📢📢 Registration is NOW OPEN for #FIFAfrica26! 📢📢 The 13th edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa is heading to #Mauritius from September 28 – October 1, 2026 - and YOU are invited to be part of it. Join over 500 participants from across Africa and beyond for exciting conversations, critical reflection, and collective action on #InternetFreedomAfrica and the future of our digital societies. #FIFAfrica26 will convene policymakers, activists, journalists, academics, technologists, and creatives to engage the most pressing issues shaping Africa’s digital landscape, including: 🟠Digital Democracy and Civic Participation 🟠Data Governance and Sovereignty 🟠Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies 🟠Platform Accountability 🟠Digital Inclusion 🟠Digital Economy, Trade and Practices 🟠Movement Building 🟠Digital Security and Safety Register now and secure your spot 👉🏾tinyurl.com/FIFAfrica26

Our 2025 Annual Report is out! From training 1,320 stakeholders to producing 36 research outputs, convening FIFAfrica25, and channelling about $1M through the Africa Digital Rights Fund, 2025 was a year of impact despite some headwinds. The fight for digital rights in Africa is far from over. See what we were up to and what comes next. Access the full report here: lnkd.in/dSpyMNwe #InternetFreedomAfrica @pkimumwe

Protecting #children online in #Africa requires more than policies and promises. As more young people gain access to the internet, they face growing risks, from cyberbullying and harmful content to exploitation and privacy violations. While many countries have developed child online protection frameworks, the real challenge lies in implementation. Governments, technology companies, educators, parents, and civil society must work together to create safer #digitalspaces. The goal is not only to protect children from harm but also to ensure they can learn, connect, and thrive online. It is time to move from policy to practice. Read the full article here:tinyurl.com/yrnz6emp

🇺🇬Uganda's push for Artificial Intelliegence(#AI) & Digital Public Infrastructure (#DPI) must not come at the cost of citizens' rights. At a recent dialogue, gaps were flagged in AI policy, weak data safeguards, fragmented DPI systems & limited public participation. Read full article here: tinyurl.com/33pm4hyf #BeeraSharp

Telecom operators across #Africa are failing persons with disabilities, but @Vodacom & @SafaricomPLC prove it doesn't have to be that way. From accessible devices to dedicated customer service and emergency SMS for the deaf, these operators set a standard. Meanwhile, #Uganda's @mtnug & @Airtel_Ug show little evidence of deliberate accessibility efforts. Inclusion must be built into digital systems from the start ,not added as an afterthought. Read the full article here: tinyurl.com/mvw9uhth #DigitalInclusion #DigitalRights

The Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa has served as a key platform for #DigitalInclusion over the years. This year’s edition, in 🇲🇺 #Mauritius, will continue to interrogate the needs of persons with disabilities. We believe the next step is for operators to ensure their commitments are reflected in everyday customer experiences, supported by clear targets and sustained engagement with regulators and civil society. Register for #FIFAfrica26 here:internetfreedom.africa/ @pkimumwe

There has been limited progress on #DigitalInclusion for #PersonsWithDisabilities in many African countries. At a recent Disability Inclusion Conference in Addis Ababa, Safaricom Ethiopia CEO Wim Vanhelleputte, put it plainly: inclusion means designing with persons with disabilities ,not just for them. Yet across Africa, telecom operators continue to treat accessibility as optional. Operators must prioritise it by establishing senior management functions for accessibility and embedding universal design into products from the start. We documented these findings & recommendations in our report "ACCESS DENIED: How Telecom Operators in Africa Are Failing Persons With Disabilities." Read the Full Report Here: tinyurl.com/ywveepva @pkimumwe #DigitalRights #DisabilityInclusion

#Africa's telecom sector continues to treat #accessibility as optional ,not obligation. At a Disability Inclusion Conference in Addis Ababa, Safaricom Ethiopia invoked "Nothing About Us Without Us," yet for #Ethiopia's 🇪🇹 15–17 million persons with disabilities, the gap between policy and lived reality remains vast. Our report, "ACCESS DENIED: How Telecom Operators in Africa Are Failing Persons With Disabilities" found major telecoms across Africa lack accessible products, trained staff, and affordable options. Inclusion must move from conference theme to measurable reality. Read full article here:tinyurl.com/y5z3ckkv @pkimumwe #DisabilityInclusion; #DigitalInclusion #PersonsWithDisabilities

#Kenya Doesn’t Have an AI Regulation Gap, It Has an Accountability Gap. Kenya was recently reported to hold the world's highest #AI tool usage rate ,42.1% of internet-using adults. The piece looks beyond the headline figure to consider what adoption, capability, and oversight mean in the Kenyan context. Drawing on the proposed Kenya AI Bill 2026, the National AI Strategy, and the role of platform algorithms in everyday digital life, it argues that Kenya's challenge is less a regulation gap than an accountability gap. 🔗 Read full article:tinyurl.com/yc27d8dz 🖊️:@bbyaru #AIGovernance

A week ago, we were at the 19th Kenya Internet Governance Forum #KeIGF convened by @KICTANet in Nairobi. Preceding the main forum was the Kenya Youth IGF, held on 20th May, which brought together youth from across East African region to deliberate on #techpolicy issues. The convening highlighted a generation actively engaged in shaping digital governance conversations through such convenings both nationally and globally and through active participation in consultations on legislative frameworks. #KeIGF noted the strides various stakeholders made in bridging the digital divide. However, critical concerns around emerging technology laws and policies were also raised, especially whether these frameworks are designed to protect citizens or risk suppressing civic space and limiting access to evolving digital opportunities. Concerns about #surveillance, #datasovereignty, #dataprotection, internet shutdowns, punitive legislation, and #digitalexclusion were also highlighted. Calls were made for stronger coordination, more meaningful inclusion, and sustained investment in youth capacity within internet governance spaces.

The response to the #FIFAfrica26 Call for Session Proposals has been remarkable, submissions are pouring in from across the continent and beyond, reflecting the breadth of voices ready to shape Africa's digital future in Mauritius this September. If you have been finalising an idea, this is your last nudge: submissions close on 29th May. The clock is winding down, but there is still room at the table for the sessions that will move the needle on digital rights in Africa. Don't sit this one out. Submit before Friday closes the window. 🔗:internetfreedom.africa/

🇿🇼 #Zimbabwe's new National Artificial Intelligence(#AI) Strategy gives #African states a practical template for adopting AI without deepening dependency. Six pillars anchor it: 1⃣Talent & capacity development. 2⃣Infrastructure & computational sovereignty 3⃣AI adoption & service transformation 4⃣Governance, ethics & regulation 5⃣Research, development & innovation 6⃣Strategic international collaboration It aligns with the AU Continental AI Strategy and treats data sovereignty as a precondition ,not an afterthought. The real test now is whether implementation matches ambition. Read full article here:tinyurl.com/334vrmyv

"Every African has the right to affordable, safe, and meaningful access to the internet." Thank you @cipesaug for your valuable support at #AfTPS2026. 12 years. 14 countries. Africa's leading digital rights forum. One mission: internet freedom for all. #KeIGF2026 #DigitalRights #InternetFreedom #TechPolicy

#Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 @cipesaug applauds Zimbabwe's adoption of its National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy as an important step towards advancing tech-enabled digital and socio-economic transformation. cipesa.org/2026/05/zimbabwes…

Have you registered for #FIFAfrica26 yet? And submitted your session proposal? Africa's premier digital rights Forum lands in Mauritius, 28 Sept – 1 Oct 2026. Join 500 policymakers, technologists, journalists & advocates from 60 countries, and help shape the agenda. Don't just attend. Lead a panel, workshop, lightning talk or exhibition. Register & submit: mailchi.mp/cipesa.org/submit… #InternetFreedomAfrica

#Africa 🌍 @cipesaug recommends ways to rethink platform design and accountability to Combat TFGBV in Africa. cipesa.org/2026/05/rethinkin…

Meet Raylenne Kambua — moderating the Access & Digital Inclusion panel at #KenyaYouthIGF today. 🇰🇪Journalist. Communications professional. Internet Governance Fellow. And the person who helped build a Kiswahili lexicon for technology-facilitated gender-based violence because advocacy must speak your language. #KenyaYouthIGF #AfTPS2026

For over a decade, we've documented Africa's digital rights landscape through the annual State of Internet Freedom in Africa reports. From the first edition in 2014 investigating policies in East Africa, to the 2025 report on AI and digital democracy. These reports have shaped policy conversations across the continent, and each one has been launched at FIFAfrica ,the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa. Access past reports here:cipesa.org/resources/ Now it's your turn to shape the conversation. ⏰ The Call for Proposals for #FIFAfrica26 closes on 29 May. Submit your session ideas on digital democracy, data governance, AI, platform accountability, digital inclusion, and more here: tinyurl.com/42rwc2nv 🗓️ #Mauritius | 28 September – 1 October 2026 #InternetFreedomAfrica #FIFAfrica26

Our Technology Officer, Brian Byaruhanga, joined the PRIVACY & PROTECTION IN A DIGITAL WORLD panel this week, breaking down what we share online (often without knowing), the trade-offs we make for convenience, and the practical steps to take back some control. From digital hygiene basics to knowing your rights, participants left with real knowledge and practical tools to stay safe online. #BeeraSharp

We recently joined key stakeholders at the High-Level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue on Business and Digital Rights, convened by @cipesaug. The engagement created important conversations around Digital Public Infrastructure(DPI), Artificial Intelligence, and the need to advance digital solutions that respect and protect human rights, especially women and children.