Paradigm Initiative to Advocate for Digital Rights at FIFAfrica25 in Namibia

Pan-African digital rights organisation Paradigm Initiative (PIN) is participating in the annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25), held from 24 to 26 September 2025 in Windhoek, Namibia. 

The forum brings together policymakers, journalists, global platform operators, telecom companies, regulators, human rights defenders, academics, and law enforcement representatives to address Africa’s most pressing digital rights and inclusion challenges.

PIN will leverage insights from its research and advocacy work to highlight emerging threats such as internet shutdowns, data breaches, the shrinking of online civic space, misinformation, and heightened surveillance risks. These issues, PIN notes, significantly undermine human rights and impede the continent’s digital development and aspirations for inclusive, prosperous societies powered by technology.

During the forum, PIN is hosting a Digital Rights Academy and participating in six sessions on diverse themes, including digital rights, journalist protection, cybersecurity, and capacity building. Notable sessions include the Regional Assessment for National Commitments and Ecosystem Support for Digital Inclusion in Africa, the Book Launch: Internet Shutdowns in Africa: Technology, Rights, and Power, and the Africa Cybersecurity Advocacy Workshop organised by the Internet Society (ISOC).

The PIN delegation comprises Thobekile Matimbe, Senior Manager for Partnerships and Engagements; Sani Suleiman, Programmes Officer; Chiti Mbizule, Programmes Officer for Southern Africa; and Moussa Waly Sene, Programmes Officer for Francophone Africa. The team will also engage in bilateral meetings and discussions with governments, private sector actors, and civil society to advocate for human rights-centric internet governance.

Organised by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), FIFAfrica25 serves as a critical platform for discussions on Artificial Intelligence, digital governance, platform accountability, internet shutdowns, digital inclusion, and online safety. PIN’s participation underscores the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that technological advances and policies translate into greater digital freedoms and opportunities across the continent.