Promoting Effective and Inclusive ICT Policy in Africa

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10Mar

Apply for the CIPESA-ICT4Democracy Fellowship Programme: Academia

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Fellowship Opportunity |

 About the ICT4Democracy in East Africa network
The network works in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to achieve two top-line objectives: 1) Increased citizen participation in governance and the realisation of human rights through ICT; and 2) Improved transparency and accountability of governments through ICT. Partners in the network are the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), Transparency International Uganda, iHub Research (Kenya), the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG, Tanzania) and Toro Development Network (ToroDev). Read more about the network here: www.ict4democracy.org.
 Aim of the Fellowship Programme
The CIPESA-ICT4Democracy Fellowship (Academia) aims to nurture university students’ and early career academics’ understanding of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for governance, human rights and development. By engaging members of the academic community, the programme benefits partners of the ICT4Democracy in East Africa network through placements of individuals with skills in fields such as ICT, mass communication, and informatics, within the partner organisations. Ultimately, the programme aims to grow links between the academic community and practitioners in the ICT field for mutual research, learning and knowledge exchange, so as to create the next generation of ICT for democracy and ICT for human rights champions and researchers.
A total of 10 fellowships shall be issued each year starting May 2017. Applications will be accepted on a quarterly basis as per the below dates:

Fellowship round Application deadline
May – July April 1st
August – October July 1st
November – January September 1st
February – April January 1st

Duration: The fellowship shall last for three months but can in some circumstances be shorter or longer by up to a month.
Role of the fellows
Provide skills in their field of competence to enhance the work of ICT4Democracy in East Africa Network partner organisations. During the subsistence of the fellowship, the fellow will be expected to produce outputs, such as blog posts, commentaries, briefs, curriculums, multimedia content, and journal articles, as will be agreed in advance of the start of the fellowship. The skills of the fellow will guide the role assigned to them.
Eligibility
Applicants should be university students or early career academics. While there are no limitations on where the university is located, it is preferred that the students be from African universities. Applicants should have competence in areas that are relevant to the work of ICT4Democracy in East Africa partners, which may include ICT4D, Computer Science, Journalism, Informatics, Gender Equality, Development Studies, Human Rights and Governance.
Compensation
The fellows shall be given a monthly stipend to cater for their expenses during the duration of the fellowship. The amount may vary depending on location, outputs and on the qualifications of the fellow.
Application process
To apply, email [email protected] with subject line stating Application for Academia Fellowship. Submissions should include:

  1. Your CV
  2. A statement of interest that mentions the areas of competence that you wish to contribute to the fellowship programme, a suggestion of which partner organisation you wish to be attached to, the duration for which you wish to have the fellowship, the proposed outputs from your involvement in the programme and breakdown of expenses. The statement of interest should not exceed 3 pages.
  3. Copy of transcript or letter confirming university affiliation.
  4. Two samples of your writing.
  5. Two reference letters.

 

08Mar

Gender Digital Divide Persists in Africa

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By Juliet Nanfuka |

Last month, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) released its Affordability Report 2017 which indicated that while the world will this year mark a significant milestone of 50% global internet penetration, large numbers of women in developing countries remain offline because “they cannot afford to connect.”
The A4AI report’s findings echo earlier reports on the longstanding gender digital gap that is the result of prevailing social and economic barriers including illiteracy, gender roles and various forms of discrimination. In 2013, a report by the Broadband Commission estimated that 200 million more men than women accessed the internet. Similarly, according to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), in 2016 the difference between the Internet user penetration rates for males and females was largest in Africa (23%) and smallest in the Americas (2%).

Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
The A4AI report cites slow policy development and implementation in many of the poorly performing countries as contributors to high access costs and low internet access, furthering the digital divide. Based on a study of 58 countries globally, the report also shows that only half of these countries have public access policies that are backed by financial support for implementation. Universal Service and Access Funds (USAF), aimed at supporting last mile connectivity, either do not exist or are dormant in over a third of countries. Meanwhile, in 41% of countries studied, key frameworks such as national broadband plans to guide policy reforms needed to achieve universal access are outdated or have never been developed.
In its study, A4AI ranked countries based on an Affordability Drivers Index (ADI) which is calculated based on ICT infrastructure deployment, existing policy frameworks to encourage infrastructure expansion, current broadband adoption rates, and existing policy frameworks to enable equitable access.
Latin American countries occupy the top three spots in the ADI ranking, with Columbia leading, followed by Mexico and Peru. The top five ranked African countries were Mauritius (8th), Morocco (11th) and Nigeria (13th). Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire and Rwanda followed in 15th, 18th and 21st positions, respectively.  The lowest ranked were Sierra Leone (56), Ethiopia (55), Burkina Faso (54), Sudan (53) and Cameroon (52).
Table of African Country Ranking

Africa Ranking Rank out of 58 countries Country ADI Score
1 8 Mauritius 61.7
2 11 Morocco 57.75
3 13 Nigeria 56.58
4 15 Botswana 55.37
5 18 Côte d’Ivoire 53.25
6 21 Rwanda 51.48
7 22 South Africa 51.2
8 26 Ghana 50.01
9 29 Benin 48.95
10 30 Kenya 48.82
11 31 Namibia 48.24
12 32 Uganda 47.93
13 34 Tunisia 47.23
14 36 Egypt 45.07
15 37 Zambia 44.95
16 38 Gambia 44.94
17 39 United Republic Of Tanzania 43.73
18 44 Mali 40.81
19 45 Mozambique 40.16
20 47 Senegal 39.07
21 50 Zimbabwe 34.97
22 51 Malawi 34.64
23 52 Cameroon 33.71
24 53 Sudan 32.16
25 54 Burkina Faso 29.68
26 55 Ethiopia 22.22
27 56 Sierra Leone 21.76

Of the 27 African countries studied, all but three (Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone) had broadband policies. Meanwhile, USAF were found to be inactive or not disbursing funds in Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. Active and funded USAFs were reported in Benin, Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Gambia, and Malawi had no USAF at all.
Nonetheless, the A4AI report recognises efforts by some African governments in pushing for affordable access and wider penetration for lower income groups, including through deploying universal access funds towards last mile connectivity projects, flexible operator licensing regimes, infrastructure sharing and enforcement practices.
Even then, the monthly price of 1GB mobile broadband in many African countries averaged 13% of monthly income. Only Mauritius, Tunisia, Egypt and Sudan had data plans of less than 2% of average monthly income. Sierra Leone, Malawi and Uganda had the most expensive plans relative to income, at 51.89%, 45.53% and 21.71% respectively.
The Web Foundation’s Gender Gap Audit (2016), based on research conducted in 10 countries (including Kenya, Mozambique, Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria and Egypt in Africa), also raised concerns about the gender digital divide. It stated that, “without a major escalation of policy effort and investment, most of the benefits of technological change in all 10 countries will be captured by men — making gender inequality worse, not better.”

Even when women own mobile phones, there is a significant gender gap in mobile phone usage, which prevents them from reaping the full benefits of mobile phone ownership.
Connected Women Report, 2015

Despite the promise of inclusion offered by ICT, several African women remain on the lower rungs of internet access and use. While some national strategies attempt to address increased gender equality in internet access, this cannot be achieved where progressive policies are not being implemented.
 
 

06Mar

Internet Freedom Festival 2017: CIPESA to Host Session on Navigating Internet Freedom Challenges in Africa

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By Lillian Nalwoga |

The annual Internet Freedom Festival (IFF) has commenced in Valencia, Spain with hundreds of journalists, activists, technologists, policy advocates, digital safety trainers, and designers from around the world in attendance. The Collaboration on International ICT policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) will host a session “Internet Freedom in Africa: Navigating the challenges” to spark conversation on current internet freedom challenges in Africa while providing possible solutions. In addition, CIPESA shall join panel sessions hosted by partners, such as the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), Hivos, the Ford Foundation and International Media Support (IMS).
The IFF is built upon the goals of creating an inclusive information and resource sharing space, increasing the diversity of the internet freedom community, and collectively improving the services, strategies, and tools offered to the most vulnerable individuals by mapping censorship, surveillance and access obstacles faced in different regions in the world.
As internet usage rises in Africa, so do the abuses and attacks on online rights fuelled by the proliferation of laws which negate the rights to privacy and freedom of expression. Further, limited judicial oversight over surveillance and interception of communications are contributing to self-censorship and threatening civic participation and free flow of information online.
The ethos of the IFF resonates with CIPESA’s  areas of the work. These include monitoring online rights violations and information control tactics, championing  a network of actors in Africa to advance progressive policy development and multi-stakeholder engagements and capacity building on digital skills among human rights defenders and journalists. The session we shall  host on navigating internet freedom challenges in Africa will partly be informed by  CIPESA’s report on the State of Internet freedom in Africa 2016 and issues that are influencing the right to information, data privacy and free speech online in Africa. We will also explore the lessons learnt from researching and advocating for internet freedom in various African countries.
The session will offer participants an opportunity to interact with internet freedom thought leaders from Africa by exploring two key questions:

  1. What is the status of internet freedom in Africa?
  2. How can we ensure a sustainable approach in promoting a free, open and safe internet in Africa?

Join us Friday March 10, 2017 09:45 – 10:45am in the Visual Room or contribute to the conversation online: #InternetFreedomAfrica @cipesaug @opennetafrica
Other sessions at IFF of interest to CIPESA, some of which shall feature CIPESA staff, include:

02Feb

Lobby Calls For Internet Freedom, Urges Responsible Use Of Social Media

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By Lillian Mutavi |

A civil society that promotes effective and inclusive ICT policy in Africa has called for internet freedom in Kenya and responsible use of social media.
The Collaboration on International Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has also condemned national and county governments for harassing bloggers, social activists and even journalists who use social media platforms to highlight issues of human rights, corruption and bad governance among other ills.
Speaking during a two-day media roundtable engagement in Nairobi, the CIPESA Executive Director Dr Wairagala Wakabi criticised governments for frequent harassment, legislative hurdles and public campaign to tarnish the reputation of activists who express their opinions on online platforms.
“Consequently, activism has affected the relationship between civil society and government with the relationship being characterised by mutual suspicion and apprehension in response to the scrutiny by civil society and media,” said Dr Wairagala.
Dr Wakabi urged journalists and mainstream media to advocate for online freedom and free flow of information arguing that many people consume information online than through old media such as newspapers.
He said that despite laws being put in place to govern the use of internet, they had been applied selectively targeting those who do not support the government.
Intimidation by government, he said, had discouraged may people from freely engaging and expressing their views as many turn to self-censorship.
“In the first two months of 2016, upto 10 social media users in Kenya were arrested or summoned by security authorities over their online posts. In 2015 the NGO Coordination Board issued a notice to deregister 959 organizations while in early 2017 the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) was once again threatened with closure,” said Dr Wakabi.
However, he said they are not against internet restrictions arguing that some of the information and content there posed a threat to national security and privacy and morals of citizens.
He singled out fighting child pornography, terrorism, hate speech, cybercrimes as what the government should be going after rather than curtailing individual freedom of expression.
“There is good reason to control what happens online but the laws in Kenya do not live upto the international best standards,” he said.
Photo: The Collaboration on International Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) executive director Wairagala Wakabi makes his presentation on internet freedoms in Kenya on January 27, 2017. Lillian Mutavi | Daily Nation Media Group
This article was originally published in the Daily Nation
30Jan

13 Days Later, Cameroon Maintains Internet Shutdown Despite Global Outcry

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By Juliet Nanfuka |

An internet shutdown in the primarily Anglophone regions of north-west and south-west Cameroon is now in its 13th day. The shutdown was first initiated across the country on January 16 and on January 17, internet access was reinstated in the Francophone parts of the country. As of January 30, the blockage in the Anglophone regions including in key towns such as Buea and Bameda remains in pace.
The shutdown was imposed in the wake of ongoing strikes, fatal violence and protest action against the continued “francophonisation” and marginalisation of English speakers who say that “the central government privileges the majority French-speaking population and eight other regions.” Cameroon’s constitution recognises the two languages as equal and calls for bilingualism. Further, the arrest of the activist leaders of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, Nkongho Felix Agbor Balla and Fontem Neba, have done little to address the perception that government is trying to silence voices of dissent.
Critics of the shutdown have called the shutdown a violation of “citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and access to information”. On January 22, civil society organisations from around the world sent an open letter to the President of Cameroon, and the ministers for telecommunications and communication urging an immediate end to the shutdown. No response has been received.
Indeed, there has been global outcry on the shutdown which has affected the livelihoods of millions of citizens in the affected regions. Mobile Money services providers, microfinance Institutions and banks have also been affected, forcing residents to travel to Francophone towns like Douala to conduct their financial transactions (Listen to iAfrikan podcast).
In the days leading up to the shutdown, the Ministry of Post & Telecommunications (MINPOSTEL) issued a directive to operators to send out messages warning subscribers against the “bad” use of social media.  Operators received backlash on social media for sending the government-directed message which was seen to encourage self–censorship.
However, Philisiwe Sibiya, CEO at MTN Cameroon, argued that the communication was not intended to “curtail customer rights and violate customer privacy.” She explained that the regulator, MINPOSTEL, “may from time to time request telecom operators to carry messages on their networks intended for the general public. This was the case recently when MTN Cameroon, along with other operators, broadcast a message from MINSPOTEL regarding the use of the internet.”

“Dear subscriber, publishing as well as spreading false news,including on the social media, are punishable by the Penal Code and the law

Communiqué sent to users of Camtel, MTN, Orange, Nextell mobile telephone lines from MINPOSTEL

Back in November 2016, the government launched a campaign against social media, calling it “a new form of terrorism”. At the time, Facebook and Twitter users were sharing information, including pictures, about a train derailment in which 80 people died while government maintained silence about the accident.
Whereas language as the basis for an internet shutdown is new, the practice has become common in Africa particularly during political unrest (Burundi), elections and inauguration (Uganda), economic failure (Zimbabwe) and exams (Ethiopia).
Various campaigns are underway calling for the Cameroon Government to reinstate internet access, including this Use your voice! Tell Cameroon to turn the internet back on  and the hashtags #BringBackOurInternet #KeepItOn.
See this Aljzeera discussion titled Is Cameroon persecuting its English speakers? It features Elvis Ngolle Ngolle – Former Minister of Special Duties in the Office of the President of Cameroon. Julie Owono – Head of the Internet Desk at Internet Without Borders and Albert Nchinda – Political Analyst.
Image: Cameroonians in South Africa gathered at the MTN Headquarters in Johannesburg to protest the shut down of internet in its English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
Source: Kinnakas Blog

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