Access to information Archives – Page 4 of 19 – Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

03Sep

CIPESA Delivers Training to Ugandan Editors on AI in the Newsroom

CIPESA September 3, 2025September 22, 2025

By CIPESA Writer |

Artificial intelligence (AI)-related legal and national policy frameworks were the focus for Ugandan editors at an August 20, 2025, workshop organised by the Uganda Editors Guild and World Association of News Publishers (WAN IFRA). The training deliberated on responsible adoption of AI tools by newsrooms and saw participants brainstorm how to effectively navigate the complexities that AI poses to the media industry and the practice of journalism.

WAN-IFRA WIN Deputy Executive, Operations, Jane Godia emphasised that artificial intelligence is evolving rapidly and media houses can no longer afford to ignore the shift. “What we’re really focused on is how to embrace AI in ways that strengthen the core of journalism, and not to replace it, but to enhance its usage while safeguarding credibility and editorial independence,” she said.

Godia urged newsrooms to develop clear AI policies to guide ethical and responsible reporting in this new era in order to promote meaningful conversations about establishing practical, well-defined policies that harness the power of AI without compromising journalistic ethics.

At the workshop, the Collaboration on International ICT for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) presentations focused on the state of artificial intelligence regulation and noted with concern, the lack of an AI-specific legislation in the country. However, there are several laws and policies in which provisions that touch the application and use of AI can be drawn. CIPESA highlighted existing legal frameworks enabling AI deployment, current regulatory gaps, and the consequent implications of AI on newsrooms.

The key legal instruments highlighted include the Uganda Data Protection and Privacy Act enacted in 2019, which provides for the protection and regulation of personal data, and whose data protection rights and principles apply to processing of data by AI systems. Section 27 of this Act specifically provides for rights related to automated decision-making, which brings the application of AI directly under the section.

The other instruments discussed include the Copyright and Neighboring Rights Act, which protects the rights of proprietors and authors from unfair use, and the National Payment Systems Act, which regulates payment systems and grants the Central Bank regulatory oversight over payments. Furthermore, the National Information Technology Authority, Uganda (NITA-U) Act establishes the National Information Technology Authority with a mandate to enhance public service delivery and to champion the transformation of livelihoods of Ugandans using information and communication technologies (ICT). While these laws do not specifically mention AI, some of their provisions can be utilised to regulate AI-related practices and processes.

Other laws discussed include the Uganda Communications Act enacted in 2013, which establishes the Uganda Communications Commission as the communications sector regulator that, among others, oversees the deployment of AI in the sector. Meanwhile, the Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (RICA) enacted in 2010, requires telecommunication service providers in section 8(1)(b) to aid interception of communications by installing hardware and software, which are essentially AI manned. Also relevant is the Anti-Terrorism Act provides for the interception of communication for persons suspected to be engaged in perpetration of acts of terrorism and the Computer Misuse Act provides for several offences committed using computers.

In addition to the laws, various AI-linked policy frameworks were also presented. These include Vision 2040, which is intended to drive Uganda into a middle-income status country by 2040; the National Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) Strategy (2020), which aims to position Uganda as a continental hub for 4IR technologies by 2040; and Uganda’s third National Development Plan (NDP III), which is a comprehensive framework to guide the country’s development. These strategic frameworks cover some areas of Machine Learning and AI integration by virtue of being technology-oriented.

Making reference to the Artificial Intelligence in Eastern Africa Newsrooms report, Edrine Wanyama, Programmes Manager-Legal at CIPESA, highlighted the advantages of AI in newsrooms as extending to increased increased productivity and efficiency in task performance, decrease in daily workload, faster reporting of news stories, quicker fact-checks and detection of disinformation and misinformation patterns.

On the flip side, the workshop also highlighted the current risks associated with use of AI in newsrooms, including facilitating disinformation and misinformation, the tradeoff of accuracy for speed by journalists and editors, over-reliance on AI tools at the cost of individual creativity, the erosion of journalistic ethics and integrity, and the threat of job loss that looms over journalists and editors.

Dr. Peter G. Mwesige, Chief of Party at CIPESA, urged editors to think beyond what AI can do for journalists and newsrooms, and treat AI itself as a beat to be covered critically. Citing trends from other markets, he observed that media coverage is often incomplete, swinging between hype and alarm, and called for explanatory, evidence-based reporting on the promise and limits of AI. He noted that one of AI’s most compelling capabilities is processing large data sets, such as election results, rapidly and at scale.

On the ethical front, Dr. Mwesige emphasised the need for transparency, saying journalists should disclose material use of AI in significant editorial tasks. He urged newsrooms to adopt clear internal policies or integrate AI guidance into existing editorial guidelines.

Dr. Mwesige concluded that while AI can assist with brainstorming story ideas, editing, and transcription, among others, “journalists must still put in the hard work.”
Following the deliberations, CIPESA presented recommendations that challenged the use of AI in the newsroom and the protection of the participants, if AI is to be used meaningfully and ethically without compromising integrity and professionalism.

Ethically use AI by, among others, complying with acceptable standards such as the Paris Charter on AI, respect for copyright and acknowledge sources of works.
In collaboration with other newsrooms and media houses, develop best practices including policies to guide the integration and application of AI in their work.
Media houses should collaboratively invest resources in training journalists in responsible and ethical use of AI.
Employ and deploy the use of fact-checkers to deal with information disorders like misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes.
Respect other people’s rights, such as intellectual property rights and the right to privacy, while using AI.
Use AI under the exercise of extra caution when generating content to avoid cases of unethical usage that often undermines journalism’s ethical standards.
Prioritise human oversight over the application and use of AI to ensure that all cases of excessive intrusion by AI are ironed out and a human aspect is added to generated content.

02Sep

CIPESA and PALU Challenge Rwanda to Address Digital Rights Gaps in UPR Review

CIPESA September 2, 2025September 2, 2025

By Edrine Wanyama |

Rwanda’s digital rights record has been assessed by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) in a joint submission to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The review contributes to the efforts of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism to strengthen human and digital rights within the country. Notably, the review underscores the urgent need for reforms to safeguard freedom of expression, privacy, and digital inclusion in the face of evolving technologies and governance challenges.

The report highlights positive progress such as the enactment of the Data Protection and Privacy Law (Law No. 058/2021) which protects individuals’ data and establishes the Rwanda National Cyber Security Authority (NCSA) to oversee personal data management. The report also notes the establishment of the Irembo platform, which serves as a basis for enhancing access to public services.

Through the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2) for the period 2024 to 2029, the Rwanda government aims to attain 100% e-service access for Rwandans by 2030, including through enhancing digital skills and literacy under the Digital Ambassadors Programme. There have also been concerted efforts aimed to ensure the financial inclusion of women.

Nevertheless, fundamental freedoms, including free expression, access to information, assembly and association, remain severely restricted in the country. The report observes elevated and systematic threats and intimidation, harassment, arrests and detention and prosecution of government opponents and critics, human rights defenders (HRDs), journalists, and other online activists. This has had a chilling effect on the exercise of freedoms. Access to several websites has been blocked on government orders, while victims of government wrath are often slapped with lengthy prison sentences, which also serves as a tool to silence those who do not agree with the government.

Digital inclusion is also still a major challenge, especially for women, persons with disabilities and the rural populace. According to the report, digital inclusion continues to have adverse effects on the exercise of online rights and freedoms, although the country has a high broadband coverage (99%). Smart phone penetration remains low at 22% and the majority of citizens do not use the internet. The high taxes and high internet costs have further aggravated the inclusion gap.

In terms of its data protection landscape, the report acknowledges the positive step of enacting the Data Protection Act, but notes that the law is weak, lacks strong safeguards such as judicial oversight, and contains a substantively less effective redress mechanism.

Moreover, the report underscores that there is enhanced surveillance of individuals and their communications using sophisticated spyware and malware, such as NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware, and the extensive Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) networks. The surveillance has been deployed to target, threaten and intimidate journalists and other critics.

The report makes several recommendations to the committee to consider if the human rights record of Rwanda in online spaces is to be improved. These recommendations call on the government of Rwanda to:

Decriminalise defamation and review vague laws used to suppress freedom of expression and peaceful dissent.
Establish independent oversight over surveillance practices and introduce judicial safeguards to protect privacy.
Strengthen the implementation of the Access to Information law and ensure that public bodies proactively disclose information.
Enhance the capacity of the Rwanda National Cyber Security Authority to enforce data protection while ensuring its independence from executive interference.
Promote inclusive digital access, especially for women, persons with disabilities, and rural communities.
Cease censorship and arbitrary removal of online content, and establish transparent mechanisms for content moderation.
Establish a favourable and safe environment for operations of human rights defenders, journalists and other online activists as opposed to persecuting them by repealing or amending laws to provide for rights-respecting provisions.
Prohibit and penalise tech-facilitated gender-based violence especially against women and ensure their access to timely and effective redress.
Investigate all cases of enforced disappearance, ensuring punishment for any perpetrators and justice for survivors and their family members.
Make strong and repeated public statements at the highest government levels to make clear that all law enforcement authorities and investigation agencies should comply with the law, and that all detained people must be brought to court within 24 hours.
Embrace universal design and ensure its full integration into the IremboGov platform to cater for and ensure that persons with disabilities especially visual impairments have full access to all of its services.

See full Report her e.

13Aug

Claiming Digital Rights in Uganda’s Business Sector

CIPESA August 13, 2025August 19, 2025

By CIPESA Writer |

In an era where digital technologies are reshaping every sector including health, agriculture, finance, education and the labour market, Uganda is fast-tracking its ambition to become a fully connected, inclusive digital society. Yet, as the country rolls out its Digital Transformation Roadmap, critical questions remain: Who is being left behind? Who bears the cost of connecting the unconnected? How do we ensure that technological innovation does not come at the expense of human rights protection?

These were the central concerns at the inaugural National Business and Digital Rights Policy Dialogue hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) on July 23, 2025. The event brought together 55 participants comprising policymakers, innovators, civil society, the private sector, and development partners to explore how Uganda’s digital transformation is affecting human rights, especially data protection, privacy, access, and equity. The dialogue reviewed not just Uganda’s progress, but the power dynamics, policy gaps, and human rights risks shaping digitalisation in business.

The Digital Vision vs. The Digital Reality

Uganda’s Digital Transformation Roadmap sets bold targets: 90% household connectivity, nationwide broadband coverage, and widespread e-service access by 2040. Progress is visible, with over 4,000km of national optical fibre infrastructure laid, and more than 100 digital public services rolled out. Yet, beneath these achievements, gaps in digital literacy, access and utility, as well as funding constraints, persist.

According to the 2024 National Population and Housing Census, Uganda’s population stands at 45.9 million, of whom 50.5% are under the age of 18, representing a massive youth cohort born into a digital world yet often lacking affordable internet access and digital tools. Connectivity gaps are further shaped by geography, with over 75% of the population living in rural areas where infrastructure is limited.

On the gender lens, women who comprise 23.4 million of the population, slightly outnumbering men at 22.5 million, continue to disproportionately face digital access barriers. These range from high data costs, low digital literacy, and limited access to devices and digital infrastructure, especially in rural and remote districts. As one of the panelists during the policy dialogue noted, “Digital transformation is moving fast, but our institutions and communities are not always keeping pace.”

Meanwhile, the informal sector, which employs approximately 80-92% of the country’s workforce, remains largely invisible in national digital strategies and compliance frameworks. This informal sector significantly overlaps with Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which are central to Uganda’s economic growth, yet they often operate without proper tools to secure user data or navigate the evolving digital compliance landscape due to limited awareness, resources, and technical capacity.

As businesses digitise, their responsibility to protect users’ rights increases. However, many of them lack the knowledge to protect these rights. Uganda’s laws and enforcement mechanisms also have gaps. As a result, there is weak oversight over fintech platforms and digital lenders, low awareness and implementation of the Data Protection and Privacy Act, rampant digital surveillance, and gendered digital harms, including online harassment.

Data Is Power but Who Holds It?

Uganda’s fast-growing population is generating an unprecedented amount of personal data. The 2024 population census itself relied on tablet-based digital enumeration for the first time. However, while digital data collection is expanding, data governance is not keeping pace. The Personal Data Protection Office (PDPO) and National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) are key players, but capacity and resourcing gaps persist. If left unaddressed, digital innovation risks entrenching inequality, with vulnerable populations, especially refugees, informal workers, and low-income women, paying the price for systems that were not designed with their rights in mind.

Digital Rights are Human Rights

The future of work in the advent of technology emerged as a key aspect of digital rights, with Moses Okello of the National Organisation of Trade Unions (NOTU) warning that Uganda’s labour laws have not kept pace with the rise of gig work and digital employment. Millions of informal workers remain unprotected and unaware of their rights in the digital economy. He called for urgent legal reforms and a national strategy that integrates labour protections into digital policy, while urging stronger collaboration with civil society to build grassroots awareness and empower workers to navigate digital transitions.

Ruth Ssekindi, Director at the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC), underscored the commission’s constitutional duty to uphold human rights across both state and private sectors, particularly in Uganda’s fast-evolving digital landscape. She highlighted growing concerns over digital rights violations including uninformed data consent, artificial intelligence (AI) manipulation, child exploitation, and poor data security, noting that these challenges disproportionately affect vulnerable populations amid low digital literacy and weak enforcement.

Ssekindi called on businesses to embrace a broader duty of care that goes beyond tax compliance and profit, stressing the need to respect, protect, and remedy digital rights violations. She also pointed to the persistent gender gap in digital access and urged greater inclusion of women and marginalised communities in digital development. While the UHRC plays a key role in shaping digital governance through legal review, education, and policy oversight, she noted that the commission must be adequately resourced, empowered and supported to effectively fulfil its mandate in the digital age.

The dialogue reinforced a clear message that connectivity alone is not enough. Uganda must build an inclusive digital economy anchored in justice, transparency, and community voice. This means empowering watchdog institutions like the PDPO, updating outdated laws and regulations, investing in digital literacy, especially for youths and women, and supporting civic participation in digital policy-making.

In direct response, CIPESA launched the #BeeraSharp (translated as “Be Smart”) campaign. This initiative aims to equip Ugandan businesses with the knowledge and tools to act responsibly in the digital space. #BeeraSharp champions a culture of accountability, urging businesses to take charge of how they collect, store, share, and protect user data. It also promotes understanding of legal obligations under Uganda’s Data Protection and Privacy Act, while encouraging ethical digital conduct across sectors.

A Digital Future for All?

As Uganda ramps up its digitalisation agenda and embraces emerging technologies such as AI and robotics, businesses, policymakers, and civil society must work hand in hand to ensure Uganda’s digital revolution is not just a story of innovation but also a story of inclusion and respect for human rights. As the dialogue closed, one key takeaway stood out: Uganda’s digital future must be intentionally inclusive and rights-driven. Achieving this will require cross-sector collaboration to scale digital skills, reform of outdated laws, more financial and capacity support to institutions like UHRC, NITA-U and the PDPO to protect data rights, and empowering communities through digital literacy, local innovation, and inclusive governance.

23Jul

CIPESA Welcomes Namibia Ministry of ICT and the Namibia IGF as Co-Hosts of FIFAFrica25

CIPESA July 23, 2025July 23, 2025

By FIFAfrica |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is pleased to announce that the 2025 edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25) will be co-hosted in partnership with the Namibian Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) and the Namibia Internet Governance Forum (NamIGF).

Set to take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from September 25–27, 2025, this year’s Forum will serve as yet another notch 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.

With its strong commitments to democratic governance, press freedom, and inclusive digital development, Namibia offers fertile ground for rich dialogues on the future of internet freedom in Africa. The country holds a powerful legacy in the global media and information landscape, being the birthplace of the 1991 Windhoek Declaration on promoting independent and pluralistic media. In a digital age where new challenges are emerging – from information integrity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance to connectivity gaps and platform accountability – hosting FIFAfrica in Namibia marks a key moment for the movement toward trusted information as a public good, including in the digital age.

“Through the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Namibia is proud to co-host FIFAfrica25 as a demonstration of our commitment to advancing technology for inclusive social and economic development. This Forum comes at a critical moment for Africa’s digital future, and we welcome the opportunity to engage with diverse voices from across the continent and beyond in shaping a rights-respecting, secure, and innovative digital landscape,” Minister of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Emma Inamutila Theofelus

This sentiment is shared by the NamIGF Chairperson, Albertine Shipena. “We are honoured to co-host the FIFAfrica25 here in Namibia. This partnership with MICT and CIPESA marks a significant step in advancing digital rights, open governance, and meaningful multistakeholder engagement across the continent. As the NamIGF, we are proud to contribute to shaping a more inclusive and secure internet ecosystem, while spotlighting Namibia’s growing role in regional and global digital conversations.”

The NamIGF was established in September 2017, through a Cabinet decision, as a multistakeholder platform that facilitates public policy discussion on issues pertaining to the internet in Namibia.

Dr. Wairagala Wakabi, the CIPESA Executive Director, noted that FIFAfrica25 presents a timely opportunity to advance progressive digital policy agendas that uphold fundamental rights and promote digital democracy in Africa. “As global debates on internet governance, data sovereignty, and platform accountability intensify, it is essential that Africans inform and shape the frameworks that govern our digital spaces. We are honoured to partner with the Namibian government and NamIGF to convene this critical conversation on the continent,” he said.

Since its inception in 2014, FIFAfrica has grown to become the continent’s leading assembly of actors instrumental in shaping conversations and actions at the intersection of technology with democracy, society and the economy. It has become the stage for concerted efforts to advance digital rights and digital inclusion. These issues, and new emerging themes such as mental health, climate and the environment, and the content economy, will take centre stage at FIFAfrica25, which will feature a mix of plenaries, workshops, exhibitions, and a series of pre-events.

Meanwhile, FIFAfrica will also recognise the International Day for Universal Access to Information (IDUAI), celebrated annually on September 28. The commemoration serves to underscore the fundamental role of access to information in empowering individuals, supporting informed decision-making, fostering innovation, and advancing inclusive and sustainable development – tenets which resonate with the Forum. This year’s celebration is themed, “Ensuring Access to Environmental Information in the Digital Age”.

At the heart of the Forum is a Community of Allies that have, over the years, stood alongside CIPESA in its pursuit of effective and inclusive digital governance in Africa.

Feedback on Session Proposals and Travel Support Applications

All successful session proposals and travel support applicants have been contacted directly. See the list of successful sessions here. Thank you for your patience and for contributing to what promises to be an exciting FIFAfrica25.

Prepare for FIFAfrica25: Travel and Logistics

Everything you need to plan your attendance at the Forum can be found here – visit this page for key logistical details and tips to help you make the most of your experience!

02Jun

NOW OPEN! Call for Session Proposals and Travel Support Applications

CIPESA June 2, 2025June 3, 2025

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

Milestone	Date
Submissions close	June 20, 2025
Notification of Selected Proposals	July 04, 2025

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

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