Bulanda Tapiwa Nkhowani on FIFAfrica 2025
At this year’s Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica), one theme stood out across panels, workshops and hallway conversations: digital sovereignty. It emerged as a shared point of reference, invoked by states, civil society, researchers, and tech communities alike.
Now, beyond the discussions and its guiding thread we wonder: what can digital sovereignty mean for Africa? From new data and digital policies, to infrastructure negotiations, to local startups contributing innovations, the possibilities are wide-ranging. Yet there are also risks: states dominating the narrative, exclusion of marginalized groups, and external influences shaping the agenda.
Rather than offering a single definition, the conversations at FIFAfrica pointed to sovereignty as a common desire. A desire for a digital future that is open, equitable, and representative of African needs, cultures, languages and aspirations. Whether or not all actors agree on the path forward, the call itself may be powerful enough to drive alignment.
AI regulation: Between Hype, Harm and Hope
While Digital Sovereignty was very much the common element of most conversations, Artificial Intelligence managed to remain at the center stage. The debates reflected ongoing tensions: should regulation come before investment? Can innovation and rights-based frameworks coexist? What does it mean to develop AI responsibly while the digital divide remains so present? Two competing positions seemed most visible: on the one hand, government representatives advocating for investment in digital infrastructure; on the other, voices from the civil society putting forward the need to support innovation as much as development. What’s clear is that AI is not an issue of the future, it is already central to Africa’s digital trajectory today. It is seen as a transformative element in technology, and a source of potential benefits for many sectors. The concerns, however, are quite present; especially for those striving to keep human rights at the core of the field.
What’s clear is that AI is not an issue of the future, it is already central to Africa’s digital trajectory today. It is seen as a transformative element in technology, and a source of potential benefits for many sectors. The concerns, however, are quite present; especially for those striving to keep human rights at the core of the field.
CIPESA’s recent report State of AI in Africa, reflects on many of these issues and points with nuance the complex realities that compete when discussing the impact of AI, from its promises to its dangers.
Other Signals in the Ecosystem
Platform accountability
We paid special attention to discussions regarding the big companies that continue to set the tone in how we use the web. The discussions, sadly confirmed most of our suspicions: civil society in general is exhausted with unfruitful big tech advocacy. However, the vibrant exploration of alternatives to hold these platforms accountable shows hope is all but lost, and it is crucial to continue to support and expand it.
It was disheartening to see many actors still in limbo about how to move forward in holding Big Tech accountable. While the African Union was mentioned as a force powerful enough to grab big tech’s attention, many agreed that it cannot be the only route. A multi-pronged, multi-stakeholder regional approach is needed, one that includes governments and regional bodies as key allies. Encouragingly, there was renewed energy around rethinking what meaningful, equitable engagement with tech giants could look like for Africa.
Digital public infrastructure
Conversations around DPI focused largely on development and implementation by states, foreign tech companies, multilaterals, and foreign governments. From where we sit, however, this leaves key questions about the exclusion of the needs of marginalised and vulnerable groups, potential human rights violations, and the extent of foreign influence in domestic infrastructure.
Encryption under threat
Encryption, which plays a critical role in protecting journalists and human rights defenders from surveillance, is increasingly under attack. We could sense the urgency in the discussions encouraging the space to pay attention to legislation designed to limit and even criminalize its use. Typically African advocates pay attention to cybercrime violations on free expression, privacy, assembly and other challenges, while anti-encryption provisions go unnoticed due to their highly technical nature.
The reality remains, however, that anti-encryption legislation is gaining ground, with countries like Ethiopia and Benin having already passed restrictive laws. Efforts are increasingly being aligned to come up with strategic policy advocacy, and in this ISOC is leading an important part of the conversation through the Global Encryption Coalition.
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence
Women’s rights continue to be violated online; a reality that sadly, is not exclusive to the continent. It was heartening to see many initiatives focused on tackling tech-facilitated gender-based violence, however, including the upcoming Model Handbook for Gender Responsive and Transformative Data Governance in Africa by Pollicy which seeks to ensure equitable representation of diverse gender perspectives in African data ecosystems.
Advancing our Cross-regional Lens
This year’s FIFAfrica was particularly meaningful for our organization: for the first time, a team member working primarily in the SWANA region, our dear Lucie Doumanian, joined the event. It was a small but important step toward deepening cross-regional connections in our work. We believe regional forums can and should be spaces where knowledge and solidarity flow across borders, especially among communities from the Global Majority.
We believe “South–South” exchanges are crucial to strengthening our collective capacity, identifying shared struggles, and building coordinated responses. Whether the topic is AI governance, platform accountability, or digital sovereignty, we’re convinced that these challenges call for more regional collaboration, in our own shared terms.
Lucie’s presence at FIFAfrica carried particular weight for us. She has worked closely with communities in the SWANA region for nearly a decade, often in contexts shaped by surveillance, repression, armed conflict and deep emotional weight. Returning from Namibia, she described the experience as “an outburst of inspiration.” Being among partners from across the African continent stirred something vital. It was a reminder that another reality is already being drawn. One where digital sovereignty isn’t borrowed, inherited or imposed, but imagined from scratch, on a blank page, in our own language.
One clear takeaway: if the African continent continues to move as a region toward regulating Big Tech—rather than as isolated national efforts—the results could be transformative. That collective push holds lessons for other regions navigating the power asymmetries of platform governance. What would it take to act together, at scale, to protect people and define our digital futures?
Lucie also returned with a sharp insight about shifting alliances. In this moment, governments are not always opponents; in some contexts they can be among the few institutions actively confronting Big Tech. For civil society, this creates a new and unusual landscape in which collaboration is not only possible, but necessary.
The challenge is how to make it work without losing independence, clarity, or ambition.
And finally, she highlighted the importance of seeing civil society not just as NGOs, local or international. Civil society includes journalists, researchers, community networks, technologists, startups, even parts of the public and private sectors. If we’re serious about rethinking AI, digital sovereignty, or the architectures of our online lives, those conversations have to be radically inclusive, and also grounded in the perspectives, urgencies and visions of all those who live with the consequences.