Wednesday, August 30, 2023:

Leading pan-African organisation, Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has announced the three winners of its Digital Rights and Inclusion Learning Lab (DRILL) Fellowship.

The outstanding candidates, Ms. Ameni Saidani from Tunisia, Ms. Sibongile Mokapane from Lesotho and Mr. Wahome Wilson from Kenya emerged tops from a pool of 1,265 applicants drawn from across the continent. 

The program which takes place between August and December 2023 will allow the fellows to be embedded in the digital rights and inclusion ecosystem. Through the fellowship, PIN seeks to host innovative learning around digital rights and inclusion in Africa and serve as a space for enhanced capacity and networking. 

Saidani is a Project Assistant at Ibsar Association, Mokapane is an Advocacy Specialist at Politics4Her and Wilson is a Research and Consulting Lead at Lawyers Hub Kenya.

Saidani is a dedicated advocate with a primary focus on digital rights, particularly for individuals with disabilities. With a comprehensive background spanning over four years in civil society engagement, Ameni has demonstrated an unyielding commitment to digital inclusivity and equity. Holding dual Master’s degrees in “Disability and Rehabilitation” and “Sign Language Interpretation,” she blends academic prowess with hands-on experience. 

Mokapane is a passionate human rights lawyer specialising in women and children’s rights, digital rights, and gender issues. With an LLB and an LLM degree, she is an advocate admitted to practice and currently working as an advocacy specialist at Politics4Her, focusing on the Women’s Leadership and Political Participation portfolio. 

Wilson is an advocate specialising in the areas of technology and intellectual property. He has a background in a variety of cross-cutting issues that touch on telecommunications law, media law, data protection and privacy. At the Lawyers Hub-Kenya, he works closely with startups and other clients and advises them on issues touching on intellectual property, data protection, telecommunications law and other contractual issues.

Their credentials reflect PIN’s commitment to fostering digital rights and inclusion. “We are excited to welcome Ameni, Sibongile, and Wahome to the DRILL Fellowship. Their dedication to digital rights and their respective areas of expertise make them valuable additions to our community. We look forward to the positive impact they will create,” said Ms. Bridgette Ndlovu, the Partnerships and Engagements Officer at Paradigm Initiative.

For media inquiries, please contact: media@paradigmhq.org 

About PIN

Paradigm Initiative (PIN) connects underserved young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures the protection of their rights. We have worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007 and across Africa since 2017, building experience, community trust, and an organisational culture that positions us as a leading social enterprise in ICT for Development and Digital Rights on the continent.

 Across our regional offices in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and beyond, we have impacted youth with improved livelihoods through our digital inclusion and digital rights programs. The organization’s programs include Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship (LIFE) training program, Dufuna, a digital readiness workshop for girls, and life at school club program.

 PIN has also built online platforms that educate and serve as safe spaces for reporting digital rights violations. These mediums, in the form of reports, short films, and educational online platforms, include Ayeta, Londa, and Ripoti.

The organisation is also the convener of the annual Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum a platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated and partnerships forged for action.