On September 28-30, 2021, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) hosted the eighth edition of the annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica). The Forum is a landmark event that convenes a wide spectrum of stakeholders from across the internet governance and digital rights arenas to deliberate on gaps, concerns and opportunities for advancing privacy, free expression, non-discrimination and the free flow of information online.

The 2021 FIFAfrica featured three main tracks – Access to Information, Digital Inclusion, and Key Trends shaping digital rights in Africa – which will interrogate the deeper facets of internet freedom in the Sub-Saharan Africa context. The sub-themes will include Covid-19 responses, data governance, data privacy, media literacy, misinformation and disinformation, content regulation, internet shutdowns, online violence against women, digital identity, technology and persons with disabilities. The tracks will also feature emerging trends such as shifts in the weaponisation of the internet, new digital rights tools, as well as recent changes in technology laws and regulations