A delegation from Pan African organisation, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) will join other digital rights, inclusion and internet governance stakeholders to participate in the annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25) in Windhoek, Namibia, from 24 – 26 September 2025.
PIN will leverage insights from its research and advocacy work to spotlight emerging threats and make solution-oriented contributions at the forum, which brings together policymakers, journalists, global platform operators, telecommunication companies, regulators, human rights defenders, academia, and law enforcement representatives. Through various sessions, workshops, and bilateral meetings, Paradigm Initiative will highlight pressing digital threats on the continent, such as internet shutdowns, data breaches, shrinking online civic space and the digital divide and make actionable recommendations for human rights-centric internet governance to governments and private sector entities.
Digital threats such as internet shutdowns, the arrests of journalists, citizens, and opposition leaders for information published online, rampant misinformation and disinformation, and heightened risks of surveillance through software, are significantly undermining human rights on the African continent. This is hampering the region’s digital development and aspirations for a truly inclusive future and prosperous nations powered by digital technologies.
The Paradigm Initiative team at FIFAfrica will host a Digital Rights Academy and also participate in six sessions on diverse themes, ranging from digital rights to protection of journalists, cybersecurity and capacity building. The sessions and engagements include: Regional Assessment for National Commitments and Ecosystem Support for Digital Inclusion in Africa, Book Launch: Internet shutdowns in Africa: Technology, Rights, and Power, Sub-Saharan Africa Journalist Fund Consultation by Meedan and Paradigm Initiative, Africa Cybersecurity Advocacy Workshop by Internet Society (ISOC), African Internet Rights Alliance Annual Convening and Capacity Building, Protecting Refugees: Digital Resilience & Information Integrity by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Digital Rights Academy.
The PIN team members at the Forum are: Thobekile Matimbe, Senior Manager for Partnerships and Engagements; Sani Suleiman, Programmes Officer; Chiti Mbizule, Programmes Officer for the Southern African region; and Moussa Waly Sene, Programmes Officer for the Francophone African region.
The forum organised by Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is a critical platform to explore themes such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Governance, and Human Rights, Disinformation and Platform Accountability, Internet Shutdowns, Digital Inclusion, and Digital Safety and Resilience, which shape the future of the internet on the continent.
PIN’s participation underscores the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that all technological advancements and policies globally translate into greater digital freedoms and opportunities, not restrictions.
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