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Preserve digital rights and access to digital infrastructure
With over 500 million Africans accessing the internet, there is an opportunity to extend the protections enshrined in international conventions to online users. These rights include access to information, privacy, freedom of expression and association. This is especially important now, when according to Freedom House's Internet freedom report, internet freedom has declined globally. The situation is not different across many countries in Africa. There have been reports of internet shutdowns, bans on some digital platforms, and laws that compromise data privacy. Furthermore, the arrest and detention of prominent innovation leaders in the continent bring the issues of digital freedom to the fore, as such acts as digital censorship, surveillance, content moderation, and infodemic algorithm discrimination, among others. It is, therefore, critical that efforts are made to bring the remaining 700 million Africans online as the first step towards promoting all-encom- passing digital rights. This will involve infrastructure investments to reduce the cost of accessing the internet, which is still beyond the reach of many people in Africa. At present, Africa is the region that is furthest from meeting the UN’s ‘1 for 2’ target for internet affordability, according to the latest edition of the Alliance for Affordable Internet report.
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