Calling Out the African Union and Telecoms Associations to Prioritize ICT Access for Persons with Disabilities

By Edrine Wanyama |

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) has been observed every December 3 since 1992. The annual event aims to “promote the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all spheres of society and development, and to increase awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural…

Civil Society Organisations Call For a Full Integration of Human Rights in The Deployment of Digital Identification Systems

Press Release |

The Principles on Identification for Sustainable Development (the Principles), the creation of which was facilitated by the World Bank’s Identification for Development (ID4D) initiative in 2017, provide one of the few attempts at global standard-setting for the development of digital identification systems across the world. They are endorsed by many global and regional organizations (the “Endorsing Organizations”) that…

How Uganda’s Fight Against Covid-19 is Hurting Digital Rights Amidst a Looming Election

By Apolo Kakaire |

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) could not have come at a worse time for Uganda, as the country prepares for what is being referred to as a “scientific election”, where physical rallies are severely restricted, with candidates advised to rely more on the media to canvass support.

Various measures adopted by the government to fight Covid-19 are hampering…

A New Decade of Terror is Underway in Togo

Togo News Update |
Late last month, authorities in Togo arrested leading opposition figure, Dr. Kafui Adjamagbo-Johnson, a 61-year-old law professor. The arrest and ongoing detention of Dr. Adjamagbo – who in 2010 became the first woman to ever run for president in Togo – is the latest sign of an escalating and more pernicious clampdown on political rights in the country.
In…

Seven African Governments Employ Surveillance Spyware, Says New Study

Africa News Update |
The snooping technique tracks phones and intercepts calls and texts
The governments of seven African countries — Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe — are using spyware technology, according to a new report by Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary research unit at the University of Toronto, Canada.

The study has identified at least 25 countries around the world that have…

Zambia One of The 25 Countries Using Mobile Spyware to Spy on Citizen’s Calls, Texts and Location

News Update in Zambia |

A private surveillance firm that exploits mobile network vulnerabilities to spy on calls, texts and location data is doing business with at least 25 governments around the globe, including Zambia’s a report released this week has concluded.

The findings from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab scrutinize the work of the company Circles, which is a sister firm…

Vodacom Outshines MTN in Efforts to Serve Persons With Disabilities in South Africa

By CIPESA Writer |

South Africa has a national disability prevalence rate of about 7.5%, which represents approximately 2.87 million persons with disability. According to the Marginalised Groups Indicator Report of 2018, the bulk of this population resides in Gauteng province and the least in the Northern Cape, with the most affected age groups being 5-14 and 15-24 years. Women have a…