Promoting Effective and Inclusive ICT Policy in Africa

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  HomeCollaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)  /  Human rights
02Jun

NOW OPEN! Call for Session Proposals and Travel Support Applications

Author CIPESA Posted on

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

MilestoneDate
Submissions closeJune 20, 2025
Notification of Selected ProposalsJuly 04, 2025

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

22May

Tanzania Should Restore Access to X and Desist from Further Internet Disruptions

Author CIPESA Posted on

Statement |

Tanzania’s government should urgently restore access to X (formerly Twitter) as its current blockage denies citizens the right to access information and express themselves, while also undermining economic livelihoods and the delivery of social services.

The blockage was effected amidst a flurry of arrests and deportations of Kenyan and Ugandan human rights activists by the Tanzanian government. The activists were in Tanzania to monitor the trial of opposition leader Tundu Lisu, who was jailed in April 2025 and is on trial for treason and publishing false information. The deportations drew widespread criticism of President Samia Suhulu’s government over its increasingly authoritarian stance and saw the X accounts of the Tanzania Police and the state-backed Airtel taken over by hackers who published anti-government information.

Lisu emerged second in Tanzania’s last presidential elections in 2020, during which the government blocked access to social media. He survived an assasination attempt back in 2017, and has been arrested numerous times since then. However, amidst calls for boycotting the upcoming October 2025 polls, he was arrested earlier this year, and disqualified from standing as a candidate.

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) condemns the Tanzanian government’s heavy-handed crackdown on critics and its illegal detention and deportations of Kenyan and Ugandan citizens who criticised its deteriorating human rights credentials. Below is our joint statement condemning the blockage of Twitter and urging its urgent restoration.

The Digital Rights Alliance Africa (DRAA) is deeply concerned by the restriction on access to X by the Tanzanian government. The move is part of a series of regressive measures to limit the civic space and enjoyment of digital rights as it constitutes a blatant violation of the fundamental freedom of expression and access to information.

Tanzania’s blockage of X not only stifles important public opinions but also promotes self-censorship inspite of Tanzania’s several national, regional and international commitments to protect and promote freedom of expression, such as the Constitution of the United Republic of Tanzania in Article 18 and the Access to Information Act 2016, the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Article 9), Principle 38 of the African Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, Articles 19 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Internet and social media disruptions stifle citizens’ right to organise, express themselves, and access information. Disruptions also undermine electoral transparency and accountability and may perpetuate political instabilities since they breed distrust in the credibility of elections. Furthermore, they have significant economic implications as they disrupt businesses and impede financial transactions and other economic activities that rely on digital platforms.

Given the current development involving Tanzania’s arrest, detention and deportation of human rights activists from the East African region and the upcoming general elections, the restriction is part of the wide measures to keep people in the dark, which is contrary to democratic values and impairs citizen participation. It is a deliberate attack on digital rights enjoyment and impairs the underpinnings of open, accountable and participatory democracy.

We reiterate the call of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in the Resolution on Internet Shutdowns and Elections in Africa (ACHPR Res. 580 (LXXVIII) 2024) on states to refrain from ordering the interruption of telecommunications services, shutting down the internet, or disrupting access to any other digital communication platforms before, during or after elections.

We call on the government of the United Republic of Tanzania to:

  1. Immediately lift the restriction on X and restore unfettered access.
  2. Adhere to the rule of law and human rights principles including the observance of judicial oversight before any service suspension are imposed in the future.
  3. Refrain from imposing onerous orders on telecommunication companies and other Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to shutdown the internet.
  4. Ensure consultation with all stakeholders including private sector and civil society to determine appropriate steps for addressing emerging concerns in public interest without disrupting internet and platform access.

19May

CIPESA Submissions to White Paper on ICT Tax Reduction – Uganda

Author CIPESA Posted on

Policy Brief | 

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector is not a standalone sector. Beyond broadcast and [tele]communications, it is increasingly integrating and digitalising critical parts of the economy, including manufacturing, finance, health, and transport. In Uganda, the ICT sector has been recognised as vital for enabling and boosting revenue generation and collection.

In this position statement, we showcase revenue-generation practices in Uganda’s ICT sector and benchmark them against East African jurisdictions, namely Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania, while occasionally drawing lessons from other markets.

By reviewing Uganda’s ICT sector tax policies, licensing fees, and regulatory regimes, this position statement demonstrates that although Uganda has registered considerable growth in the sector and made important steps toward revenue generation, the short-term gains have perhaps come at the expense of a more sustainable growth of the nascent digital economy.

In particular, the taxes on digital devices and connectivity infrastructure, combined with gaps in leveraging technology to support the domestic tax revenue mobilisation strategy, might be causing more harm than good. Although countries in the region face similar challenges – especially on the persistence of informality and tax complexities introduced by international technology data transfers and exchanges – Uganda’s ICT sector could learn from successes from elsewhere and undertake a comprehensive review of digital devices taxes and telecommunications license regimes, and also conduct tax impact assessments of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We make a series of recommendations to the National Task Team on Enhancement of Government Revenue from the ICT Sector—Ministry of ICT in Uganda. We also stress that by carefully reviewing the country’s current ICT tax policies and drawing lessons from regional practices and tax frameworks, Uganda can substantially improve its capture of tax revenues from the digital economy. 

By facilitating wider access to devices such as smartphones as well as implementing a tax system based on significant economic presence and simplified tax collection mechanisms, Uganda could better harness the potential of its digital economy while ensuring that mobile network operators and digital platforms contribute fairly to the country’s total tax revenue. 

A key plank in this agenda should be a reduction in taxes on smartphones, tablets and entry-level laptops and a contemporaneous incentivisation regime to turn Uganda into a regional manufacturing hub for high-quality but affordable products in eastern and central Africa.

Find the full position paper here.

16May

CIPESA Welcomes ACHPR Resolution on Monitoring Technology Companies

Author CIPESA Posted on

By Patricia Ainembabazi |

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) welcomes the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Resolution on Developing Guidelines to Assist States Monitor Technology Companies in Respect of Their Duty to Maintain Information Integrity Through Independent Fact-Checking. Adopted on March 11, 2025, during its 82nd Ordinary Session, ACHPR/Res.630 (LXXXII) 2025 responds to growing concerns about the role of technology companies in undermining information integrity across Africa.

The Resolution mandates the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information to develop guidelines to assist States, civil society, and regulatory bodies in holding technology companies accountable. It marks a significant advancement in aligning digital governance practices with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and international human rights standards.

The ACHPR Resolution comes on the heels of worrying trends with regards to platform accountability and content moderation in Africa. These include social media threatening social cohesion and elections integrity, a reduction of human fact-checkers, overreliance on automated systems, and insufficient coverage of African languages. While the use of platforms is governed by standards and policies, the Commission cautions that they are not substitutes for corporate responsibility or independent fact-checking mechanisms. The Resolution calls for neutrality to overcome the weaponisation of certain social networks, particularly during elections and conflict situations.

Key Highlights of Resolution 630

Affirmation of Human Rights Standards: The Resolution reaffirms Articles 2 and 9 of the African Charter, emphasising the right to freedom of expression and access to information both offline and online. It also aligns with Principle 5 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa, which calls for equivalent online protections.

Call for Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs): Digital companies operating in Africa are urged to conduct transparent HRIAs, particularly when contemplating policy changes or during high-risk events such as elections and public health crises, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Demand for Data Transparency: The ACHPR stresses that African researchers, regulators, and civil society should have equitable access to platform data to facilitate independent assessments of systemic risks to information integrity.

Development of Monitoring Guidelines: The Resolution 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.

Initial Recommendations from CIPESA

CIPESA views Resolution 630 as a timely intervention for platform accountability and a significant opportunity to strengthen digital rights in Africa. To ensure the effective implementation of ACHPR Resolution 630, we recommend:

  • A multi-pronged approach that begins with active engagement by civil society organisations to facilitate meaningful participation in the Special Rapporteur’s consultations to shape practical, contextually grounded, and enforceable Guidelines that reflect African realities and priorities.
  • Policy advocacy for national adaptation, encouraging African States to formally integrate the forthcoming Guidelines into their national digital governance laws and regulations, thereby ensuring their applicability and enforcement beyond soft commitments.
  • Support for the creation and sustenance of independent monitoring initiatives by the private sector and other players, including civil society-led observatories that can track, assess, and publicly report on the performance of technology companies in adhering to the Guidelines, thus fostering greater transparency, accountability, and respect for digital rights throughout the continent.

The adoption of ACHPR Resolution 630 signals a critical shift toward building an African digital ecosystem rooted in human rights, transparency, and accountability. The forthcoming Guidelines, if well-designed and widely adopted, could set a new global benchmark for regulating technology companies’ role in safeguarding information integrity.

CIPESA remains committed to contributing to this process and advancing an open, inclusive, and rights-respecting internet in Africa.

14May

CIPESA Joins Six Civil Society Organisations in Landmark Case Challenging Internet Shutdowns in Kenya

Author CIPESA Posted on

Press Release |

Nairobi, Kenya – In a significant step toward safeguarding digital rights and constitutional freedoms, the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) and six other organisations have filed a landmark public interest case before the High Court of Kenya to challenge the arbitrary and unlawful disruptions of internet access in the country.

The petitioners – Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE), Katiba Institute, Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), Law Society of Kenya (LSK), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), the International Commission of Jurists – Kenya Section (ICJ Kenya), and CIPESA, seek judicial redress following recurring internet disruptions during critical national moments, including the 2024 #RejectFinanceBill protests and the 2024 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

Following the filing of the case, High Court Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued interim orders prohibiting any interference with internet access until the case is heard and determined. The legal challenge targets the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA), the Attorney General, the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, and service providers Safaricom and Airtel Kenya.

The petition relies on technical evidence from Cloudflare, the Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI), and the Internet Outage Detection and Analysis (IODA), which confirms instances of intentional internet throttling and platform blocking, such as the disruption of Telegram.

“These unlawful internet shutdowns directly violate rights enshrined in the Kenyan Constitution, including freedom of expression (Article 33), media freedom (Article 34), access to information (Article 35), and economic and social rights (Article 43),” said Eric Mukoya, Executive Director of ICJ Kenya.

Speaking on behalf of CIPESA, Patricia Ainembabazi, Policy and Advocacy Officer, stated:

“This is a trend-setting moment for Kenya as a country to uphold the rule of law and adhere to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Resolution 580, which speaks directly to freedoms of expression and deters internet shutdowns. With the recent positive ECOWAS Court judgments in Guinea, Togo and Nigeria, we hope that East Africa will do better.”

The case marks a pivotal moment in the defence of the digital civic space in Kenya. The petitioners argue that any restriction to internet access must be subject to strict legal scrutiny under Article 24 of the Constitution, which requires any limitation to be lawful, necessary, and proportionate.

“The outcome of this case will have far-reaching implications for millions of Kenyans who rely on unimpeded connectivity for livelihoods, education, and civic engagement,” said Kennedy Kachwanya, Chairperson of BAKE. “We call upon civil society, media partners, and the international community to amplify this crucial fight for digital rights as a cornerstone of Kenya’s democratic future.”

This collective legal action is part of a growing continental movement to resist digital repression and promote rights-respecting governance in Africa’s digital age.

Signed,

1. Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE)

2. Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA)

3. Katiba Institute

4. Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ)

5. Law Society of Kenya (LSK)

6. Paradigm Initiative (PIN)

7. The International Commission of Jurists, Kenya Section (ICJ Kenya)

Resources:

Petition by ICJ Kenya, BAKE & others against CA, AG & others on Internet Shutdowns in Kenya is here.

Internet Shutdown Case Court Orders, Download PDF here.

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