DPI Update |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), in partnership with Co-Develop, is implementing the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Journalism Fellowship for Eastern Africa, a regional initiative aimed at strengthening journalists’ capacity to report knowledgeably and critically on DPI and Digital Public Goods (DPGs) in the region.

The fellowship brings together 20 journalists from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, who are receiving both knowledge-and skills-based training as well as financial support to produce in-depth DPI stories.

At the inaugural virtual workshop held from August 5 to 7, 2025, the Fellows examined among others, Digitalisation and digital rights in Eastern Africa; UN and African Union frameworks on DPI; the DPI ecosystem in Eastern Africa; and Media coverage of DPI across nine countries, based on CIPESA’s ongoing research. The workshop also provided practical training in journalism skills, including technology beat reporting, conceptualising story ideas, writing effective pitches, data storytelling, and the use of AI in storytelling.

The upcoming in-person workshop, scheduled for October 13–15, 2025 at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence, Arboretum, will build on this foundation to review progress on fellows’ initial stories and new pitches; address emerging issues in DPI and DPG reporting; offer deep-dive practical sessions on advanced skills and knowledge areas; and provide networking opportunities with peers, mentors, and invited experts.

Following the workshop, a regional public event at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence, Arboretum on Thursday, 16 October 2025, to launch and showcase findings from CIPESA’s multi-country media monitoring study on DPI coverage, an important milestone for public debate on the role of journalism in shaping Africa’s digital future.