Partners And Donors Roundtable Digital Rights In Africa Report 

The Youth Café was recently invited by The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTAnet), a non-profit organization, which acts as a multi-stakeholder platform for individuals and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation to take part in a partners and donors roundtable during the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (KIGF) 2021 week.

This roundtable provided a platform to highlight the digital rights issues in the Eastern Africa region and Africa, and possibly explore ways through which partners can leverage resources to better respond to threats on digital rights in the region. This stems from a desire for increased collaboration and support between partners and donors, and possibly good opportunities for improving support for digital rights work

The advancement of digital technologies in the world today has increased the realization that in order for the digital space to prosper it is high time that digital rights are strengthened and taken seriously. The Internet plays an important role in our everyday lives and it is essential that we all respect and protect human rights in the digital space. This is because citizens’ utilization of online platforms to express themselves and share information, are transforming the way basic rights such as freedom of expression and access to information are exercised, protected and violated. 

The donors and partners Digital Rights in Africa took place on Tuesday, Sep 21, 2021 through a virtual zoom meeting from 2:30 to 4:30pm EAT.

The agenda of the meeting was to firstly provide an opportunity for donors to discuss how partners can leverage the philanthropic sector to advance digital rights work in the region. Secondly, provide an opportunity for reflection and the development of a shared understanding and common strategic direction and responses to emerging digital rights.

The programme was divided into three panel discussions where different invited speakers were to share their ideas and opinions. First panel discussion was on Digital Rights Issues in the Region, second panel discussion was on Leveraging the Philanthropic Sector and lastly Strategies to Enhance Civil Society Effectiveness. 

Article 19 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has ‘the right to freedom of opinion and expression, through any media and regardless of frontiers’. This means that the use and access to digital technologies is a human right in itself. In Africa however digital rights are constantly being threatened.

Many governments are taking measures to limit public access to and affordability of the internet, as well as to limit the ability of digital technologies to stimulate free expression and civic participation or to stimulate innovation.

The civil societies and social justice organisations that are usually at the forefront fighting against oppression and advocating for the implementation of such rights; are facing imminent threats of closure, as governments clamp down on their activities and funding, limiting their effectiveness and capacity to respond and push back against efforts to restrict digital rights. 

In this effect, it is important to develop a shared understanding of the current issues and develop strategies of how social justice organizations can collaborate and build synergies with the philanthropic sector to restore, protect and effectively defend digital rights in the continent.

The objective of the roundtable was to bring together Donors and Social Justice Organisations to create awareness and appraise each other on the situation of digital rights in Africa. The first-panel discussion looked into the current issues that face Digital Rights in the region. Tim Dagori, Project Manager at Co-creation Hub explained how East Africa's digital space is facing oppression by governments.

He stated how it has become common practice across the region for governments to pass legislation that is stringent and restricts online content. He gave examples of countries such as Uganda and Tanzania that have proposed or passed laws and regulations that either tax the use of digital media or shut down the internet completely. Such actions lead to increased self-censorship by media, civil society groups and individual citizens, as well as to their withdrawal from online discourse. 

Nthabi Mokoena of The Engine Room, another panellist in the first session noted there is a digital divide in Africa due to the lack of proper infrastructure and connectivity. She specifically emphasized that digital technologies have not been authored for the African region and this issue ends up hindering the sector from being as per as to what is happening elsewhere in the world.

Her second point touched on matters of social inclusion and how issues such as women rights, the youth and people living with disabilities have not been taken into account. There were also discussions about low digital literacy levels in Africa, and possible ways to tackle the challenge by partnering with philanthropic groups, governments and civil society groups, to create opportunities for improving digital media literacy in the continent. 

In addition to the conversation had at the webinar, Koliwe Majola from the ACP noted that access and affordability also need to be addressed to close the large gap in data costs. She sighted challenges in exorbitant data costs and the lack of access to the internet in rural areas, which was further exposed due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic.

Gbenga Sesan from the Paradigm Initiative (PIN), pointed out that there is a need to implement initiatives that address the violation of digital privacy.

In the second plenary session, the panel discussed what philanthropic organizations needed to do to help in the advancement of digital rights in Africa. Nthabi Mokoena was of the opinion that it is very important for civil societies to receive as much funding as possible in order for them to be strengthened to actively take action and help where they can. She stated that the ecosystem needs to be strengthened and this can be done through cross-sector learning where different organisations come together to collaborate and share ideas. 

Koliwe Majola noted philanthropy organisations needed to create linkages with community-based organisations. This way communities at the very bottom of the pyramid can gain access to knowledge and information about digital rights. She also sensitized the creation of an African Digital Rights Strategy. This strategy will guide the policies that need to be set and implemented not only on the continent but also in individual member states. 

The roundtable was a great opportunity for The Youth Café to learn lessons on the importance of collaboration among the diverse stakeholders in digital rights. Firstly, it was critical to note that multi-sectoral working groups need to be formed in order to have members who are committed to working together towards a common goal.

Secondly, organizations need to start gaining knowledge and proper understanding of digital rights in order to advance its global advocacy. Thirdly, sustaining impact; investments made by governments and private sector through sustained longer term resourcing will foster resilience within digital rights.

The Youth Café works with young men and women around Africa as a trailblazer in advancing youth-led approaches toward achieving sustainable development, social equity, innovative solutions, community resilience and transformative change.

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