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14Apr

CIPESA at the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum 2026

Author CIPESA Posted on

By CIPESA Writer |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is participating in this year’s Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF), taking place in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on April 14-16, 2026. Hosted by Paradigm Initiative under the theme, “Building Inclusive and Resilient Digital Futures”, the Forum focuses on strengthening technology to withstand crises and promoting digital rights across the Global South.

At DRIF, CIPESA is contributing to critical conversations that move beyond dialogue to impact. The organisation will host a session titled “Beyond the Microphone – Turning IGF Participation into Policy Influence in West Africa,” exploring how engagement in global internet governance spaces can translate into meaningful policy change at national and regional levels.

CIPESA will also feature in the exhibition space, presenting the African Digital Reality Walk, “Paths, Traps, and Safe Passage.” This immersive experience invites participants to navigate the complexities of Africa’s digital landscape as it highlights the opportunities and the risks that define digital rights and freedoms today while encouraging digital resilience.

Where to Find CIPESA at DRIF

April 14

· Image-based TFBGV in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
 10:10 AM – 11:10 AM |  Room 5
 Hosted by Digital Rights Alliance Africa (DRAA)

· Beyond the Microphone – Turning IGF Participation into Policy Influence in West Africa
  2:20 PM – 3:20 PM |  Room 6
 Hosted by CIPESA

· Reviewing the ACHPR Resolution 631 Draft Guidelines for Universal Access to Public Service Content in Africa
 2:20 PM – 3:20 PM | Room 4
 Hosted by SOS Coalition / UNESCO

April 15

· Shrinking Civic Space and Funding Cuts: How Can We Ensure Digital Resilience? 10:10 AM – 11:10 AM | Room 4
 Hosted by Oxfam

· Democracy Disconnected: Fighting Against Election Shutdowns in Africa
 10:10 AM – 11:10 AM | Room 5
 Hosted by Access Now

· Fighting Non-Consensual Intimate Image (NCII) Abuse in Africa & Beyond
 1:50 PM – 2:50 PM | Auditorium
 Hosted by Google

April 16

· From Data to Action: Responding to Digital Authoritarianism’s Threat to Civil Society
 11:10 AM – 12:10 PM | Room 3
 Hosted by EU-SEE

· Digital Sovereignty and Inclusive DPI in Africa: A Stakeholder Roundtable
 11:10 AM – 12:10 PM | Room 4
 Hosted by Digital Action

10Mar

2nd East Africa Data Governance Conference 2026

Author CIPESA Posted on

Event |

Location: Nairobi
Dates: 10 – 11 March 2026

CIPESA is participating in the 2nd East Africa Data Governance Conference held in Nairobi, Kenya, on March 10 and 11, 2026, convened under the theme ‘Navigating Duality in Data Governance: Innovation and Accountability in East Africa’. 

Innovation and accountability are often treated as competing imperatives. In reality, they must evolve together. The 2026 theme focuses on the duality that defines East Africa’s digital moment: a region building new systems of data-driven governance while grappling with heightened concerns around privacy, power, surveillance, exclusion, and fragmentation. The conference explores how East Africa can build digital governance ecosystems that enable innovation without sacrificing justice, rights, or public trust.

The conference features sessions on regulatory sandboxes as governance instruments for DPI – a space of active interest to CIPESA as we develop our thinking on rights-centred approaches to digital infrastructure governance in East Africa.

24Feb

African Media Festival 

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Event |

Date: 24-25 February, 2026

Location: Nairobi, Kenya 

The Africa Media Festival is a gathering for journalists, editors, storytellers, creators, and media builders from across the continent and the diaspora.

The festival is a meeting place for those working in reporting, production, technology and creative enterprise who are asking real questions about the future of media and how it is made, funded and sustained.

This year’s edition continues to expand pathways for participation across Africa and beyond. The two days of conversation, learning and collaboration will centre on the ideas, challenges and opportunities shaping media and creative work today.

23Feb

Africa Editors Congress 2026

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Event |

Date: 23 – 24 February, 2026

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

The Africa Editors Congress 2026 is hosted by The African Editors Forum (TAEF) at the Graduate School for Media and Communications, Aga Khan University, bringing together editors, policymakers, and media executives to confront what organisers describe as a “multifaceted crisis” in African journalism. The two-day congress comes as newsrooms battle declining revenues, regulatory pressures, and eroding public trust, fueled by widespread misinformation on social media platforms.

The meeting will focus on three key areas: securing fair compensation for journalists whose work is harvested by tech companies, developing regulatory frameworks to support public-interest journalism, and building sustainable funding models less dependent on foreign capital.

CIPESA will contribute insights on Resolution, ACHPR/Res.620 (LXXXI) 2024: Promoting and Harnessing Data Access as a Tool for Advancing Human Rights and Sustainable Development in the Digital Age (Resolution 620).

17Feb

Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy Conference

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Event |

Date and Time: 18 February, 2026, starting at 8:30 AM.

Location: Kampala, Uganda

The Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy Conference, also known as the #BeeraKuGuard Awareness Conference, is being hosted by the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U) under the Uganda Digital Acceleration Project (UDAP-GovNet). The event addresses the critical need to promote cybersecurity, data protection, and privacy awareness due to the growing scale and sophistication of cyber threats, which have escalated with the nationwide increase in affordable broadband and e-services. The conference aims to promote cyber hygiene, personal data protection, and privacy best practices across the country.

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