12th Edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF25) Launched With Calls to Guard the Internet as a Civic Space

The Internet has been singled out as the last standing civic space, with calls being made to countries in the Global South to guard it.

Speaking during the launch of the 2025 Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) in Lusaka, Zambia, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director said, “the last standing civic space we have in the Global South is the Internet. There are many issues, but next year from April 29th to May 1st we will gather here in Lusaka, Zambia. We will be discussing several things here, including the need to fight our own battles and the need to protect civic spaces. There is a fierce urgency of protecting civic space.”

He urged countries on the continent to fight for their own elections and electoral systems, and not other people’s battles, and the usual bad habit of shutting the Internet or introducing laws that make all illegal things become legal. “When I see national security as a phrase in any policy, I’m going to question it,” he added.

Every year, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a pan-African non profit organisation works in collaboration with partners to bring together representatives from government, non-governmental organisations, academia, media, funding partners, the United Nations, the technical community, and the private sector within the digital ecosystem.

During the launch event in Lusaka, PIN unveiled partners it will be working with to host the event. They are; Bloggers of Zambia, Common Cause Zambia, Internews Network Zambia, Zambian Cybersecurity Initiative Foundation (ZCSI), Internet Society Zambia, Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) and the Ministry of Technology and Science.

‘Gbenga urged civil society organisations to work together with mutual respect, “and not become what we fight,” stressing the need to respect existing experience among the organisations.

In his remarks, Richard Mulonga, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bloggers of Zambia stressed the need to fight for digital freedom. “We are freedom fighters in our own way. Every morning we wake up, we have to fight for digital freedom in our own contexts. We should fight for our own African democracy.”

He implored citizens to be on guard and look out for enforcement of digital policies. DRIF25, he added, will be instrumental in promoting Zambia as the country would be hosting global citizens.

On her part, Brenda Zulu, Digital Safety Coordinator at Internews Network Zambia said the organisation was excited to partner with PIN to host DRIF25, and would be offering personalised guidance on safety practices and enhance tools for digital security.

Also announced at the event was the theme of DRIF25 which is, Promoting Digital Ubuntu in Approaches to Technology.

PIN and partners have successively held 11 DRIF editions since 2013, and the 2025 one will be the 12th Edition.The 2024 DRIF was held in Accra, Ghana, attracting 1,044 registered attendees and delegates from 61 countries across the world. In 2023, DRIF which was held in Nairobi, Kenya was attended by 601 participants drawn from 54 countries across the world.

The Forum is an important platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated, and partnerships forged for action. The Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum has carved a niche as the arena for tough topical global issues on digital rights and inclusion, accommodating views and opinions from civil society, technology companies, government, academia, and other stakeholders.