Between March and June 2021, the EIDR Unit offered a course on digital rights in Africa. The course was offered in partnership with Paradigm Initiative as part of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Media Fellowship (DRIMF). DRIMF is a twice a year program run by Paradigm Initiative that is aimed at enhancing the knowledge of its participants in the area of digital rights.
The digital rights course targeted 30 participants from various countries in Africa and was delivered by renowned digital rights experts through themes such as elections in the digital age, artificial intelligence, privacy and data protection, rights of vulnerable and marginalised groups, freedom of expression, and access to information in the digital age. The course also nurtured advocacy skills deemed relevant in fostering strategic partnerships with major stakeholders.
As part of the course and a contribution to the CHR’s Tech4Rights campaign, the EIDR Unit developed a series of podcasts with the DRIMF fellows including:
- An episode discussing women’s rights in the digital age in Africa. The conversation between Hlengiwe Dube and Khadijah El-Usman highlighted the benefits of access to the internet and other digital technologies to women; the digital gender divide, meaningful connectivity and barriers to meaningful connectivity; violence against women online; and possible remedies.
- A discussion between Marystella Simiyu and Lukman Mahami Adams on the feasibility of digital technologies in improving election integrity in Africa.
- An episode featuring Bulanda Nkhowani, Amina Idris and Koliwe Majama on access to the internet and internet governance in Africa, drawing experiences from Zambia and Nigeria.
- A talk by Laurah Arudi Maina, Kofi Yeboah and Emsie Erastus on the rights of sexual miroities online, and confronting online violence against sexual minorities
