The 2024 Digital Rights and Inclusion in Africa Report- Londa Report has been released by human rights organization, Paradigm Initiative (PIN).
The report features a new Score Index ranking countries on the continent according to their compliance with key human rights elements. South Africa tops the list of countries which are compliant to key human rights elements followed by Ghana, Zambia, Namibia and Rwanda respectively. Other countries on the top 10 list are Nigeria, Senegal, Malawi, Tunisia and Kenya.
The report by was released at the just concluded Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) in Lusaka, Zambia which kicked off on April 29th, 2025 and ended on May 1st, 2025. The Londa report, which focuses on 27 African countries, highlights internet disruptions as a common feature in 2024.
The Index developed by PIN evaluates the compliance of the countries to the key human rights elements described in the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information.
The disruptions were caused by various factors including poor infrastructure. Countries that experienced internet disruptions in Kenya include Comoros, The Gambia, Kenya, Mauritius and Mozambique. The report states that as much as the disruptions in The Gambia were as a result of multiple undersea cable failures, those in Comoros, Kenya, Mauritius and Mozambique were as a result of deliberate internet shutdowns unleashed by their governments.
“The marked increase in internet shutdowns is a reflection of the reluctance of some African countries to comply with international human rights law and a demonstrated dereliction of duty towards national, regional and international obligations to promote freedom of expression and access to information,” the report states.
Other issues that the report highlights are; the cost of data which affected the ability of women to afford data bundles for internet access, crackdown on freedom of expression, criminalisation of false news contrary to international standards recommending that governments prefer civil sanctions to address false news, lack of legal frameworks that address online gender-based violence, need for governments to proactively disclose information and use digital platforms to enhance access to information. The report also takes note of activities which steered the Africa continent towards digital access. Regarding online safety for children and vulnerable groups, the report indicates that most African countries lack specific child online safety policies and are stuck on child protection laws that do not cover protection in the digital age.
The report presents the level of compliance by African countries with human rights obligations, demonstrating how some countries such as Kenya have retrogressed regarding promotion of internet access with countries such as Somalia taking strides towards affordable internet access. The report can be accessed here.
The DRIF event held at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre (MICC) attracted more than 1,300 delegates from 65 countries across the world. It brought together policymakers, civil society actors, non-governmental organisations, tech innovators, representatives from the United Nations (UN), diplomatic corps, development agencies, donors/funders, media professionals, government representatives and representatives from the academia and the private sector.
Key speakers at the forum included Hon. Felix Mutati, Zambia’s Minister of Technology and Science, Advocate Pansy Tlakula- the Chairperson of the Information Regulator of South Africa, Usama Khilji – Executive Director of Bolo Bhi, ‘Gbenga Sesan- Executive Director at Paradigm Initiative and Beatrice Mutali- UN Resident Coordinator Zambia.
Held under the theme, Promoting Digital Ubuntu in Approaches to Technology, the event was hosted by Paradigm Initiative (PIN) in conjunction with; Bloggers of Zambia, Common Cause Zambia, Internet Society Zambia, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Zambia, Zambian Cybersecurity Initiative Foundation (ZCSI), and the Zambia Ministry of Technology and Science.
The event’s thematic areas were; Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Trust and Accountability, Data Protection, Privacy and Cybersecurity, Digital Inclusion and Marginalised Groups, Digital Security, Human Rights and Freedoms.
DRIF 2025 sponsors include Ford Foundation, Luminate, Mott Foundation, Google, Meta, Wellsprings Philanthropic Fund, Kingdom of the Netherlands, MacArthur Foundation, and Wikimedia Foundation.
The forum featured 122 sessions including workshops, day zero events, exhibitions, tech demos, lightning talks and panel sessions. The sessions were selected from 345 proposals received by the organisation. In 2024, PIN received 245 session proposals and hosted over 80 sessions. In 2023, the organisation hosted 70 sessions.
PIN also launched the 5th short film titled, Whispers in the Wires, which premiered on April 30th, 2025 at the DRIF event. The movie is based on the 2023 Londa report. Also launched was the PIN Book titled The PIN Story: A Work in Progress, highlighting the organisation’s journey from a tiny cybercafe in Lagos, Nigeria to a leading pan-African digital rights and inclusion organisation.
DRIF provides a platform for hosting critical global issues on digital rights and inclusion, accommodating views and opinions from civil society, technology companies, government, academia, and other stakeholders. The upcoming edition will build on the discussions from the 11th edition, which focused on the theme, Fostering Rights and Inclusion in the Digital Age.