Blog Archives – Page 15 of 68 – Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

12Apr

CIPESA at the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF23)

CIPESA April 12, 2023April 18, 2023

By CIPESA Writer |

The Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) is an annual convening hosted by Nigeria based Paradigm Initiative. Themed “Building a sustainable Internet for all”, this year, the event is being hosted in Nairobi, Kenya on 12-14 April. DRIF is a platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated and partnerships forged for action.

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) will host and participate in a range of discussions at DRIF alongside various regional and international partners.

Below are the sessions and workshops CIPESA will participate in.

Examining Disinformation Trends and Effects in Africa

Host: CIPESA

12 April 2023 | 12:15pm – 1:00pm (Nairobi) | Attend

Disinformation is growing to near-pandemic levels in various African countries yet the spectrum of its adverse effects on fundamental rights, civic participation and public safety is not fully known. What is clear is that disinformation undermines the resilience and safety of human rights defenders (HRDs) and journalists, while hampering free expression and public participation. Led by CIPESA, this session will bring together disinformation researchers, fact-checkers and HRDs to discuss trends in disinformation instigators, tactics, pathways, and the effects that disinformation has on their work. It will explore disinformation effects on electoral integrity, the role of political actors as instigators and agents of disinformation, the effects of government counter-measures on civic rights and freedoms online. It will also unpack the role that different actors, including the private sector, ought to play in order to definitively tackle the vice.

Re-designing for a sustainable future through effective digital rights advocacy at the UPR

Host: Small Media Foundation

12 April 2023 | 2:15pm – 3:15pm (Nairobi) | Attend

This session has two major goals — to learn from the past successes and challenges of digital rights advocacy at the UPR and think through ways of building stronger partnerships with stakeholders on the ground. To start with, there will be a presentation on designing campaign and advocacy materials for digital rights at the UPR. After this, the session will take a look back at the last three UPR cycles and digital rights development, identify the successes and challenges and see how these fit into a future for a more vibrant advocacy at the UPR. It will also map the various strategies necessary to pool stakeholders in countries worked on by the UPROAR project together with respect to advocacy for digital rights at the UPR.

The primary goal of such a pool is to have at least one go-to stakeholder that can be approached in each country where UPROAR works for on-the-spot information with respect to digital rights advocacy at the UPR. The post-event value of this session is to have both an evaluation of digital rights advocacy at the UPR so far and strengthen monitoring through partnerships on the ground.

#KeepItOn Election Watch: supporting the fight against internet shutdown in 2023

Host: Access Now

12 April 2023 | 3:30pm – 4:30pm (Nairobi) | Attend

Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition will be monitoring at least 15 elections in 2023 to ensure that authorities in these countries do not interfere with internet and digital communications throughout the electoral process. This session seeks to provide insights about the #KeepItOn Election Watch campaign to the DRIF participants and explore opportunities of working together with other partners. The session will also be an opportunity for participants to reflect on the challenges, lessons learnt and opportunities faced in the fight against shutdowns. At the end of the session, participants will learn about the various ways in which they can support the #KeepItOn community.

At What Risk to Rights and Internet Freedom? Examining Government Responses to Disinformation

Hosts: Article 19 West Africa, CIPESA, Centre for Human Rights University Pretoria, PROTEGE QV, Global Partners Digital

13 April 2023 | 11:30am – 12:30pm (Nairobi) | Attend

This session will turn attention to actions governments have taken in recent years to pass laws and policies that impact human rights online – particularly freedom of expression – in the name of fighting disinformation. The session will discuss the role of human rights defenders and civil society in countering these actions and calling for change. Specifically, it will look to country case studies utilising the research tool lextoa.org – such as from Uganda and Senegal and also Kenya as the DRIF 2023 host country – where such laws exist and the ways in which civil society has provided analysis, engagement (of media, policymakers, companies) and recommendations to governments on promoting policies that respect human rights. Session participants will be encouraged to ask questions of the panellists and bring their own experiences from differing national contexts across Sub-Saharan Africa to the debate. They will also be invited to contribute to ongoing research and awareness raising of this issue on lexota.org and contribute resources and new material to the site.

Internet Access and Marginalisation in Africa: Experiences Within Africa

Host: Global Voices

14 April 2023 | 9:00am – 10:00am (Nairobi) | Attend

Issues of connectivity have been a major challenge in Africa and the world as a whole. Over the last few years, Africa has experienced exponential growth in internet access spurred by mobile internet, which stood at 28% penetration in 2020. However, internet access and affordability are still a major challenge for the majority of Africans, especially the marginalised rural communities, women, and persons with disabilities. According to the State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2021, Sub-Saharan Africa has the largest coverage gap (those living in areas without mobile broadband coverage) at 19%, which is more than three times the global average. A new report detailing the cost of mobile data in different markets across the world bears the evidence of why internet use in most of Africa remains low despite the growing broadband internet coverage. This session provides a platform to interrogate barriers to internet access and their exclusionary effect as well as to provide solutions and recommendations to the issues of internet connectivity across Africa

Closed 2-Day Workshop – The Future of Digital Rights in Africa: The Role of Policymakers and Advocacy at the UPR

Hosts: UPROAR & CIPESA

The objective of this workshop is to identify the various and applicable human rights frameworks under international, regional and national frameworks. The session will highlight some of the major provisions of these frameworks and how the UPR can be used to shape the national frameworks. We will also learn how to identify digital rights issues and apply practical solutions to resolving them. By the end of this session, participants will understand the supporting human rights instruments for UPR and how local laws can be made to conform with international standards.

29Mar

Court Admits Expert Views from CIPESA, Access Now and Article 19 on Uganda’s Digital ID

CIPESA March 29, 2023March 29, 2023

By CIPESA Writer |

On March 24, 2023, the High Court of Uganda at Kampala ruled to allow experts from Access Now, ARTICLE 19, and the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) to offer their opinions on the human rights red flags around the country’s digital identification (ID) system.

The ruling followed an application by the three organisations for admission as “Friends of Court” in a case which challenges the use of the National Identification Register as the sole data source and primary means of identification prior to accessing various social services. Uganda’s national digital ID, also known as Ndaga Muntu, is a mandatory scheme for accessing various socio-economic services.

The court admitted the amicus brief submission by the trio despite objections from the Attorney General and the National Identification Registration Authority (NIRA) on grounds that the application was facilitated by bias and partiality of the applicants. The respondents further argued that the applications introduced new, inadmissible evidence – an assertion the court did not agree with. The court, in fact, noted the significance of the arguments raised by Access Now, ARTICLE 19 and CIPESA, particularly on data protection, digital inclusion, surveillance, and the sufficiency of protection measures and their impact on the right to privacy.

The admission means that the court will consider the opinions of the three organisations in determining the case challenging Uganda’s digital ID system. In his ruling, Justice Boniface Wamala noted that the matters the three organisations raised did not constitute evidence. Rather, they “constitute legal concepts that are new, unfamiliar, unusual or unique. Such aspects constitute the quality of novelty.”

The organisations made the application as neutral parties and experts to assist the court to be better abreast with novel areas that potentially contribute to the development of the law.

The joint brief seeks to help court fully grasp the potential impact of the national digital ID program on online and offline rights including the right to privacy, the right to freedom of expression, as well as intersecting economic, social, and cultural rights by providing expert evidence at national, sub regional, regional, and international levels. It also explains how the digital identity system might contribute to excluding citizens from basic access to services, thereby leaving them in a vulnerable state.

The case challenging the ID system was filed by the Initiative for Social and Economic Rights, Unwanted Witness, and Health Equity and Policy Initiative, against the Ugandan Attorney General and the NIRA. The NIRA is the body charged with creating and managing the National Identification Register by registering births, deaths, citizens and non-citizens.

In its affidavit in support of the amicus application, CIPESA argued that as an expert in advancing internet freedom and governance, civic participation, and data governance, it saw the need to intervene as a friend of court, in public interest and the interest of justice, to promote and protect human rights.

According to CIPESA’s Legal Officer, Edrine Wanyama, the ruling to hear the opinions of the expert organisations could help in shaping new and emerging areas of the law in Uganda on the need to respect privacy and other rights in the deployment of digital technologies in public digitalisation programmes, including initiatives like the Digital ID.

“This is a demonstration of the commitment of the courts to remain open to new and emerging knowledge and jurisprudence and to receive expert opinions on how to protect citizens from potential harms associated with the use of technology,” said Wanyama.

CIPESA anticipates that the court will draw considerable knowledge from the amicus submissions and reach a decision that ensures that the roll-out of the digital ID system does not serve as a tool for exclusion but as an inclusion tool for all persons in accessing social and economic services.

Access Now, ARTICLE 19, and CIPESA aim to continue offering the court expert views that could help to ensure that the digital ID system is implemented in a manner that respects minimum human rights standards and promotes and protects rights and freedoms.

09Mar

Boosting Web Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities in Mozambique

CIPESA March 9, 2023March 9, 2023

By CIPESA Staff Writer |

In March 2021, accessibility testing on more than 90 public and essential services websites in Mozambique revealed various barriers preventing individuals with visual, hearing, physical or cognitive impairment from fully engaging with the web. Among the most common barriers were low colour contrast, the absence of “alt text” for images, lack of landmarks to identify regions of a page, non-apparent links, and the lack of descriptive text for interactive elements. The findings of the investigation, which was conducted using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 and 2.1 (WCAG 2.0 and 2.1), informed a web accessibility campaign to push for accessible and inclusive websites in Mozambique.

Two years on, the campaign that was initiated by the Forum de Organizacoes de Pessoas com Deficiencia (Mozambique Disabled Persons Organisations Forum (FAMOD), with support from the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF), has directly engaged web content creators, designers and developers on web accessibility through open source tools and an open access library for accessible web design components.

As part of the initiative, FAMOD developed a resource library for accessible website designs based on the WCAG 2.0 guidelines. The library includes web accessibility standards; guidelines and checklists; code inspection and validation; as well as tools for colour contrast, screen reading and document formats. The library also includes information on courses and certification in accessible website design.

Based on the library, two startups – one in construction and the other in catering – were supported to develop accessible websites. The two websites were tested for compliance and their success fed into the design of templates (available in the library) that can be easily adopted by other web designers.

In the spirit of “Nothing About Us Without Us”, the development of the library and all its resources actively involved persons with different types of disabilities and using a diverse range of assistive devices. “It is a responsive solution to the challenges identified in the 2021 investigation and the wider exclusion of persons with disabilities online,” said Amicalr Paco, the IT Manager and Data Engineer at FAMOD.

Other interventions have included a Hackathon with nine developer teams, and two stakeholder workshops on digital accessibility, which were held with the Mozambican Ministry of Science and Technology.

Nonetheless, there is a need for more engagements. Paco noted that the library and resources are not an end in themselves and that continued dialogue and skills development among technologists were necessary to promote awareness and understanding of accessibility and compliance in digital tools and platforms.

The ADRF is an initiative of the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Launched in April 2019, the ADRF supports advocacy, skills development, and movement building to effectively influence policy and practise for digital rights protection in Africa by offering flexible and rapid response grants. To-date, USD 649,000 has been disbursed to 52 beneficiaries across 39 African countries.

07Mar

#Tech4Equality: Advocating for Gender Inclusive ICT Policy and Governance

CIPESA March 7, 2023March 8, 2023

By Alice Aparo |

On March 8, 2023, the International Women’s Day (IWD) will be commemorated globally under the theme “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. Set to recognise and celebrate women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education, the day will explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities. This year’s IWD will also spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and technology-facilitated gender-based violence.

Across Africa, the digital gender gap has remained a constant concern. This has impacted the potential of women and girls to be active digital citizens. Despite the promise of inclusion offered by technology, African women remain on the lower rungs of internet access and use. Further, while some national strategies attempt to address increased gender equality in internet access, this cannot be achieved where progressive policies – including policies which uphold women’s safety online – are not being implemented.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) notes that if women are unable to access the internet and do not feel safe online, they are unable to develop the necessary digital skills to engage in digital spaces. This also diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Although women comprise half the world’s population, they are grossly underrepresented in STEM careers. The United Nations (UN) reiterates this and adds that “bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality”. Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs. This calls for more policy efforts, investment and advocacy that advances women and girls in innovation and technology, particularly in Africa.

According to the Harvard Business Review, only 2.3% of venture capital funds globally were invested in women’s tech startups in 2020 – far less than the funds invested in men’s startups. This move is against the United Nation Sustainable Development Goal 5 which aims to achieve gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls, and Goal 9 which focuses on building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.

Empowering women and girls through the provision of meaningful access to the internet and digital technologies can enhance the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 5 to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Further, building their digital skills and awareness levels could undoubtedly provide them with opportunities to start businesses, and to access education, health, social and financial services. Also, it could be a powerful tool to enable women and girls to realise their rights, participate in governance and decision-making processes, freely associate, assemble, and express themselves on issues that are important to them, and develop relevant content for their empowerment. In addition, increasing women’s representation in leadership and decision-making roles within the ICT sector will also remain a critical need.

Webinar

In commemoration of this year’s IWD, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) will host a webinar to discuss what is shaping and influencing the innovation and technology landscape in Africa and what needs to be done to advance gender Inclusive ICT policy and governance.

When: Friday, 10 March 2023
Time: 11:30 (EAT)
Where: Zoom (Register)

This initiative builds on past CIPESA work documenting and aimed at addressing the inclusion of women in the digital society including through advocating for improved affordability, access to information, political participation, media representation and safety online.

15Feb

Building Cyber Smart Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

CIPESA February 15, 2023March 7, 2023

By CIPESA Staff Writer |

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Nigeria is among the countries with the highest number of women entrepreneurs, most of whom conduct their business online. However, with the increasing prevalence of cyber attacks and fraud, the success of women-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country is under threat. In Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, Sophos reports that 71% of businesses were hit with ransomware attacks in 2021.

In 2021, cybercrime caused an estimated USD 4 billion loss for African economies, equivalent to 3.5% of the continent’s USD 115 billion digital economy. Despite significant threats such as online scams, digital extortion, email compromise, ransomware and botnets, Interpol figures indicate that over 90% of businesses on the African continent operate without the necessary cyber security protocols in place.

In a bid to counter such threats, Tech Hive Advisory in partnership with Ikigai Innovation Initiative implemented the Cyber Smart Woman project to build a sustainable digital ecosystem for women entrepreneurs in Nigeria. The three-phase project featured 12 focus group discussions on data governance, cybersecurity challenges, and digital security needs of the women-owned SMEs, followed by four knowledge and skills workshops, and the development of a toolkit on data protection and cyber security practices for sustainability and competitiveness.

Tech Hive Advisory and Ikigai Innovation Initiative were one of ten initiatives awarded grants in the sixth round of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF). The supported initiatives focused on promoting effective data governance in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal; countering gendered and election-related misinformation and disinformation in Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda; building digital resilience within the media fraternity in Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda; promoting digital inclusion in Uganda and Kenya; and building grassroots-based movements for internet freedom in South Africa.

The focus group discussions featured participants from various online business sectors, many of whom revealed that they lacked adequate digital protection for their businesses. Up to a quarter of the participants had been direct victims of device theft and cyber attacks such as scams and hacking. As a result, their businesses had suffered monetary loss, reputational damage, and, in extreme instances, loss of online assets such as social media accounts and client databases.

The discussions further revealed that despite the SMEs collecting various personal data, the majority did not include online security or data protection measures within their business strategies. Meanwhile, many clients did not invoke their rights as data subjects, which made their data more susceptible to abuse. Indeed, one participant admitted that she had shared a client’s contact information without permission.

Most of the focus group participants believed that with the appropriate knowledge and skills, business owners, just like data subjects, would be able to minimise vulnerability to cyber attacks and data breaches. Accordingly, four capacity building workshops were convened in four regions – Abuja, Ibadan, Kaduna and Lagos – benefiting 167 SME owners. Topics covered included data protection rights and obligations; compliance with data protection regulations; and cybersecurity best practices.

To complement the training workshops, a toolkit for data protection and cybersecurity was developed and disseminated. The toolkit outlines Nigeria’s data protection frameworks as well as the obligations and compliance requirements for business owners. It also provides tips and resources for data subject access procedures, privacy policies, records of processing activities and retention periods. The second section of the toolkit focuses on cybersecurity, also outlining the prevailing legal and regulatory frameworks, common vulnerabilities, best practice guidelines and resources.

Ayodeji Sarumi, the Co-Founder of Tech Hive Advisory, says the project has equipped female-owned businesses in Nigeria with better approaches to handling data protection and cybersecurity issues, which could be essential for their survival in a highly digitised world where cyber fraud is rampant.

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