#BeeraSharp

[U.S. Embassy Kampala, Uganda @USEmbassyUganda]

How much of your personal data are you really giving away everyday? Join experts at the American Center Kampala to unpack the true extent of your digital data exposure and explore practical, accessible strategies that you can use to better safeguard your information.
📅Monday, May 18
⏰ 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
📍 American Center Kampala
Register for the event here: https://t.co/F8SP0SIwqQ

[Women of Uganda Network @wougnet]

We recently joined key stakeholders at the High-Level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Business and Digital Rights, convened by @cipesaug.

The engagement created important conversations around Digital Public Infrastructure(DPI), Artificial Intelligence, and the need to advance digital solutions that respect and protect human rights, especially women and children.

[CIPESA @cipesaug]

🚀Africa's digital boom is fuelling a rise in Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV).
Platform design, weak moderation, and Artificial Intelligence(AI) trained on western data leaves women,especially journalists, activists & politicians,exposed.

From the webinar Advancing Platform Accountability for Women's Online Safety in Africa, key recommendations: 🔹 Hire African content moderators with linguistic & cultural expertise.
🔹 Mandate algorithmic transparency & local platform presence.
🔹 Equip policymakers to understand algorithmic systems.
🔹 Fund women's rights orgs for survivor support.
🔹 Build users' digital resilience.
Access the full article here:https://t.co/DWPswDqkb9
#BeSafeByDesign

[Daily Monitor @DailyMonitor]

In Uganda, Parliament passes laws. TikTok passes the judgment

Satire has proven particularly well suited to this environment

https://t.co/0Gtf20lKSn 
#MonitorUpdates

[Evidence&Methods Lab @evidence_method]

On 7th May 2026, we joined @cipesaug at a High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue on Advancing Digital Rights by Businesses in Uganda.

As one of the implementing partners on the Advancing Respect for Human Rights by Business (ARBHR) project, we have spent the past months making digital rights practical and accessible for Ugandan businesses.