Spaces for Change|S4C attended the 11th annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) held on September 25 – 27, 2024, in Dakar, Senegal. FIFAfrica brought together policymakers, representatives of civil society organizations, tech companies, and journalists, to address critical challenges arising from the use of new technologies such as censorship, surveillance, privacy, democratizing access to the internet, and overcoming barriers like high costs and low internet penetration in many regions of Africa. Hosting this year’s edition of the Forum in Francophone Africa was strategic to bring the needed attention to the state of digital democracy in the region where internet freedoms and digital rights face significant obstacles.
Experts in several panel sessions discussed topical issues such as how to balance free expression with curtailing the spread of disinformation and misinformation; expanding access access to information for people with disabilities through the enactment and enforcement of accessibility laws; and internet shutdowns, etc. The human rights paradigm offers an important lever for addressing these gaps in ways that ensure the protection of digital rights and human rights defenders. Another session explored how to close the gender gap through a collaborative approach, while another examined the strategies for creating balanced data governance frameworks between national and regional levels while addressing the complexities, synergies, and trade-offs involved. Another thorny issue is how governments are portraying digitally repressive tactics as necessary to combat threats from terrorism, external aggression and organized crime. In all these sessions, panelists and participants exchanged thoughts, ideas and recommendations for reversing these trends and and enthroning inclusive digital environments.
S4C also participated in the side event hosted by Global Partners Digital (GPD) in partnership with Paradigm Initiative, the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) and B-Tech on September 25. Discussions at the side-event centered around creating a human rights-based framework for digital platform governance in Sub-Saharan Africa and also aligning local policies with global standards to protect online freedoms such as free expression, privacy, and data protection.
In conclusion, the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2024 successfully brought attention to the challenges and opportunities in advancing digital rights across the continent, particularly in Francophone Africa. It underscored the importance of collaborative efforts between governments, civil society, and the private sector in fostering an inclusive, rights-respecting digital space. The event wrapped up with actionable recommendations for influencing future policy development and fostering regional cooperation for a more secure and open internet across Africa.
