By Ashnah Kalemera |
The Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) has awarded USD 320,000 to 18 initiatives in 14 countries to support efforts to advance digital rights, inclusion, and online safety.
The grant recipients will promote responsible data governance, advance accessibility for persons with disabilities, counter Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV), and support digital equity for refugees. Others will build digital resilience among at-risk groups, deepen youth engagement in digital democracy, and promote women’s participation in the governance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Based in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, the awardees will tackle some of Africa’s most pressing digital challenges.
The latest awards under the 10th funding round bring to USD 1.3 million, the total amount the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has disbursed under the ADRF. The fund was launched in 2019 to support organisations advancing digital rights in the face of limitations of reach, skills, resources and consistency in engagement.
“The overwhelming number of applications received in this round reflects the changing funding landscape for digital rights and democracy in Africa,” said Dr. Wairagala Wakabi, CIPESA’s Executive Director. “We are excited that the ADRF continues to bridge the prevailing funding gap and expand into new geographies and constituencies.”
The funding round received the largest number of applicants ever (430) and has expanded ADRF’s footprint into new countries such as Guinea, Liberia and Madagascar, and new beneficiary groups including youths, migrants, and a National Human Rights Institute (NHRI). The four most recent calls for proposals – Rounds eight, seven, six and five – received 130, 280, 283 and 120 applications respectively.
Applications went through several rounds of reviews by two internal committees at CIPESA and an external committee of independent experts.
Overview of ADRF 10 Grantees
Digital Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities
The Rwanda-based Organisation d’Integration et de Promotion des Personnes Atteintes d’Albinisme (OIPPA) will build digital literacy and online safety skills for youth with disabilities, and conduct accessibility audits of government online platforms. In Ghana, Open Knowledge will enhance capacity and awareness of accessibility standards among civil society, parliamentary committees, and communications service providers.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Council for the Blind will conduct accessibility audits of public sector websites, provide training in inclusive design, and advocate for implementation of inclusion and equity under the country’s recently launched AI Strategy. The three initiatives will be anchored in CIPESA’s Disability and ICT Accessibility Framework Indicators.
The ADRF’s first NHRI grantee, the Ethiopia Human Rights Commission (EHRC), will strengthen staff capacity in digital inclusion and accessibility for persons with disabilities, and mainstream these principles into its broader human rights monitoring and oversight mandate.
Youth Engagement
Restless Development in Uganda will empower young media professionals and influencers to champion digital rights. Using its Youth Hack Methodology, the initiative will co-create innovative digital rights campaigns that combat disinformation and promote platform accountability.
AI Governance
As AI development and governance conversations continue to take root in Africa, women remain largely excluded. Women in Data Science and AI Zambia will build skills in ethical AI and algorithmic bias detection, and establish a national network to amplify women’s voices in Zambia’s AI policy conversations.
Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV)
Given the gaps in state actors’ understanding of digital harms and the need to equip them with practical tools and guidance, ALT Advisory will develop and pilot adjudication training materials for judicial officers in Kenya and South Africa. These materials will address online harms such as TFGBV, disinformation, and digital rights violations.
Research ICT Africa will examine the drivers of TFGBV in South Africa, identifying regulatory and AI ethics gaps. Findings will inform workshops and policy discussions aimed at strengthening national responses and safer digital environments.
In Zambia, Asikana Network will develop a safety toolkit with reporting guides, evidence collection tips and referral resources. This will be complemented by digital safety labs for women to build skills in managing online risks and responding to incidents.
In Madagascar, Communication Idea Development (CID) will counter gender-based disinformation and hate speech through digital literacy campaigns and workshops targeting organisations and activists working in Antananarivo, Boeny, and Vakinankarata.
Data Governance
Building on Liberia’s ongoing national data governance journey, including support from the African Union and CIPESA to develop a Data Governance Policy, the West Africa ICT Action Network (WAICTNet) will build awareness of data rights and support stakeholder readiness ahead of the launch of the Policy and the enactment of the Data Protection and Privacy Act (2024).
Similarly, Amnesty International Kenya’s Privacy First Team will engage Kenyan university students to understand data rights and promote transparent data governance in line with the Data Protection Act of 2019.
Technology and Migration
In Kenya, Haki Na Sheria will examine cross-border data collection and sharing under the Shirika Plan that promotes refugee inclusion and settlement, highlighting risks such as surveillance and exclusion. The project will focus on the Dabaab Complex – the world’s largest refugee camp – offering digital rights literacy sessions and producing data rights guides in Somali and Swahili.
In South Sudan, the Lim Nguen Foundation will build digital literacy and safety among refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the Gorom and Juba camps. The project will establish “Digital First Responders” to support survivors of TFGBV, particularly women and girls.
Digital Resilience
Hexabelt, in partnership with Eleza Fact, a Congolese disinformation and fact-checking initiative, will strengthen the digital resilience of journalists in Kinshasa and Lumbubashi through hands-on training, newsroom security audits, and cybersecurity drills.
Across the border, the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) will combine legal assistance, strategic litigation, and emergency support to safeguard environmental defenders and journalists from digital threats.
Information Integrity
In the aftermath of Guinea’s presidential election, tensions remain high ahead of the May 2026 legislative and municipal elections. Djikke Media will deliver workshops on fact-checking, open source investigations, digital hygiene, and deepfake detection.
In Uganda, a new knowledge agency – the House of Seshat – is being supported to explore how social media and generative AI are shaping political discourse and political accountability.
