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02Apr

India AI Impact Summit: A Missed Opportunity for Africa’s Voice in Global AI Governance

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Lillian Nalwoga |

The India AI Impact Summit, held on February 16-21, 2026, was themed “Sarvajan Hitaya, Sarvajan Sukhaya” (Welfare for all, Happiness for all). It was expected to be a platform for South-to-South cooperation. However, despite Africa’s growing AI ambitions and strategic participation in preparatory working groups, the summit exposed a stark representation gap, raising concerns about Africa’s ability to influence the future of global AI governance.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents a transformative opportunity for Africa, with projections indicating it could contribute up to USD 1 trillion to the continent’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035. This significant potential underscores Africa’s growing ambition to harness AI for inclusive growth while positioning itself as a key player in global AI governance.

Many African countries are engaging with AI proactively, seeking to harness its benefits across various sectors. Countries such as Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt have demonstrated strategic foresight in their AI initiatives. Rwanda, for instance, co-chaired the human-capital working group at the Summit, in line with its national AI strategy to become a global hub for AI research and innovation. Nigeria, as Africa’s largest economy, is focused on utilising AI for inclusive growth, while Kenya and Egypt are contributing to broader debates on AI ethics and digital infrastructure.

The African Union’s Continental AI Strategy, adopted in July 2024, further solidifies this commitment. The strategy emphasises an Africa-centric, development-focused approach to AI, promoting ethical, responsible, and equitable practices. Key pillars of this strategy include data sovereignty, ethical frameworks, and inclusive governance.

Across the continent, initiatives are emerging, such as South Africa’s establishment of AI institutes and Ghana’s investments in AI for agriculture and healthcare projects. These efforts highlight a continent actively pursuing AI integration to address its unique challenges and opportunities.

Despite the summit’s promise of inclusivity and South-to-South cooperation, African voices were largely absent from high-level sessions and critical decision-making forums. Only two African heads of state, from Mauritius and Seychelles, and ministers from Rwanda, Kenya, Egypt and Togo, attended  the global summit. This limited presence stood in stark contrast to the dominant participation of tech giants and diplomatic delegations from the Global North, undermining the summit’s stated goal of elevating Global South perspectives.

Despite strong enthusiasm from leading African AI startups, who showcased their innovative solutions,  the lukewarm African endorsement of the summit’s Impact Document exposed a clear disconnect. Only 11 African countries out of the 92 countries that attended endorsed the declaration that calls for “international cooperation and multistakeholder engagement.” This limited endorsement suggests either inadequate consultation with African stakeholders or a mismatch between the summit agenda and Africa’s priorities.

Notably, African civil society voices, academic experts, and private-sector leaders – those most intimately familiar with the continent’s challenges and opportunities – were largely sidelined at an event meant to champion South-South cooperation. Their absence highlights a significant gap between the summit’s stated commitment to inclusivity and the reality of who was heard.

The under-representation of African voices at global digital governance forums like the India AI Impact Summit has significant implications. As AI becomes increasingly central to economic competitiveness and social development, Africa’s marginalisation could impede its ability to fully harness AI’s potential while protecting its citizens’ interests.

African initiatives, such as Nigeria’s push for data sovereignty and Egypt’s integration of AI into sustainable development, deserve a prominent seat at the global table. Without more equitable representation, Africa’s vision for an ethical and inclusive AI future risks being overshadowed by agendas primarily driven by the Global North.

Africa still faces significant AI governance challenges, including incomplete digital policy frameworks, limited financial resources for consistent participation in global policy meetings, and weak coordination among governments, companies, and civil society. However, these constraints should not prevent it from equal representation in global digital governance forums.

These participation challenges are not unique to Africa: members of the Global South Alliance have similarly called for more meaningful and diverse engagement in global digital governance, in their letter to the India AI Summit Organising Committee. Initiatives such as the Multistakeholder Approach to Participation to AI Governance have also stressed the need to ensure that global AI conversations are informed by the “voices and experiences of those who are most impacted by the development and diffusion of AI.”

Africa has enormous AI potential, a clear strategic vision, and growing initiatives to harness AI for sustainable development. The representation gap evident at the India AI Summit highlights the urgent need to ensure that voices from the Global South, including Africa, are not only heard but are influential in shaping global AI governance.

Strengthening the capacity of national regulators and policymakers to craft progressive AI policies and engage effectively in global AI negotiations is essential. Leveraging continental frameworks such as the African Union AI Strategy can help shape common negotiating positions. At the same time, empowering civil society to provide evidence-based, rights-respecting input to national and global AI frameworks will help ensure more citizen-centered policymaking and more equitable participation in national, regional, and international policy processes. As the world prepares for the upcoming UN Global Dialogue on AI Governance in July and the Global AI Summit 2027 in Geneva, the first annual report of the 40-member UN Independent International Scientific Panel on AI that is due in July 2026 will be a crucial test of whether African priorities can be adequately reflected in global AI governance processes.

01Apr

Assessing the Impact of the 2026 Internet Shutdown on Uganda’s Digital Economy

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Nadhifah Muhammad |

On January 13, 2026, two days prior to Uganda’s general election, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) ordered an internet shutdown purportedly to mitigate misinformation, electoral fraud and incitement of violence. This mirrored the two previous elections in the country, each of which had economic consequences due to the disruption of digital communications and services.

In the latest disruption, some essential services were exempted, such as healthcare systems, core banking platforms, immigration and aviation systems. However, key sectors of Uganda’s digital economy, íncluding ride-hailing and delivery systems, fintech services, e-Commerce, and digital health providers, were inaccessible. Data from the Cost of Internet Shutdown Tool (COST) estimates that Uganda lost Uganda Shillings (UGX) 59.7 billion (USD 16 million) during the almost five day internet shutdown. More was lost when social media and mobile money services remained constrained beyond the five days.

Notably, the severe direct economic losses and indirect impacts are likely to persist beyond the duration of the shutdown. During the shutdown, businesses dependent on digital platforms were unable to process transactions, communicate with customers, or coordinate logistics. Beyond the immediate financial losses suffered over the days the internet was off, the disruption unsettled supply chains, interrupted livelihoods, and raised concerns among investors about the reliability of Uganda’s digital infrastructure.

This brief examines the direct and indirect financial losses of the shutdown and highlights measures to various stakeholders need to safeguard a reliable digital economy as a key driver of Uganda’s digital transformation, these include;

  • Development and roll out comprehensive business continuity plans for the digital economy during elections and emergency situations.
  • Adoption of digital safety and security practices for detecting and mitigating risks and optimising systems to support business continuity amidst such disruptions. 
  • Advocacy for an enabling legal and policy environment for the digital economy.
  • Undertaking continuous capacity building for businesses in digital resilience.
  • Collaboration among stakeholders – business associations, civil society, academia and the legal fraternity in challenging shutdowns through strategic litigation.

Access the full brief here.

23Mar

CIPESA Public Dialogue Series: Interrogating Digital Public Infrastructure in East Africa

Author CIPESA Posted on

By CIPESA Writer |

Digital transformation is reshaping governance, service delivery, and civic life across Africa. At the centre of this transformation is the growing adoption of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) — foundational interoperable digital systems such as digital identity programmes, payment systems, and data exchange frameworks that enable governments to deliver services at scale.

Across Eastern Africa, governments are increasingly investing in DPI as a core pillar of their digital transformation strategies. These systems promise to improve administrative efficiency, expand access to services, and support more inclusive digital economies.

However, DPI is not merely a technical infrastructure. It is also an institutional and political infrastructure. The way these systems are designed, governed, and implemented can shape power relations, accountability structures, privacy protections, and citizen participation in the digital state.

Despite the growing importance of DPI, public debate around these systems remains limited. A study by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) into media coverage of DPI in Eastern Africa shows that reporting is largely government-centric and event-driven, focusing primarily on announcements and service delivery benefits while giving limited attention to governance arrangements, procurement processes, rights protections, and questions of inclusion.

Strengthening informed public discourse around DPI is therefore critical. Greater participation by civil society, journalists, policymakers, technologists, and citizens can help ensure that emerging digital systems are transparent, accountable, inclusive, and aligned with the public interest.

To contribute to this goal, CIPESA is convening a series of public dialogues on DPI in Eastern Africa. Through four in-depth discussions, the CIPESA public dialogue series will explore key dimensions of DPI implementation such as governance and accountability, data protection and trust, inclusion and equity, and cross-regional learning, while bringing together diverse stakeholders to deepen public understanding and encourage more critical engagement with the region’s digital transformation.

The details of the CIPESA Public Dialogue dare listed below. Be sure to mark your calendar for each dialogue!

Follow @cipesaug on social media and join the conversation using #DPIAfrica and #DPIJournalism.

Dialogue 1: Interrogating DPI: Governance, Power, and Accountability

Background: As governments across Eastern Africa accelerate the rollout of Digital Public Infrastructure systems, questions of governance, oversight, and accountability are becoming increasingly important.

While DPI initiatives are often presented as tools for efficiency and innovation, they also shape power relations within the digital state. Decisions about who designs these systems, who controls the data they generate, and how procurement and partnerships are structured can significantly influence how public digital systems operate and whom they ultimately serve.

Yet public scrutiny of these governance questions remains limited. Media coverage frequently focuses on the technical benefits of DPI, such as improved service delivery, while giving less attention to governance arrangements, procurement transparency, and mechanisms for accountability when systems fail.

This dialogue will examine the political economy of DPI, focusing on questions of governance, oversight, transparency, and accountability as the region expands its digital infrastructure.

Date: March 24, 2026 | 15:00 PM Nairobi | Reserve your seat

Dialogue 2: Interrogating DPI: Data, Privacy, and Trust

Background: Digital Public Infrastructure systems depend heavily on the collection, processing, and exchange of large volumes of personal data. While these systems can improve efficiency and coordination across government services, they also raise significant questions about privacy, surveillance, and data protection.

Public discourse around DPI in Eastern Africa has largely focused on service delivery benefits, with relatively limited attention to the risks associated with data governance and citizen trust.

CIPESA’s media analysis similarly shows that journalists tend to under-report issues of data protection, surveillance, and the enforcement of privacy laws, despite growing public concerns about the misuse of personal data and weak institutional safeguards.

This dialogue will examine whether DPI systems in Eastern Africa are being designed and implemented in ways that protect rights and build public trust.

Date: March 31, 2026 | 15:00 PM Nairobi | Reserve your seat

Dialogue 3: Interrogating DPI: Inclusion, Equity, and Gender

Background: Digital Public Infrastructure is often framed as inclusive by design. However, evidence from across Eastern Africa suggests that issues of equity, access, and representation remain underexplored in both policy debates and media coverage.

Media analysis conducted by CIPESA reveals limited reporting on how DPI systems affect citizens differently based on gender, geography, income, and digital access. It also highlights a significant gender imbalance in media sources, with roughly 80 percent of quoted sources being male.

Yet digital systems can inadvertently reinforce existing inequalities if barriers related to connectivity, digital literacy, affordability, identification documents, or social norms are not addressed.

This dialogue will explore whether DPI initiatives are truly delivering on their promise of inclusion, and who may be left behind by digital transformation.

Date: April 7, 2026 | 15:00 PM Nairobi | Reserve your seat

Dialogue 4: Interrogating DPI: Cross-Regional Learning Session

Africa is undergoing a profound digital transformation. The African Union Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030) encourages member states to develop Digital Public Infrastructure and Digital Public Goods as foundations for inclusive service delivery, digital trade, and economic growth.

However, public participation in shaping these developments remains limited, partly due to insufficient public discourse and limited specialised reporting on DPI and DPGs.

To address this gap, Co-Develop partnered with regional organisations, including the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and CIPESA, to establish journalism fellowships focused on DPI reporting in West and Eastern Africa.

MFWA launched the first fellowship in West Africa in 2023, generating valuable lessons and case studies. CIPESA has since adapted the fellowship model for Eastern Africa, creating opportunities for cross-regional learning among journalists and ecosystem actors.

This session will bring fellows and stakeholders from both regions together to share lessons, experiences, and strategies for strengthening public discourse on DPI and DPGs.

Date: April 14, 2026 | 15:00 PM Nairobi | Reserve your seat

19Mar

Webinar: Advancing Platform Accountability for Women’s Online Safety in Africa

Author CIPESA Posted on

By CIPESA Writer |

The right to freedom of information, access to information, and democratic engagement belongs equally to all citizens. Yet across Africa, women and girls continue to face significant barriers that prevent them from exercising these foundational rights in digital spaces. This calls for urgent legal and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that women and girls can safely access, contribute to, and participate in information ecosystems. Furthermore, social media and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms must address the gendered concerns that impact women’s experiences in online spaces, including disproportionate online harassment, algorithmic discrimination, and digital exclusion. See more here.

In support of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) commemoration, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is hosting a webinar titled “Advancing Platform Accountability for Women’s Online Safety in Africa” on Thursday, 19 March 2026 (14:00–15:30 EAT). The webinar resonates with this year’s IWD theme: “Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls.”

Register for the webinar here.

The webinar brings together experts to discuss what efforts are being made to enhance the safety of women in online spaces and to hold platforms accountable. It supports the sentiments of United Nations (UN) General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, who last week, in her opening remarks at the 70th UN Commission on the Status of Women, noted that the gaps in legal rights afforded to women are deliberate. She stated that “these are not oversights but deliberate choices — choices that violate the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and 70 years of commitments made in this Commission.”

This webinar serves as a platform for discussion and insight into the various efforts needed to address these gaps. The discussion is open to all and features expert panelists from diverse backgrounds with a vested interest in advancing the safety of women in online spaces.

Meet the Panelists

Barbra Okafor | Founder and Lead Strategist, The Agency Lab

Barbra is the Founder of The Agency Lab, an initiative empowering African creatives and organisations to secure data ownership, protect Intellectual Property (IP), and navigate fair compensation in the AI economy. Drawing on her previous roles as Content Programming Lead at TikTok Sub-Saharan Africa and Senior Producer at BBC Media Action, Barbra translates complex digital transitions into actionable strategies. Her work sits at the critical intersection of the African creator economy, technology, and governance.

Marie-Simone Kadurira | Feminist researcher and communications strategist

Marie-Simone works at the intersection of gender, technology, and social justice. Her work focuses on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV), digital rights, and the ways in which online platforms shape access, safety, and agency for women and marginalised communities. She has contributed to research and advocacy efforts examining how online harms disproportionately affect women, particularly in the Global South, and has worked with international organisations to develop policy and communications strategies aimed at strengthening platform accountability and advancing safer digital environments. Her work engages with questions of governance, content moderation, and the structural inequalities embedded within digital ecosystems. She is currently engaged in research on gender-based violence prevention and supports initiatives that centre community-led approaches to justice, safety, and digital inclusion.

Mercy Mutemi | Executive Director, The Oversight Lab Africa

Mercy’s work advocates for fair regulation and deployment of technology across Africa. She focuses on restorative and retributive justice solutions for those who have been harmed by technology. This includes workers who have been exploited to build and maintain technological systems and those who have been harmed by algorithms.  She has worked on several cases and initiatives focused on addressing inequality and the unconsidered consequences of tech algorithms for African communities and societies. She currently represents a cohort of content moderators based throughout Africa in a suit over workplace human rights violations.

Abdul Waiswa | Head of Litigation, Prosecution and Legal Advisory, Uganda Communications Commission

Waiswa works as the Head of Litigation, Prosecution and Legal Advice at the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), which is the statutory regulator of the converged communications sector in Uganda, with a mandate to license, supervise, and facilitate the development of a robust communication sector in Uganda. He oversees the legal advisory, licensing, and enforcement functions of UCC and supports the implementation of the Government of Uganda’s policies on ICT. Waiswa is a regular participant in national, regional, and international engagements on internet jurisdiction, data, and other ICT-related policy matters.

Lilian Nalwoga | Programme Manager, CIPESA

Lillian has several years of ICT policy research and advocacy experience, having joined the CIPESA as a Policy Officer in 2007. She has facilitated and coordinated ICT policy workshops – including coordinating the East African Internet Governance Forum. Lillian has a Bachelors of Development Studies (Makerere University, Uganda) with a Postgraduate Diploma in Project Management as well as advanced training in Internet studies. She holds a Master’s in Digital Media and Society from Uppsala University, Sweden. She is also the former President of the Internet Society (ISOC) Uganda.

The webinar forms part of the #BeSafeByDesign campaign, which calls for improved platform accountability in Africa. The campaign is part of a project supported by the Irene M. Staehelin Foundation. Since December 2025, the project has pursued a series of collaborative activities aimed at improving online safety and governance. These included a convening in Nairobi, Kenya, which served as the launch of the #BeSafeByDesign campaign. The convening assembled human rights defenders and activists from eight African countries for upskilling in digital resilience. In February 2026, a meeting held in Port Louis, Mauritius brought together 30 participants — including judges, magistrates, law enforcement officers, communications regulators, data protection authorities, and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs). Participants recommended that African governments strengthen their engagement with big tech companies through regional mechanisms, such as the African Union, to present a more coordinated voice on issues of platform accountability.

18Mar

CIPESA Welcomes the Annulment of Sections of Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Edrine Wanyama |

Uganda’s Constitutional Court has delivered a major ruling that has outlawed several sections of the Computer Misuse Act, Cap 96, and ordered the government and its agencies to stop any further enforcement of the nullified provisions. These stringent provisions had significantly restricted the use of various communication platforms, including social media. The court ruling marks an important step towards ending enduring limitations on freedom of expression, access to information and other online freedoms.

The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, 2022, which introduced a range of offences including unauthorised access, unauthorised sharing of information about children, hate speech, sharing of unsolicited and malicious information, and misuse of social media, has been outlawed in its entirety. These provisions were overly broad, vaguely worded and carried severe penalties.

In response to a number of petitions filed by individuals and civil society organisations, which were consolidated for determination, the Constitutional Court found that the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill, 2022, was passed into law without complying with the provisions of rule 24(3) of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, which contravened articles 88 and 89 of the Constitution. Parliament’s rules of procedure and the Constitution require that the quorum should be ascertained before passing of laws.

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), which was a co-petitioner in the case, had in its analysis and comments to the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Communications Technology argued that while addressing cybercrime was necessary, overly broad laws risk shrinking the digital civic space by limiting freedom of expression and access to information.

Moreover, the law was passed long after the Supreme Court ruling in Charles Onyango Obbo and Another v Attorney General, which had outlawed the criminalisation of false news in section 50 of the Penal Code Act. CIPESA had raised concerns about this inconsistency in the law prior to the filing of the petition.

Importantly, the Constitutional Court also struck down sections 162 and 163 of the Penal Code Act, which criminalised defamation. The Court found that these provisions violate article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and are a limitation to the right to freedom of expression, contrary to regional and international human rights standards.

In the lead judgement of Justice Irene Mulyagonja, Court found that:

  • “Parliament passed the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill, 2022 into an Act of Parliament without complying with the provisions of rule 24(3) of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament made under Article 94 of the Constitution.
  • The enactment of the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill into an Act of Parliament without complying with rule 24(3) of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament was inconsistent with Articles 88 and 89 of the Constitution, and as a result, the Computer Misuse (Amendment) Act, 2022, was null and void.
  • The provisions of the Computer Misuse Act (2023 Edition) that were challenged in Constitutional Petitions 34, 37 and 42 of 2022 are therefore all null and void because they were enacted without following the law.
  • Section 162 of the Penal Code Act contravenes Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights; and section 163 that defines the term “defamation” therein does not meet the standard of the law that is required by Article 9(2) of the Charter, and is inconsistent therewith to that extent and therefore null and void.”

Uganda has in recent years experienced significant restrictions on digital civic space. During the general elections in January 2026, the government shut down the internet for five days. In 2024, in the lead up to elections, were charged under the annulled law with malicious information on X and insulting the President and the First Family. These actions are often justified on grounds such as preventing online misinformation and disinformation or safeguarding national security, but their broad application raises serious concerns for digital rights and the right to free expression.

Over the years,  several civic actors, including journalists and media professionals, human rights defenders, political opponents, have faced intimidation, arrests, and prosecution under these contentious provisions of the Computer Misuse Law.

Despite the Constitutional Court’s progressive decision, which is a positive step towards enhancing legislative accountability and reaffirming Uganda’s commitments under regional and international human rights instruments, there is no ultimate guarantee that the right to fundamental freedoms and civic liberties guaranteed by the Constitution will be respected.

It should be noted that the Court’s decision largely focused on procedural issues rather than examining the constitutional guarantees on freedom of expression and access to information. This leaves open the possibility that similar provisions could be reintroduced if proper legislative procedures are followed.

Continuous advocacy for progressive provisions remains necessary.

Given the volatile nature of Uganda’s digital space, there is a need for Parliament to ensure harmonisation of national laws with regional and international standards, conduct wide consultations on proposed laws, and undertake human rights impact assessments.

CIPESA welcomes the current judgement as progressive but emphasises the need for decisiveness in implementation of the orders by the court. Without sustained vigilance, restrictive laws in addition to the Uganda Communications Act, Public Order Management Act, Uganda Peoples Defence Forces Act, the Regulation of Interception of Communications Act and the Anti-terrorism Act may re-emerge in different forms.

The protection and promotion of civil liberties in digital spaces must remain a priority.

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