The opportunity for Africa to take a leadership role in the WSIS+20 review process

By Elonnai Hickok (GNI), Anriette Esterhuysen (APC), and Lillian Nalwoga (CIPESA)

Alongside the Africa School for Internet Governance (AfriSIG) and the regional Africa Internet Governance Forum (AfricaIGF) that took place in late May in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, the Global Network Initiative (GNI), the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), and the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) held several meetings that brought together civil society, governments, parliamentarians, and the private sector from across the continent to reflect on Africa’s role in the World Summit on the Information Society +20 (WSIS+20) Review Process . This included a session at the AfriSIG, the regional workshop “The Road to WSIS+20”, and the session “Forging connections between Internet Governance, human rights, and development through the WSIS+20 process” at the AfricaIGF. The meetings highlighted key policy priorities across countries that stakeholders would like reflected in the WSIS+20 review process, surfaced challenges in past implementation of the WSIS framework and action lines with forward-looking recommendations, and emphasized the opportunity for Africa to play a leadership role in the WSIS+20 review process going forward. 

In 2025, the world faces an important moment for digital governance. The WSIS+20 review — marking two decades since the World Summit on the Information Society — will not only evaluate past progress but also shape the future of Internet governance, rights, and development as it considers how to align the Global Digital Compact (GDC) into the WSIS process and evaluates the renewal of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). For Africa, this is a pivotal opportunity to lead, to center the continent’s priorities in global digital discourse, and to champion a people-centered, equitable information society.

Since its founding documents — the Geneva Declaration, the Plan of Action, and the Tunis Agenda — the WSIS has put forward a vision rooted in multistakeholderism, human rights, and inclusive digital development. But nearly 20 years on, that vision is under question amid accelerating technological shifts, geopolitical tensions, billions of people without meaningful connectivity, and the marginalization of voices from the Global Majority. Africa’s leadership in the WSIS+20 review process will be an essential counterbalance to these challenges.

Africa has always participated strongly in WSIS, with robust contributions from the technical community, civil society, many governments, and the WSIS prize winners who have taken high-level action lines and worked to implement them at the local community level. Recent months have seen growing momentum across the continent for the WSIS+20 review process. From Dar-es-Salaam to Cotonou, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has convened civil society, governments, parliamentarians, and the private sector to reflect on Africa’s role in the WSIS. This has been complemented by national-level dialogues driven by civil society with participation from the technical community, including in ZambiaGhana, and South Africa. These dialogues reveal national-level priorities and the potential for Africa to shape the future of the WSIS.

Two major declarations — the Dar es Salaam Declaration and the Cotonou Declaration — highlight Africa’s vision for the WSIS. They underscore issues central to the region: bridging the digital divide, fostering AI innovation, building resilient digital public infrastructure, ensuring data governance, and using the WSIS as a catalyst for Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Crucially, both declarations reaffirm the importance of the IGF and call for its strengthening.

The global WSIS+20 Preparatory and Stocktaking Meeting held on May 30 gave us some insight into the positions that African countries will take. Statements by Uganda, South Africa, and Morocco aligned with the G77’s call for digital sovereignty and technology transfer, recognized the importance of leveraging the WSIS to achieve the 2030 Agenda, called for aligning the GDC with the WSIS, and highlighted new challenges such as AI, but stopped short of unanimously advocating for the renewal, strengthening, and making the mandate of the IGF permanent.  

The geopolitical landscape only heightens the urgency of strong participation from African countries. The United States’ controversial stance during the 28th session of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) — particularly its resistance to language on climate, the SDGs, and diversity, equity, and inclusion — has raised alarms. While this may signal a shift in the U.S. government’s approach, it also can be seen as opening space for Africa and other actors to step into leadership roles and push for a rights-based digital future that reflects national priorities.

To do so, Africa must bring vision and coordinated diplomacy. The continent has several key regional frameworks and strategies: the African Digital Compact, the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa, the African Union Convention on Cyber Security, and the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy offer policy blueprints for the continent’s digital development. The African Commission on Human and People’s Rights has also passed several important resolutions including the Resolution on Access to Data 2024 and the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression 2019.  There is an opportunity to actively inject these priorities and values into global processes like the WSIS+20 and the GDC.

Nationally, progress is tangible. Countries are expanding digital public infrastructure, reforming cybersecurity laws, and working to reduce connectivity gaps. At the same time, challenges persist — from Internet shutdowns and online surveillance to shrinking civic space and rising digital authoritarianism, as highlighted in Paradigm Initiative’s 2024 Londa report. These challenges underscore why a rights-respecting, multistakeholder framework is essential for Africa’s digital future.

As the WSIS+20 review process continues, it will be critical that African countries actively engage in the process, emphasizing inclusive multistakeholder participation from all stakeholders as articulated by a cross-stakeholder group in the Five-Point Plan for an Inclusive WSIS+20 Review and a further set of eight recommendations. Going forward, the UNECA and the African Union will play an essential role in not only coordinating regional positions but in ensuring this participation. 

The WSIS+20 presents a timely chance for Africa to take forward the original spirit of the WSIS: a digital world built by and for the people, across sectors and borders. To seize this moment, it will be important for African governments and regional bodies to:

  1. Participate robustly and cohesively in the WSIS+20 review process, ensuring Africa’s priorities are reflected.
  2. Promote inclusive multistakeholder engagement, proactively engaging with and empowering civil society, academia, and the technical community to robustly participate in the WSIS+20 process and inform the position of African governments.
  3. Advance a shared agenda rooted in human rights, sustainable development, the renewal of the IGF,  the alignment of the GDC into the WSIS, and Africa-centric innovation and development.

The discussions at AfricaIGF indicated an important opportunity for Africa to shape the future of the WSIS process and ensure country-level and regional priorities are reflected in the review and implementation, that the review process is truly multistakeholder, and results in implementation that is meaningful and effective. 

Joint Statement by the ICT Sector on the Unlawful Arrest and Prosecution of Rose Njeri

Joint Statement |

We, the undersigned stakeholders in Kenya’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, stand together in firm condemnation of the unlawful arrest, detention, and prosecution of software developer and civic activist Rose Njeri (@rtunguru)

Rose Njeri, a software developer and mother of two, was detained on Friday, May 30, 2025, following a police raid on her home in Nairobi, where authorities seized her electronic devices, including her phone, laptop, and hard drives. As of this morning, she remained detained, her whereabouts were unknown, and she had not been presented to any court, despite multiple attempts by her legal counsel to establish the charges against her or secure her release. Reports indicate that Ms. Njeri suffers from anaemia and was denied proper access to healthcare during her detention. In addition, her arrest and detention over a long public holiday weekend appear to have been deliberately calculated to extend her detention without judicial oversight.

It is alleged that Ms. Njeri’s arrest stems from her development of an online civic platform (civic-email.vercel.app) which seeks to provide a coordinated solution for Kenyan citizens to formally present views to the National Assembly in response to the ongoing public participation discussions on the Finance Bill, 2025. In particular, the platform enables them to simply register their objections to clause 52 of the Bill which proposes the deletion of Section 59A (1B) of the Tax Procedures Act, which currently prohibits the Commissioner of the Kenya Revenue Authority from requiring a person to integrate or share data relating to “(a) trade secrets; and (b) private or personal data held on behalf of customers or collected in the course of business.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Ms. Njeri was presented before the court, more than 88 hours after her arrest, despite the legal requirement under Article 49 of the Constitution that she be brought to court within 24 hours.  Worse, she has been charged under Section 16 of the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act, 2018 with “unauthorised interference with a computer system,” an offence which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of up to ten million shillings, imprisonment of up to five years, or both. These could double if aggravating circumstances are cited. Ms. Njeri has since been released on personal bond of KES 100,000 and will be expected back in court on 20 June 2025 for a ruling on the validity of the charges.

We view this charge as baseless, trumped-up, and irrelevant to the alleged offence, as it misrepresents a legitimate act of civic engagement as a cybercrime. In our considered view, embracing digital technologies and the creation of a platform to facilitate public participation on the Finance Bill 2025 is a protected exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and public participation under Articles 10, 33, 35, and 118 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. Section 16 is intended to address serious cybercrimes such as hacking, sabotage, or malicious disruption of computer systems by individuals who act without authorisation or consent from the system owner. Therefore, to charge Ms. Njeri under Section 16 is a gross misapplication of the law, an abuse of court process, and a disproportionate act which fails to demonstrate any credible offence, interference, or threat to public safety or national security as claimed.

Ms. Njeri’s prosecution comes in the wake of a recent public apology by the President to the public. It is also not an isolated incident but one that is emblematic of a dangerous pattern in Kenya, where authorities have repeatedly weaponised various ICT laws to intimidate and silence government critics, activists, bloggers, journalists, technologists and citizens. They are measures designed to stifle digital rights, activism, and the civic space, rather than to curb real-world cybercrimes. As of December 2024, the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) detected at least 840,921,998 cyber threats, an increase of 27.2% reported in the previous quarter, yet these are barely investigated or the responsible cyber criminals prosecuted.

Kenya has long been recognised as a beacon of digital growth and innovation in Africa, a reputation built on its vibrant technology landscape and a constitutional framework that safeguards fundamental human rights. A thriving, innovative, and competitive ICT sector is inextricably linked to a free, open, and secure digital space. A climate of fear, pervasive surveillance, and arbitrary arrests and detentions severely undermines Kenya’s hard-earned reputation as a regional technology hub. The sector cannot flourish where fundamental rights are routinely undermined or where the rule of law is selectively applied. The predictability and stability afforded by robust digital rights protections are crucial for attracting local and foreign investment, fostering innovation, and ensuring Kenya’s continued leadership in the digital economy.

As ICT sector stakeholders, we reaffirm our commitment to an open, inclusive, and secure digital ecosystem in Kenya. We stand in solidarity with Rose Njeri and all individuals unjustly targeted for exercising their digital rights. The misuse of the CMCA to criminalise a public interest technology platform for civic participation is a direct attack on democratic values and innovation. We pledge to advocate for policies that protect human rights while promoting digital civic engagement.

We also urge the Kenyan public, international community, and fellow ICT stakeholders to join us in condemning these violations and to demand greater accountability.

Also, we call on the Kenyan government, law enforcement, and relevant authorities to:

Immediately drop the charges against Rose Njeri unconditionally, and return all her confiscated electronic devices without delay. Ensure that ICT laws are not misused or weaponised to suppress legitimate exercise of rights and cease practices such as arbitrary arrests, detentions without charge, and the confiscation of devices. Officers engaging in such unlawful practices should be held accountable for their actions. Reform the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act and the Kenya Information and Communications Act (KICA), and abandon proposed Bills that violate digital rights or stifle legitimate online activities. Engage with stakeholders in the ICT sector, including academia, media, civil society, and the tech community, to develop laws that promote cybersecurity while safeguarding fundamental human rights. Demonstrate a clear and unwavering commitment to fostering an open, secure, and rights-respecting digital ecosystem, including refraining from arbitrary internet shutdowns, content blocking, and unlawful surveillance.

Lastly, we reaffirm our commitment to defending digital rights and civic space in Kenya. The use of public digital tools to facilitate citizen engagement with Parliament is not a crime; it is a cornerstone of our democracy.

Signatories

Access Now

Africa Centre for People Institutions and Society (ACEPIS)

ARTICLE 19 Eastern Africa

Baraza Media Lab

Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE)

CIPESA

CyberYetu

Data Privacy and Governance Society of Kenya (DPGSK)

Founders Connect Kenya

IAWRT Kenya

Icon Data and Learning Labs

Interactive Entertainment Association

Internet Society, Kenya Chapter

Internews – KenSafeSpace

Kenya Coalition on Youth Peace and Security

KICTANet

Kijiji Yeetu

Media Lawyers Association of Kenya (MLAK)

Mzalendo Trust

Paradigm Initiative

Pollicy Data Institute

Tatua Digital Resilience Centre

Women in STEM Leaders Network

Women in Tech Policy and Governance

zKe Voices

NOW OPEN! Call for Session Proposals and Travel Support Applications

FIFAfrica |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) invites interested parties to submit session proposals to the 2025 edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25). Successful submissions will help to shape the agenda of the event, which is set to gather policymakers, regulators, human rights defenders, journalists, academics, private sector players, global information intermediaries, bloggers, and developers.

FIFAfrica25 is a leading platform for shaping digital rights, inclusion, and governance conversations. This year, the Forum is headed to Windhoek, Namibia, a beacon of press freedom, gender equity, and progressive jurisprudence, and will take place on September 24–26, 2025.

As part of the registration, we invite session proposals, including panel discussions, lightning talks, exhibitions, and skills workshops, to shape the FIFAfrica25 agenda.

CIPESA is committed to ensuring a diversity of voices, backgrounds, and viewpoints in attendance and as organisers and speakers at panels at FIFAfrica. In line with this, there is limited funding to support travel for participation at FIFAfrica25. Preference will be given to applicants who can partially support their attendance and those who organise sessions.

We encourage proposals that are in line with the following tracks (with some overlap of topics between tracks):

Digital Inclusion: (Topics can include – Minority communities, language, persons with disabilities, women, children, gig workers, etc.)

Digital Resilience and Safety: (Topics can include – Security tools upskilling, practical skills sessions, open source software, localisation, etc.) 

Freedom of Expression & Access to Information: (Topics can include – online rights and freedoms, public accountability.)

Platform Accountability (Tech governance concerns and content moderation)

Implications of AI: (Topics can include – Regulatory gaps, policy readiness, usage, localisation, content regulation.)

Digital Economy: (Topics can include – digital transformation, digital trade, data sovereignty, cross-border data flows, policy alignment, data privacy)

Digital Democracy: (Topics can include – Internet shutdowns, data privacy, digital surveillance, civic tech, digital public infrastructure)

Who Can Apply

  • Civil society organisations
  • Independent researchers and academics
  • Journalists and media practitioners
  • Policy-makers and government actors
  • Regional and international organisations
  • Private sector actors

Types of Sessions

Session formats include:

  • Panel discussions
  • Lightning talks
  • Workshops 
  • Interactive roundtables
  • Exhibitions 

Event Support

Limited funding is available to support attendance (travel and/or accommodation) for successful applications.

How to Submit a Proposal

To submit your session proposal or request event support, please complete the FIFAfrica25 Proposal Submission Form by June 20, 2025.

Key Dates

MilestoneDate
Submissions closeJune 20, 2025
Notification of Selected ProposalsJuly 04, 2025

For questions or additional information, please contact: [email protected]

The Future of Work in Uganda: Challenges and Prospects in the Context of the Digital Economy

By Nadhifah Muhammad |

The digital economy has re-shaped labour across the globe. Disruptive digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and robotics have become a big influence on various sectors including business, media, health, education, transportation and agriculture. These technologies have significantly impacted the world of work, upending many long-standing employment norms and practices.

Uganda is no exception to this shift, as many sectors embrace and navigate the digital tide. The thirst for more profits and the competition to dominate markets has led many businesses to innovate and craft more online services. The country’s vision to embrace technology is anchored in the Digital Transformation Roadmap which seeks to attain 90% household connectivity, 90% broadband coverage by geography, and 90% citizens accessing e-services online, by 2040. 

As of 2024, approximately 18 digital labour and hybrid platforms were operating in Uganda, with a relatively even distribution of international and local operators. They included FLIP Africa, Market Garden App, SafeBoda, Uber, Bolt, Speshotaxi, Diva Taxi, Faras, Jumia, Glovo, Fiverr, Upwork, Le Gourmet Delicatessen, Uncle Bob, Kikuubo Online, Jiji and Whatsapp business. These platforms operate in sectors such as ride-hailing, delivery, freelance work, medical consultations, and e-commerce. 

Workplace culture has also undergone a groundbreaking shift in recent years, from a temporary response during the Covid-19 pandemic to reshaping the corporate sector, organisational structures and employee interactions. 

Similarly, the agricultural sector has adopted digital technologies such as the use of mobile applications to access information on crop management and market prices, and the use of digital financial services.

Despite this progress, there are persistent gaps in the digital revolution, including the digital divide laced with digital inequalities, gaps in labour regulatory frameworks, high internet costs, and low digital uptake among the public.

In this May 2025 brief, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) explores emerging digital trends and their influence on the future of work in Uganda. The brief offers recommendations for harnessing the digital dividend for both formal and informal businesses, including: 

  • Investing in digital literacy
  • Upskilling the workforce across all sectors
  • Advocacy for affordable internet connectivity
  • Bridging the digital divide
  • Enforcement of laws that support digitisation and recognition of the gig economy.

Access the full brief here.

CIPESA at the 2025 African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF)

By CIPESA Writer |

From May 29-31, the African Internet Governance Forum (AfIGF) will be held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Under the theme “Empowering Africa’s Digital Future”, AfIGF serves to foster inclusive dialogue, collaboration, and innovation to shape the future of the Internet across Africa.

The AfIGF feeds into the annual Internet Governance Forum (IGF), convened by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General as a global multistakeholder platform that facilitates discussions on Internet and digital public policy issues. This year, Norway will host the 20th IGF 2025 from June 23-27 in Oslo under the overarching theme “Building Digital Governance Together”.

As a key platform for dialogue on the internet governance landscape in Africa, the Africa IGF presents a unique platform for the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) to contribute insights and to shape policy in line with its continued commitment to promoting inclusive and effective use of ICT in Africa for improved governance and livelihoods.

May 28 | By invitation

The Road to WSIS+20: Key Stakeholder Perspectives in the Twenty-Year Review of the World Summit on the Information Society (Pre-event)

Hosts:  Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE), CIPESA, Global Partners Digital and  Global Network Initiative (GNI)

This workshop assembles various stakeholders to inform civil society advocacy strategies and government engagement in the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process. The engagement will equip government representatives with a clearer understanding of national positions and their involvement in the WSIS+20 process, while civil society entities and representatives will be better prepared to develop their advocacy strategies that feed into the process.

May 29 | Workshop room 1 | 09:00-10:00 (EAT)

Strengthening information integrity: African stakeholder Roundtable

Hosts: Research ICT Africa (RIA) and International Media Support (IMS)

This session aims to identify and map the key disinformation threats to electoral integrity in Africa, and to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration to address them. It will explore how media coalitions, fact-checkers, civil society, and researchers can work together to strengthen information integrity, especially during elections. This session forms part of RIA and IMS’s participatory research on effective media coalitions during elections, employing threat identification mapping similar to successful work during the recent Ghanaian elections. It will contribute to developing coordinated responses, raising awareness, and forming networks to mitigate information disorders across the continent.

May 29 | 09:45 – 10:30 (By Invitation Only)

Parliamentary Session:  Safeguarding Democracy in the Digital Age: Legislative Priorities and Policy Pathways in Africa

Host: UN Internet Governance Forum Secretariat (IGF)

Citizens need to have confidence in the system and institutions of democracy, including electoral processes. However, trust is deteriorating with the rapid spread of misinformation through digital technologies. This session brings together legislators from all African regions to exchange good practices on strengthening institutional resilience against misinformation and lessons learned from diverse regulatory approaches to preserve information integrity.

May 30 | 14:00-15:30 (EAT)

Host: African Union Commission

Toward a Trusted Pan-African Data Space: Aligning Regional Frameworks for Cross-Border Governance

As Africa advances toward a digital single market, this session explores how Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are implementing the African Union Data Policy Framework (AU DPF) to build trusted, interoperable, and rights-based data ecosystems. Representatives from the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), alongside the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and civil society, will discuss regional efforts to harmonise data governance through new strategies, updated legislation, and alignment with digital trade protocols. The session aims to spotlight how REC-led initiatives can reduce policy fragmentation, promote innovation, and safeguard rights, ultimately contributing to a unified and inclusive pan-African data space.

 May 31 | 09:00 – 10:00 (EAT)

Securing African Sovereignty through Digital Public Infrastructure in the Era of Trade Barriers and Tariffs

Host: African Union Development Agency – NEPAD

This panel discussion will explore how Africa can harness its existing digital public infrastructure alongside the strategic development of new continental digital platforms to assert digital sovereignty amidst rising global digital trade barriers and tariffs. This provides a foundation to discuss the need to promote sovereignty across key digital ecosystems and platforms, such as the mobile app ecosystem, payment solutions, e-hauling solutions, corporate solutions, server infrastructure, social media platforms, and data sharing platforms. The discussion directly supports the objectives of the African Union (AU) Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) of ensuring that the ICT infrastructure being developed is complemented by sovereign digital capabilities.

May 31 |  15:00 (EAT)

National and Regional IGFs in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Way Forward

Host: NRIs

The session aligns with the broader theme of the AfIGF, focusing on enhancing internet governance mechanisms in Africa. It will explore the critical role of national and regional IGFs in shaping inclusive, sustainable, and people-centered digital policies across the continent.
National and Regional IGFs are essential platforms for multi-stakeholder dialogue on IG issues.