Ethiopia Ministry of Innovation and Technology to Co-host the 2019 Edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica)

Announcement |

The annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) will this year be hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) alongside the Ethiopian Ministry of Innovation and Technology in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The partnership is part of the Ministry’s digital transformation efforts, and aims to engage stakeholders on strategies for harnessing the…

An Assessment of Consumer Rights Protection in Nigeria and Uganda

Tomiwa Ilori |

Digitalisation has become integral in almost every facet of society, business, education, politics and health. Day-to-day interactions including commercial interactions are increasingly shaped by various forms of technologies and are often accompanied by the release of some form of personal data. However, due to the dynamic nature of the technologies that power e-commerce, laws in many jurisdictions are…

Inaugural Winners of the Africa Digital Rights Fund Announced

Announcement |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is pleased to announce the winners of the first round of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF). A total of USD 65,000 has been awarded to 10 initiatives that will advance digital rights in 16 African countries – Algeria, Burundi, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Sierra…

By Monrovia Time |

The Liberian government has shut down the use of social media in the country.  Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and messaging app WhatsApp have been blocked by internet providers in Liberia as of Friday 7 June 2019, according to real-time network measurement data from the NetBlocks internet observatory.
NetBlocks is a civil society group working at the intersection of…

Tanzania: 38 NGOs Call on States To Express Concern Over The Human Rights Situation

Press Release |

Today, DefendDefenders and 37 Tanzanian, African and international human rights organisations publish a letter calling on states to use the next session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) to raise concern over Tanzania’s situation in order to prevent a further deterioration.

Since a group of 30 NGOs first wrote a letter on Tanzania, in August 2018, the space for human rights defenders…

2019 Edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) Set To Take Place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Announcement |

On September 23-26, 2019 the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) will host the sixth Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica). This landmark event convenes a spectrum of stakeholders from across the internet governance and online rights arenas in Africa and beyond to deliberate on gaps, concerns and opportunities for advancing privacy, free expression, non-discrimination…

World Press Freedom Day: Exploring the Relationship Between Media, Network Disruptions and Disinformation

By Juliet Nanfuka |

This year marks the 26th celebration of WPFD and is themed, “Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation”. The day will be celebrated in more than 100 countries in addition to the main event that will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the African Union Headquarters; and will serve as a platform to discuss…

Call For Applications: Africa Digital Rights Fund

Call for Applications |

With a quarter of Africa’s population using the internet and with 76 mobile phone connection for every 100 individuals, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has become pivotal to improving livelihoods and promoting human rights on the continent. However, with rising digital rights violations such as arrests and intimidation of internet users, network shutdowns, and a proliferation of laws…