By Paul Kimumwe | Over the last few years, Africa has experienced exponential growth in internet access spurred by mobile internet, which stood at 28% penetration in 2020. However, internet access and affordability are still a major challenge for the majority of Africans, especially the rural poor, women, and persons with disabilities. According to the State […] Read more
Call for Proposals | The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is accepting proposals for the fifth round of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF). In this round, ADRF seeks to support initiatives in various thematic areas including but not limited to: Access and affordability Access to Information Cybercrime Data […] Read more
By Ashnah Kalemera | Eight current or previous grantees of the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF) have been awarded grants to scale their digital rights policy advocacy efforts. Across six countries – Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal and Somalia – the thematic focus of the advocacy intervention areas includes women’s rights online, digital accessibility […] Read more
By Jimmy Kainja | Data prices in Malawi have been reduced following recent engagements between the Malawi Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) and telecommunications operators. Under the new rates, the cost of 1GB to 4GB bundles are down by between 10% and 31% across the country’s two leading internet service providers – Airtel and TNM. Announcing […] Read more
By Simone Toussi | The Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in Cameroon has evolved considerably since 2010, despite the persistence of the digital divide and affronts to freedom of expression online. The country’s digital landscape was boosted by the launch in May 2016 of the National ICT Strategic Plan 2020, which recognised the digital […] Read more
By Daniel Mwesigwa | According to the 2018 third quarter communication industry report by the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), Uganda has 15 million users connected to the internet, representing a 38% internet penetration rate. However, the cost of access and usage is among the highest in the region, which has hampered the uptake of Information […] Read more
By Juliet Nanfuka | As of midnight on July 1, 2018, telecom companies in Uganda blocked access to social media platforms for all users and required them to pay a newly introduced Over-The-Top” (OTT) tax before regaining access. The tax resulted from a March 2018 presidential directive for social media to be taxed to raise […] Read more
By Juliet Nanfuka | Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni has directed the finance ministry to introduce taxes on the use of social media platforms. According to him, the tax would curb gossip on networks such as WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and Twitter and potentially raise up to Uganda Shillings (UGX) 400 billion (USD 108 million) annually for […] Read more
By Juliet Nanfuka | Last month, the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) released its Affordability Report 2017 which indicated that while the world will this year mark a significant milestone of 50% global internet penetration, large numbers of women in developing countries remain offline because “they cannot afford to connect.” The A4AI report’s findings echo […] Read more
Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), 2019
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