Blog

New Law Holds Promise for Improved Data Governance in Kenya

By CIPESA Writer |

Following a seven-year, windy journey, on November 8, 2019, Kenya got a data protection law. The Data Protection Act, 2019 has various positive elements and can go a long way in addressing the live issues in protecting the privacy of data in Kenya.

The law came at a time of widespread concern about privacy in the country, including…

Silent No More! Africa’s Feminist Voices Are Growing Louder

By Juliet Nanfuka |

In much of Africa, feminism is often incorrectly considered a new movement. However, the reality is that feminism in the continent has played a role in shaping social and cultural relations, as well as policy and business development around the continent for decades. It is perhaps the increased vibrancy of feminist narratives in the African digital sphere…

Call for Applications: Round Two of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF)

Call for Applications |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is pleased to invite applications for round two of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF).

Launched in April 2019, the ADRF responds to rising digital rights violations such as arrests and intimidation of internet users, network shutdowns, and a proliferation of laws and regulations that hamper internet access…

Nigeria Fails to Guarantee Human Rights for Marginalised Groups

By Babatunde Okunoye and Ashnah Kalemera |

With a population of over 190 million, Nigeria is Africa’s largest telecommunications market, boasting more telephone and internet users than any other country on the continent. Over the past 20 years, the country has transitioned from a military regime to a relative democracy, albeit with human rights challenges,  especially for marginalised populations and increasingly, in the online sphere.

With an internet…

Call For Proposals: Operations, Strategic Communication and Capacity Building Support for the African Internet Rights Alliance (AIRA)

Call for Proposals |

The African Internet Rights Alliance (AIRA) – an alliance of ten civil society organizations based in Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Senegal – are pleased to issue this open call for proposals for a consultancy to support the operation, strategic planning and communications capacity building of the Alliance. Members of the Alliance agree to work in collaboration with each…

Financial Inclusion in Africa in an Era of Internet Shutdowns

By Selassie Tay |

The World Bank estimates that 1.7 billion people globally are without any form of financial account as at 2018. In Sub-Saharan Africa, data from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) shows that the level of financial inclusion grew from 23% in 2011 to almost 43% in 2017, with a significant proportion attributed to digital financial services such as mobile money.

However, the…

Governments and Donors Urged to Advance ICT Access for Persons with Disabilities

By CIPESA Writer |

While advances in Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) including the Internet have created avenues of inclusion, for some, especially persons with disabilities, it has also widened the extent to which they are excluded from the social and economic potential of the digital society.

Persons with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socio-economic outcomes than persons without disabilities,…

Africans Pay More for Internet Access Due To a Lack of Competition in Local Markets

Africa News Update |
Africans are still paying way too much for their internet access due to a myriad of challenges including infrastructure investment and weak competitive environments in local markets.
Getting all Africans online by 2030 will require around $100 billion in investment with a majority of that sum pegged for infrastructure-based spending. But most African countries do not currently have policy environments…

Chad Lifted the 16-Months Social Media Shutdown But Concerns Remain

By Simone Toussi |

In July 2019, the Chadian government lifted a 16-month blockage on access to social media, which it had imposed in March 2018. While connected citizens are now able to access social media with ease, various concerns remain. Digital communication costs are prohibitively high, the media are routinely muzzled, the country is still autocratic, and President Idriss Déby…

Call for Anti-Online Bullying Law

By Sakeus Iikela |

The ideal legislation should clearly define the rules of engagement as well as what constitutes online violence and how internet users can report and take action against perpetrators.

These were the views of some participants at the discussion on politics organised by the Internet Society of Namibia in Windhoek yesterday.

Martha Chilongoshi who spoke at the event on behalf…