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22Sep

FIFAfrica25 Invites YOU to “Be The Experience”!

Author CIPESA Posted on

FIFAfrica25 |

This year, we invite participants of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25) to “Be the experience!” The Forum will encourage attendees, onsite or participating remotely to engage in various interactions that bring digital rights issues to life.  These experiences aim to break down barriers between complex digital rights policy concepts and real-world lived experiences. Ultimately, whether you are a policymaker, activist, journalist, academic, technologist, or artist, FIFAfrica25 will have a space for you to contribute.

Here is what we have lined up: 

  • An online community of attendees already meeting and engaging with each other on various topics. Be sure to be registered on the event platform to join in. 
  • An immersive exhibition where various organisations and individuals will share their work and artworks.
  • A biker doing a round trip across 10 countries (more details below) to advance the call for the #RoadToDigitalSafety 

A Run for #InternetFreedomAfrica that aims to bring together participants to jog, or walk in solidarity with the call for a free, fair and open internet. More details below.

“Be The Experience” and Win!

We have some goodies lined up to reward those who have lived up to the FIFAfrica’s Be The Experience experience, this could be through vibrant engagement that gets you high scores on the event leader board, sharing compelling post online – and tagging us, through to active engagement in sessions and with the different exhibitors at the Forum.  Use the hashtags #InternetFreedomAfrica and #FIFAfrica25 to join a vibrant community working to shape a more open, inclusive, and rights-respecting digital future for the continent. Be sure to also follow CIPESA (@cipesaug) on X, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The Journey To FIFAfrica25 Already Begun

A week ago, Andrew Gole set off on an extraordinary solo motorbike journey that will span over 13,000 km across 10 African countries. His mission is to ride from Uganda all the way to Windhoek, Namibia – arriving just in time for the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25) where he will also be part of the Digital Security Hub. Here are some pictures of Gole at the Kenya – Uganda border alongside members of the bikers club the accompanied him from Kampala to the border.

Andrew Gole set off from Kampala, Uganda on September 12, 2025 and as of today, has traversed five of the ten countries he is expected to journey through on hos #RoadToDigitalSafey.

Join the Run for #InternetFreedomAfrica Is Heading to Windhoek


We are taking the movement for digital rights beyond the conference halls and onto the streets. On September 24, 2025, join a community of attendees and everyday internet users for a run and walk that celebrates our collective call for a free, open and secure internet across Africa.

The run is set to coincide with the arrival of Andrew Gole who is riding from Uganda to Namibia. By being a part of the run – and several other morning runs that will be part of the Forum (look out for updates in the event platform).  Whether you’re jogging, walking, or cheering from the sidelines, the Run for Internet Freedom is a moment to be part of a movement that builds digital resilience. digital inclusion and pushes back against digital repression.

More details will be shared about the run soon.

15Sep

Digital Access As A Tool To Defend Democracy

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Juliet Nanfuka | 

The link between digital access and democracy has come to inform civic engagement, access to information and freedom of expression in Africa. With most of the continent navigating flawed or fragile democracies, digital access has become a tool of both empowerment for citizens, and a tool of control by states. This makes the International Day of Democracy a vital commemoration of what is at risk if democracy is not defended. 

This year, in various African countries, through affronts to the media, clampdown on critical voices and opposition actors as well as network disruptions, states have used their position to undermine human rights and breed  distrust in electoral integrity.

Since July 2024, a block to internet access remains enforced in the Equatorial Guinean island of Annobón following public protest against environmental degradation by Somagec, a Moroccan construction company. Despite the public outcries, the company’s operations on the island continue. Equatorial Guinea, is headed by Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Africa’s longest-serving president. His son serves as the Vice President and is accused of spending state funds on a lavish lifestyle.

In Kenya, in the wake of a May 2025 landmark ruling against network disruptions, a Telegram block was initiated. The disruption occurred close to the anniversary of the June 2024 protests against the rising cost of living in the country that resulted in the #RejectThefinanceBill outcry. The May ruling noted that disruptions to digital access are unconstitutional and amount to the violation of fundamental rights.

On September 6, 2025, the online license of the popular online discussion group, JamiiForums was suspended by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA)  for three months for reportedly publishing content that violates the Electronic and Postal Communications Regulations regarding online content. In a public post, Jamii Forums noted that TCRA’s decision arose from the platform’s publication of details of share ownership in Tanzania’s largest coal mine (Ngaka), as well as reports about meetings between the President of Tanzania and controversial Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo  “without verifying the facts.” In a statement, Community to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Regional Director Angela Quintal noted that, “JamiiForums’ suspension is the latest sign of the Tanzanian government’s deepening suppression of public discourse and raises concerns about access to information ahead of the October 29 elections.”

Meanwhile, Uganda remains in the shadow of a Facebook block initiated nearly five years ago ahead of the 2021 elections. On January 11, 2021 Facebook suspended the accounts of a number of government officials and members of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party  for what it described as Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) aimed at manipulating public debate. Twitter (now X) also suspended similar accounts. The state consequently blocked social media access and thereafter access to the entire internet and mobile money services. Although access to the internet and mobile money services was restored a few days after the January 14, 2021 election, access to Facebook remains blocked. Uganda heads to the polls in early 2026 and will see incumbent Yoweri Museveni run for re-election in a bid to extend his 40-year rule.

In the 2024 edition of the State of Internet Freedom in Africa report, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) highlighted the interplay between technology and elections and the practice of the majority of authoritarian governments to selectively limit access as a tool to exert power.

The report indicated various concerns including the intensification of digital authoritarianism amidst shrinking civic space. It noted that digital surveillance has become a defining tool of state power, moving beyond traditional intelligence agencies into everyday governance through digital ID  projects, biometric databases, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) networks, and covert spyware. All this in contexts where there are weak safeguards for personal data and insufficient regulatory oversight, leaving citizens vulnerable.

Meanwhile, misinformation and disinformation, significantly enhanced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated content, adds yet another threat electoral processes. It is increasingly distorting public perception and undermines informed decision-making, particularly in contexts with low digital literacy. This is in addition to the use of bots and paid  influencers to amplify propaganda and “demote” opposing views, making inauthentic content appear genuine. Social media platforms are often criticised for deploying insufficient resources for content moderation in Africa, leading to slow responses and poor enforcement of policies against harmful content, including online gender-based violence.

Ultimately, more actors in the digital ecosystem including civil society organisations, the tech community, media and academia should leverage their watchdog role to document digital rights abuses; educate and raise awareness on the importance of access to information, free expression, data privacy; and promote equitable AI governance, in order to advance transparency and accountability of platforms and governments.
At the upcoming September 24-26, 2025, Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFafrica25), a series of sessions will critically examine digital democracy on the continent. The goal is to chart practical pathways for strengthening civic participation and ensuring that Africa’s digital future is inclusive, accountable, and rights-respecting.

11Sep

Uganda to Namibia: Biking for Digital Security and Internet Freedom in Africa

Author Brian Posted on

By FIFAfrica |

On Friday September 12, 2025, digital security expert and biker, Andrew Gole will set off on a solo motorbike journey spreading awareness about safety and security online. This will be the third time that Gole will travel across various countries on the continent ahead of the annual Forum on Internet in Africa (FIFAfrica). The effort is supported by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Defend Defenders and Access Now.

Gole will commence his trip in Kampala, Uganda and over a round trip distance of 13,000 kilometers (km) traverse through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana,  culminating in  Windhoek, Namibia, where the 2025 edition of FIFAfrica will convene this September 24-26, 2025. On his return journey to Uganda, Gole will also ride through Zambia and Rwanda, making it a total of 10 countries travelled through over the course of the journey. 

“I am truly excited to be hitting the road once again as part of the upcoming Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa. On my previous trips, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand how diverse communities warmly embrace digital security as a key practice that empowers and protects their daily lives online and offline. These communities are often those left on the margins of mainstream efforts to enhance digital security, yet their eagerness to adopt these measures have been inspiring. I look forward to engaging with new communities on this trip and to  continuing this important work and deepening these connections as we move forward together.” – Andrew Gole, Digital Security Expert

Gole notes that traveling on his motorbike allowed him the mobility to connect directly with grassroots organisations. His “Digital Security on Wheels” initiative started in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic to address urgent digital security concerns beyond urban centers in Uganda and grew into a regional effort across East and Southern Africa through FIFAfrica.

In September 2022, ahead of the Forum which was held in Lusaka, Zambia and also served as the return to in-person meetings following a two year hiatus due to Covid-19, Gole pioneered the the #RoadToFiFAfrica Digital Security campaign. Gole embarked on the ambitious solo motorbike journey traversing approximately 3,300 kilometers.

The following year in 2023, ahead of the Tanzania edition of FIFAfrica, Gole led a major expedition that involved a team doing a round trip covering almost 10,000 km from Uganda through Kenya to Tanzania (and into the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar via ferry). Gole was once again on his motorbike, supported by a team of digital rights experts from the Defenders Protection Initiative (DPI) in a passenger van.

“We applaud Gole’s effort and celebrate the spirit he carries every mile to Windhoek. Andrew’s ride is a testament to the ongoing effort of building Africa’s internet freedom community. It embodies the practical, peer-led approach to digital safety that empowers often-overlooked communities. His journey to Windhoek mirrors CIPESA’s core mission of promoting the inclusive and effective use of ICT for improved governance and livelihoods in Africa. Gole’s remarkable endurance underscores that protecting our digital spaces demands mobility, resilience, and solidarity. We applaud his effort as he carries this message all the way from Kampala to Windhoek.”
– Brian Byaruhanga, Technology Officer, CIPESA

In all instances, Gole’s efforts culminated in the Digital Security Hub that has become a staple at FIFAfrica and serves as a one-stop-shop for attendees online and offline to secure their devices while also attaining practical skills and information on how to navigate online spaces safely. 

The Digital Security Hub convened by CIPESA has featured experts from across the world and this year will include experts from Africa Interactive Media, Base Iota, Co-creation HUB, Defenders Protection Initiative (DPI), Digital Society Africa, Greenhost/Frontline Defenders and Defend Defenders alongside SocialTic, and Foundacion Accesso bringing learnings and expertise from South America.

About the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa: Now in its 12th year, the annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (#FIFAfrica25) is the continent’s leading platform for shaping digital rights, inclusion, and governance conversations. This year, the Forum will be held in Windhoek, Namibia, a beacon of press freedom, gender equity, and progressive jurisprudence, and is set to take place on September 24–26, 2025. 

FIFAfrica offers a unique, multi-stakeholder platform where key stakeholders, including policymakers, journalists, global platform operators, telecommunications companies, regulators, human rights defenders, academia, and law enforcement representatives convene to deliberate and craft rights-based responses for a resilient and inclusive digital society for Africans. 

FIFAfrica25 will be the third edition to be hosted in Southern Africa. Previous editions have been hosted in Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zambia, Tanzania and Senegal. Namibia, with its strong democratic credentials and progressive stance on digital transformation, provides a fitting host for FIFAfrica25.

About the Digital Security Hub: At the heart of FIFAfrica has been a Digital Security Hub designed to equip participants with practical knowledge and tools for staying safe in an increasingly digital environment. The Hub offers practical demonstrations and expert guidance on how to strengthen digital safety and resilience practices.

The Hub serves as a meeting for digital security trainers, technologists, and frontline users from across Africa and this year, Latin America as well. Digital security practices shared by the teams include advice on encryption and secure communications, through to countering online harassment and building safer digital infrastructures. 

The Digital Security hub is a vital feature of FIFAfrica25 and continues to serve as a space where communities can tangibly build their capacity to navigate the  constantly evolving digital ecosystem.

About the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA): CIPESA works to promote inclusive and effective use of Information and Communication Technology. (ICT) in Africa for improved governance and livelihoods. CIPESA was established in 2004 in response to the findings of the Louder Voices Report for the UK’s then Department for International Development (DFID), which cited the lack of easy, affordable and timely access to information about ICT-related issues and processes as a key barrier to effective and inclusive ICT policy making in Africa. CIPESA’s work continues to respond to a shortage of information, resources and actors consistently working at the nexus of technology, human rights and society.

Initially set up with a focus on research in East and Southern African countries, CIPESA has since expanded its work to include advocacy, capacity development and movement building across the African continent.

Today CIPESA is a leading ICT policy and governance think tank in Africa. CIPESA has strongly exhibited its passion about raising the capacity of African stakeholders in effective ICT policy making and in engendering ICT in development and poverty reduction, as per its mandate. 

For Queries about CIPESA and the Digital Resilience Hub

[email protected]
[email protected]

10Sep

CIPESA Endorses the Johannesburg Declaration of the M20 Summit

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Juliet Nanfuka | 

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) has endorsed the Johannesburg Declaration, adopted at the M20 Summit held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on September 1-2,2025. The Summit, convened by the South African National Editors’ Forum (SANEF) and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) is a parallel independent initiative to the Group of Twenty (G20) – an international forum of both developing and developed countries that seeks to find solutions to global economic and financial issues. CIPESA was proud to not only support the Summit but to also participate and to contribute to the drafting process of the Declaration. 

The Declaration is a response to the global crisis in the integrity of information, peace and respect for human rights, including environmental rights. It serves as a call to the media, the G20 and the wider public to recognise that the information integrity crisis is “intensifying as the spaces for independent news media and civic engagement contract.”

Further, the Declaration reinforces the fact that democratic societies grow through the supply of reliable information in a timely manner. Yet today there is a widescale erosion of sources of information and knowledge. The Declaration also notes that independent journalism is a vital public good, and fundamental to people’s right of access to information, and to the sustenance of peace and democratic governance. 

CIPESA joins over fifty organisations in this call that serves an injunction to everyone to do more to protect press freedom, and support the role of journalism, and a human rights-based media ecosystem in its contribution to the public good. 

You can read the full text of the Johannesburg Declaration here.

Information integrity has featured on CIPESA programming including in May 2025 when Media Monitoring Africa (MMA) and UNESCO officially launched regional consultations to develop the African guidelines for monitoring technology companies’ roles in ensuring information integrity on their platforms. CIPESA participated in a high-level panel discussion on the March 2025 adoption of the Resolution on developing Guidelines to assist States monitor technology companies in respect of their duty to maintain information integrity through independent fact checking – ACHPR/Res.630 (LXXXII) 2025 by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). The discussion was held at the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) 2025 hosted by Paradigm Initiative (PIN),

CIPESA has also made a series of recommendations to the Resolution which instructs the Special Rapporteur to collaborate with civil society, regulators, and technology companies to create Guidelines that enable effective monitoring of platforms, including assessing the role and effectiveness of independent fact-checking initiatives.

At the September 2025 Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25), information integrity is among the themes up for debate and discussion including through a dedicated consultation on  ACHPR/Res.630 (LXXXII) 2025.  

CIPESA’s endorsement of the Johannesburg Declaration serves as a testament to the belief that a free, plural, and rights-respecting information ecosystem is the cornerstone of Africa’s digital and democratic future.

10Sep

The FIFAfrica25 Agenda and Speaker Lineup Is Live!

Author CIPESA Posted on

By FIFAfrica |

The Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25) is fast approaching, and the excitement is building. This year’s edition, hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy in East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) in partnership with the Namibian Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) and the Namibia Internet Governance Forum (NamIGF), will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from 22–26 September 2025. We are pleased to announce that the speaker line-up and full agenda is now available, offering a comprehensive line-up of conversations, experiences, and networking opportunities.

This year’s Forum will serve as yet another edition in FIFAfrica’s 12-year history of assembling digital rights defenders, policymakers, technologists, academics, regulators, journalists, and the donor community, who all have the shared vision of advancing internet freedom in Africa. FIFAfrica25 promises to build on this legacy, with an agenda that is engaging and inclusive of the many shifts we have witnessed since last year.

Here is What You Can Expect

Pre-Events by invitation (September 22-24, 2025)
FIFAfrica25 kicks off with a series of pre-events designed to engage allies, stock-take and build skills and knowledge ahead of the main programme. These include community-driven workshops, closed-door strategic dialogues, and network member meetings that allow participants to dive deeper into niche areas of digital rights and governance. Over the years, pre-events have served as an exciting avenue for various organisations to connect early, showcase their work, sharpen ideas, and prepare new communities for the various sessions at the main event.

The pre-events are by invitation only. However, limited spots are available for additional participants in select events. Are you arriving in Windhoek early and interested? Express interest in attending a pre-event here.

A Diverse Main Programme (September 25-26, 2025)
The main agenda features plenary sessions, workshops, consultations, breakout discussions, and networking moments. Sessions cover a wide array of topics reflecting themes that emerged from our public call for proposals, including digital inclusion, digital resilience and safety; freedom of expression & access to information; platform accountability; the implications of AI; digital economy; and digital democracy.

Strategic Consultations
As part of the Forum, various strategic meetings have been set up with the goal of deeper-level discussion and interrogation of specific issues and processes. These include efforts aimed at influencing action on areas such as various resolutions of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) and Digital Public Infrastructure. Additionally, this year a book launch on internet shutdowns features amongst the strategic engagements. These engagements will allow for frank exchanges on some of the challenges in the digital ecosystem, but will likely also cast a light on more opportunities for collaboration across Africa and beyond.

Immersive Experience
This year, we want participants at FIFAfrica to “Be the experience!” Accordingly, the Forum will encourage attendees, onsite or participating remotely to partake in various interactions that  bring digital rights issues to life.  These experiences aim to break down barriers between complex digital rights policy concepts and real-world lived experiences.

These include:

  • An interactive FIFAfrica25 exhibition showcasing research, campaigns, and various digital resilience tools.
    • Storytelling spaces where the #InternetFreedomAfrica community can share personal accounts of resilience and advocacy in digital spaces.
    • An art and activism installation reflecting FIFAfrica’s tradition of merging creativity with digital justice.
    • For the third time, the Digital Security on Wheels is back on a one-of-a-kind journey which will see biker Digital Security expert Andrew Gole set off from Kampala, Uganda, weaving through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana before crossing the finish line in Windhoek, Namibia just in time for the opening of FIFAfrica25. His route back to Uganda will also include Zambia and Rwanda.
    • The Run for Internet Freedom in Africa aims to bring together participants to jog, or walk in solidarity with the call for a free, fair and open internet. More details to follow.

Celebrating the International Day for Universal Access to Information
FIFAfrica25 will continue the practice of commemorating the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI) celebrated annually on September 28. While the Forum this year precedes the IDUAI, many sessions and plenary discussions will highlight the essential role of access to information in enabling civic participation, inclusion, and digital democracy. This year’s global theme, “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age”, focuses on the vital importance of timely, comprehensive, and cross-border access to environmental information in an increasingly digital world and resonates deeply with many of the Forum’s discussions.

Join Us in Windhoek

We invite you to explore the full agenda on the FIFAfrica website and begin planning your journey through the sessions, meetings, and immersive experiences (remember to register on the event platform and join the community there). Whether you are a policymaker, activist, journalist, academic, technologist, or artist, FIFAfrica25 will have a space for you to contribute.

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