Promoting Effective and Inclusive ICT Policy in Africa

Category Archives: FIFAfrica

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19Sep

An Enabling Environment for Inclusive Digital Transformation

Author admin Posted on

FIFAfrica19 |
The digital economy, including cross-border services, digital trade, and electronic commerce (eCommerce), contributes to democratic and economic development by expanding market access for local businesses, promoting inclusive trade, creating jobs, and expanding tax revenue for governments to provide essential services. As the scope of digital innovation expands around the continent, so must national and regional priorities and policies align to facilitate greater competitiveness, inclusiveness all while respecting online freedoms and digital rights.
This panel discussion will feature key insights on priority policies and initiatives gleaned from the FIFAfrica pre-event hosted by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). On September 24, CIPE will host a policy roundtable with public, private, and civil society stakeholders from across the continent to discuss regional opportunities for inclusive economic and entrepreneurial development in an increasingly digital future. Topics from the policy roundtable include: data flows and privacy, eCommerce and eTrade, e-payments and financial inclusion, and the future of entrepreneurship.
Following FIFAfrica, proposed initiatives and policies identified in the policy roundtable discussions and in this panel will be shared with the digital rights community and the public.
Moderator: Louisa Tomar, Global Program Officer, CIPE
Panelists

  • Peter Mwencha | Africa eTrade Group, Kenya
  • Representative | CIPESA
  • Grace Githaiga | KICTANet, Kenya
  • Representative | MINT, Ethiopia

 
Follow the conversation using #FIFAfrica19 and #InternetFreedomAfrica.

09Sep

End of Politeness: African Feminist Movements and Digital Voice

Author admin Posted on

FIFAfrica19 |
Feminism movements online face audience aggression and are often misunderstood. Nonetheless, in recent years, the voice and presence of African feminists online is growing and reinforcing decades long offline efforts aimed at shifting norms, perceptions and power tilted against women and vulnerable communities. As such, growing feminist movements are contributing to narratives which previously did not feature much in mainstream media and in online spaces.
One rising player in these movements is AfricanFeminism.Com which is an online collective of feminist writers from across the continent who are documenting the struggles and achievements of women and other minorities while also amplifying the work of feminists on the continent. Since its origins in 2011, the site has grown to become a channel for driving feminist narratives in online spaces in Africa. These are in turn contributing to debates on issues such as women representation and inclusion, cyber-violence against women and other human rights.
This year, AfricanFeminism.Com will assemble actors in the African feminist movement at the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2019 (FIFAfrica19). In a session titled “End of Politeness: African Feminist Movements and Digital Voice”, the collective will illustrate how the current pan-African feminism movement is thriving on access to technologies that earlier generations did not have, to advance women’s right to self-expression and access to information.
The session will bring experiences and lessons from across the continent on how feminist movements are being defined and the online backlash that many young women have to face in order to make themselves heard. The African experience of internet freedom greatly mimics freedoms offline including through the gender divide, literacy, economics and even politics. This session will show trends of how African feminist online communities are pushing for greater equity and equality including through various forms of advocacy such as the radical expression of Uganda’s Dr Stella Nyanzi.
Moderator: Rosebell Kagumire | Editor, AfricanFeminism.com
Panelists:

  • Nana Akosua Hanson | Director, Drama Queens Ghana
  • Beatrice Mateyo | Executive Director, Coalition for the Empowerment of Women and Girls (CEWAG) Malawi
  • Selam Mussie | Media and Communications Consultant, Ethiopia
  • Lugain Mahmoud | Activist, Fifty (Women Representation) Campaign, Sudan
  • Jeanne Elone | Human Rights & Social Impact, Africa Public Policy, Facebook

Follow the conversation using #FIFAfrica19 and #InternetFreedomAfrica.

23Aug

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

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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 benefits of new technologies.
“We are thrilled to collaborate in hosting the 6th FIFAfrica in the diplomatic capital of Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As a ministry we are working to ensure the country’s sustainable development through creating an ecosystem that harnesses innovation and transformation through technology. The internet is a space/platform where knowledge is created, developed and shared, where learning, imagination, networking, and connectivity flourishes. Thus, we believe in upholding digital/internet freedom for the development of the country,” stated the FDRE Ministry of Innovation and Technology.
The Ministry is working towards building a digital economy and society grounded on knowledge and technology and as such “values the power of knowledge, novel ideas, learning and the unlimited potential of virtual endeavors”.
As Ethiopia continues to embrace wide-ranging political and economic reforms, it is integral to ensure greater awareness within the country as well as beyond its borders of what the reforms mean to the potential of ICT as an enabler of democratic governance and sustainable development. Indeed, FIFAfrica19 will be among recent strategic convenings in Ethiopia related to broadening the range of freedoms enjoyed by citizens online and offline, such as the World Press Freedom day commemoration last May.
FIFAfrica responds to rising challenges to the enjoyment of digital rights in various countries, that undermine the potential of digital technology to drive socio-economic and political development on the continent. The annual convening offers a platform for critical engagement of diverse stakeholders on internet rights and freedoms and looks at them through the lens of policy, regulation, and governance.
In spite of challenges that still exist, including in governance and security, over the last one year, Ethiopia has made notable strides in improving the state of internet freedom, in ways which can be instructive for other African countries.
FIFAfrica 2019 will thus provide a platform for the exchange of knowledge, skills, advocacy efforts and policy agendas that can have an impact on digital rights and internet governance agenda among key actors including policy makers, regulators, human rights defenders, law enforcement representatives, and the media in Ethiopia and Africa as a whole.
“The Forum is one of the few gatherings that assemble an African audience within the continent to discuss matters related to upholding internet freedom. We are pleased to co-host this edition of FIFAfrica with a key player in the Ethiopian telecommunications landscape. Like many other African countries, Ethiopia is witnessing changing trends in ICT adoption and use for which the forum provides an opportune platform for deliberation and consultations on the implications of related policy and practice with a wide array of stakeholders,” said Dr. Wairagala Wakabi, CIPESA Executive Director.
Among the Ministry’s undertakings at FIFAfrica19 will be the hosting of a high level meeting of government officials within the auspices of the ICT committee at the African Union (AU) to discuss some of the reigning concerns and initiatives related to innovation ecosystems, data protection and privacy, access and affordability, diversity and inclusion, network disruptions, and access to information, among others.
Hosting FIFAfrica19 in Addis Ababa will this year mark its return to East Africa since 2016 – in keeping with the stride of expanding the conversation, as well as knowledge and skills development to different parts of the continent. The 2018 edition was hosted in Ghana, while the 2017 was hosted in South Africa. Other editions since 2014 were hosted in Uganda.
FIFAfrica19 will be hosted at the Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, and is expected to assemble at least 300 participants from across the continent and beyond.
Social Media | Follow @cipesaug on Twitter for updates on the forum. Use the hashtags #FIFAfrica19 and #InternetFreedomAfrica to share your vision for digital rights in Africa

06Jun

Register for the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2019 (#FIFAfrica19)

Author admin Posted on

FIFAfrica |
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 year, FIFAfrica will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia where we look forward to convening a  wide 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 and the free flow of information online.

In its inaugural years, the Forum took place in Kampala, Uganda (2014 – 2016). Since then, FIFAfrica’s expanding footprint has seen it being hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) in 2017 and in Accra, Ghana in partnership with the Media Foundation West Africa (MFWA) in 2018. This year, we will host pre-events  (by invitation) will be  on 23 and 24 September while the main Forum event will take place on 25 and 26 September.
Register for FIFAfrica19
In the lead up to the forum is the invitation of ideas on what should form the basis of panel discussions, exhibitions, workshops and lightning talks at the event. We welcome proposals which can be completed as part of the registration form.
Please note the below important dates related to participation at the Forum. Submissions close at midnight  (East Africa Time) of the stated dates:
— The closing date for registration to attend is September 6, 2019.
— Session proposals will be accepted till July 31, 2019
— Applications for travel support will be accepted till  July 31, 2019
— Successful travel support applicants will be directly notified by August 30, 2019.
Register for FIFAfrica19

02May

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

Author Liad Posted on

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 and the free flow of information online.
This year, FIFAfrica will take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where since April 2018 the new Ethiopian government has undertaken unprecedented political and economic reforms. These have included release from jail of thousands of prisoners, announcing plans to liberalise the telecom, aviation, and transportation sectors, and dropping charges against many opposition leaders, bloggers, and activists. On the internet freedom front, the new administration has restored mobile and broadband internet services that had been disrupted since 2016, and unblocked 246 websites, blogs, and news sites that had been inaccessible for over a decade. These pivotal developments serve as an avenue to advance more progressive efforts on internet governance and promotion of human rights online, not only in the country that hosts the African Union (AU) but on the continent at large.
Hosting FIFAfrica in Addis Ababa is also in keeping the stride of expanding the conversation, as well as knowledge and skills development to different parts of the continent. In its inaugural years, the Forum took place in Kampala, Uganda. Since then, FIFAfrica’s expanding footprint has seen it being hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa in partnership with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) in 2017 and in Accra, Ghana in partnership with the Media Foundation West Africa (MFWA) in 2018.
The Forum responds to rising challenges to the enjoyment of internet freedom in various countries, including arrests and intimidation of online users, internet disruptions, and a proliferation of laws and regulations that undermine the potential of digital technology to drive socio-economic and political development on the continent. FIFAfrica therefore puts internet freedom on the agenda of key actors including African policy makers, regulators, human rights defenders, law enforcement representatives, and the media, paving the way for broader work on advancing online rights in Africa and promoting the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance.
Registration and call for session proposals will open later this month. For the latest on the Forum, follow @cipesaug. The event hashtags are #FIFAfrica19 and #InternetFreedomAfrica.

 

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