Call for Proposals: CIPESA Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2025

The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) invites interested parties to submit session proposals to the 2025 edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica25). Successful submissions will help to shape the agenda of the event, which is set to gather policymakers, regulators, human rights defenders, journalists, academics, private sector players, global information intermediaries, bloggers, and developers.

FIFAfrica25 is a leading platform for shaping digital rights, inclusion, and governance conversations. This year, the Forum is headed to Windhoek, Namibia, a beacon of press freedom, gender equity, and progressive jurisprudence, and will take place on September 24–26, 2025.

As part of the registration, they invite session proposals, including panel discussions, lightning talks, exhibitions, and skills workshops, to shape the FIFAfrica25 agenda.

Tracks of Interest

They encourage proposals that are in line with the following tracks (with some overlap of topics between tracks):

• Digital Inclusion: (Topics can include – Minority communities, language, persons with disabilities, women, children, gig workers, etc.)
• Digital Resilience and Safety: (Topics can include – Security tools upskilling, practical skills sessions, open source software, localisation, etc.)
• Freedom of Expression & Access to Information: (Topics can include – online rights and freedoms, public accountability.)
• Platform Accountability (Tech governance concerns and content moderation)
• Implications of AI: (Topics can include – Regulatory gaps, policy readiness, usage, localisation, content regulation.)
• Digital Economy: (Topics can include – digital transformation, digital trade, data sovereignty, cross-border data flows, policy alignment, data privacy)
• Digital Democracy: (Topics can include – Internet shutdowns, data privacy, digital surveillance, civic tech, digital public infrastructure)

Funding of CIPESA Forum

• Limited funding is available to support attendance (travel and/or accommodation) for successful applications.

Check : Call for Proposals: TBLT in Action Symposium 2025

Eligibility for CIPESA Forum

Open to:

• Civil society organisations
• Independent researchers and academics
• Journalists and media practitioners
• Policy-makers and government actors
• Regional and international organisations
• Private sector actors

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Application

To submit your session proposal or request event support, complete the FIFAfrica25 Proposal Submission Form by June 20, 2025.

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