In a monitoring report highlighting the state of digital rights and inclusion in 24 African countries, the organisation has outlined key recommendations for the private sector, media, academia, civil society and government to ensure the protection of digital rights for all.

In the report known as Londa, PIN emphasises the need for the private sector to ensure that content moderation and surveillance practices do not stifle diverse political views and perspectives.

It urges companies to resist unethical governmental pressures that seek illegal access to personal data and engage in digital abuse, more so blockage of Internet networks and services.

The report stresses the need to remove barriers to Internet and mobile service access, prioritising digital literacy and keeping citizens informed about their digital rights.

“Addressing the challenges faced in the digital space as proffered by Londa is a positive step towards the full realisation of human rights and government compliance with treaty obligations. Every African government should aim to improve their digital rights record each year while every other stakeholder plays their critical part,”

Ms. Thobekile Matimbe, the organisation’s Senior Manager, Partnerships, and Engagements, adds. 

The Londa report further calls upon the media to uphold professional ethics in reporting, saying this is essential in combating misinformation and disinformation.

At the same time, it emphasises the importance of protecting media practitioners by building strong coalitions and resisting repressive laws. In addition, providing digital security training to members will enable them to work safely in the digital space, the report states.

The report also encourages interdisciplinary collaboration between fields to tackle complex digital rights and Internet freedom issues. “Academia should play an active role in developing digital literacy training curricula, promoting best practices through research and fostering awareness,” the report proposes.

The organisation, through the Londa report, indicates that in order to build effective domestic human rights monitoring mechanisms, civil society should streamline the flow of information between grassroots community organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). 

PIN also calls on governments to refrain from digital authoritarianism and instead uphold constitutional and international obligations.

“Establishing robust multi-stakeholder consultative processes for policies, laws, and regulations is important. Regular policy and legislative updates should be provided to the public and governments must exercise caution when applying disinformation laws to ensure they don’t unjustifiably limit freedom of expression,”

the report recommends.

Paradigm Initiative believes that collective action from all stakeholders is vital to protect digital rights and preserve Internet freedom. By implementing the recommendations, the continent can ensure an inclusive, transparent, and secure digital landscape.

The Londa report can be accessed here.

Londa is a Zulu word meaning “to defend”, “to save” or “to preserve”. In this context, to defend the digital rights of Africans.

Londa 2021 expands on last year’s report with findings from 22 countries, examining themes of privacy, freedom of expression, access to information, segmentation and exclusion, digital transformation, affordability, gender, and others within existing legislative frameworks, and against the backdrop of a widening digital divide.

This edition captures the gaps and proffers recommendations to achieve a digitally inclusive and rights-respecting Africa.

Mr. ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director highlighted the importance of Londa in Africa, and need for ground breaking rights-respecting frameworks saying “Africa needs to make an urgent choice between focusing on clampdowns and maximising digital opportunities so we don’t miss out on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)”.

“As Paradigm Initiative’s 2021 Londa report shows, yet again, many of the 22 African countries featured in the report are too busy violating digital rights to focus on the digital opportunities that the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on their relevance. The report is timely as it assesses the state of digital rights and inclusion in Africa, and also provides recommendations on what each country must do to move towards realising the huge gains that rights-respecting and inclusive digital policies and practices bring,” he said.

The Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum brought together over 800 delegates and participants for 39 days to dissect the state of  digital rights and inclusion in Africa in 18 virtual sessions and 16 in-person sessions and was attended by experts, stakeholders, and advocates within the digital rights ecosystem in Africa to deconstruct and demystify digital rights and inclusion, sharing recommendations for a proper digital rights implementation within Africa, in a statement by PIN’s Communications officer, Mr Valery Njiaba in a media briefing closing the event.

Paradigm Initiative works to ensure digital empowerment and promote a positive rights environment, supporting public policy toward Internet Freedom in Africa through a diverse team of 29, working out of sub-regional offices in Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.