African Media Festival 

Event |

Date: 24-25 February, 2026

Location: Nairobi, Kenya 

The Africa Media Festival is a gathering for journalists, editors, storytellers, creators, and media builders from across the continent and the diaspora.

The festival is a meeting place for those working in reporting, production, technology and creative enterprise who are asking real questions about the future of media and how it is made, funded and sustained.

This year’s edition continues to expand pathways for participation across Africa and beyond. The two days of conversation, learning and collaboration will centre on the ideas, challenges and opportunities shaping media and creative work today.

Africa Editors Congress 2026

Event |

Date: 23 – 24 February, 2026

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

The Africa Editors Congress 2026 is hosted by The African Editors Forum (TAEF) at the Graduate School for Media and Communications, Aga Khan University, bringing together editors, policymakers, and media executives to confront what organisers describe as a “multifaceted crisis” in African journalism. The two-day congress comes as newsrooms battle declining revenues, regulatory pressures, and eroding public trust, fueled by widespread misinformation on social media platforms.

The meeting will focus on three key areas: securing fair compensation for journalists whose work is harvested by tech companies, developing regulatory frameworks to support public-interest journalism, and building sustainable funding models less dependent on foreign capital.

CIPESA will contribute insights on Resolution, ACHPR/Res.620 (LXXXI) 2024: Promoting and Harnessing Data Access as a Tool for Advancing Human Rights and Sustainable Development in the Digital Age (Resolution 620).

Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy Conference

Event |

Date and Time: 18 February, 2026, starting at 8:30 AM.

Location: Kampala, Uganda

The Cybersecurity, Data Protection and Privacy Conference, also known as the #BeeraKuGuard Awareness Conference, is being hosted by the National Information Technology Authority (NITA-U) under the Uganda Digital Acceleration Project (UDAP-GovNet). The event addresses the critical need to promote cybersecurity, data protection, and privacy awareness due to the growing scale and sophistication of cyber threats, which have escalated with the nationwide increase in affordable broadband and e-services. The conference aims to promote cyber hygiene, personal data protection, and privacy best practices across the country.

Regional Engagement on the Role of State Actors in Combating Online Harms

Event |

Dates: 17-18 February, 2026

Location: Balaclava, Mauritius

CIPESA in partnership with Irene M. Staehelin Foundation is hosting a regional engagement with National Human Rights Institutes (NHRIs), law enforcement officers, data protection authorities, communications regulators, and the judiciary from East and Southern Africa on thematic understanding of digital harms and how they can more effectively combat online harms.

AI Impact Summit 2026

Event |

Date: 16 – 20 February, 2026

Location: India, New Delhi

CIPESA will participate at the India AI Impact Summit which is one of the largest gatherings on AI in the global South. It happens at a time when conversations on artificial intelligence are increasingly focused on the impact of AI on live hoods, civic participation and democracy. We look forward to sharing insights from the landmark 2025 edition of the State of Internet Freedom in Africa report  which focused on the Implications of AI on Digital Democracy in Africa.

Our research on AI governance in Africa spans its impact on areas such as data protection, algorithmic accountability, disinformation, digital trade, and the political economy of AI. As global norms on AI take shape, we will advance the case for rights-respecting frameworks that center African realities, strengthen democratic oversight, and ensure that AI systems deployed across the continent.

Here are some of sessions you will find us at or drop us an email at [email protected] to schedule a meetup:

Learning Forum (Closed Door)| Host: Center for Communication Governance, National Law University Delhi & Global Network Initiative

February 16, 2026 | 10:00-18:30 (IST)

Data Governance at the Intersection of Digital Public Infrastructure and Artificial Intelligence | Host: Tech Global Institute and  the Government of Brazil 

Date: February 17, 2026 | 13:30 – 14:25 pm (IST)

Multistakeholder Approaches to Participation in AI Governance (MAP-AI) | Global Network Initiative (GNI) and the Centre for Communication Governance (CCG)

Date: February 17, 2026 | 09:00 – 18:00 (IST) 

Roundtable on AI Governance from the South: from redlines to baselines | Host: Global Digital Justice Forum (GDJF) 

Date: February 18, 2026 | 09:00 – 15:00 (IST)

Platform Governance & AI: Global Majority Perspectives! | Host: SFLC.in and Global Partners Digital (GPD)

Date: February 18, 2026 | 13:30 – 17:30 (IST)