The Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica) is an annual multi-stakeholder event focus on protecting and promoting internet rights throughout Africa, as well as increasing collaboration between African tool developers and frontline defenders.
On September 26-29, 2023, The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), in partnership with the Tanzanian Ministry of Information, Communications and Information Technology, hosted the tenth edition of FIFAfrica in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
This landmark event convened a spectrum of stakeholders from across the internet governance and digital rights arenas in Africa and beyond to deliberate on gaps, concerns and opportunities for advancing privacy, free expression, inclusion, the free flow of information, civic participation, and innovation online. Activities included a multilingual digital security walk-in clinic/helpdesk; exhibitions on digital wellbeing and tool developments; skills workshops on topics such as bridging the digital divide and promoting accessibility of open source tools for people with disabilities; and dialogues on topical issues such as coalition and movement building in the fight against internet shutdowns in Africa.
The lead-up to the 2023 gathering included a “Road Trip to FIFAfrica23”—a mobile digital security/resilience support for communities, human rights defenders, and civil society organizations across eight major towns between Uganda and Tanzania.
