FIFAfrica |
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, we invite session proposals, including panel discussions, lightning talks, exhibitions, and skills workshops, to shape the FIFAfrica25 agenda.
CIPESA is committed to ensuring a diversity of voices, backgrounds, and viewpoints in attendance and as organisers and speakers at panels at FIFAfrica. In line with this, there is limited funding to support travel for participation at FIFAfrica25. Preference will be given to applicants who can partially support their attendance and those who organise sessions.
We 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)
Who Can Apply
- Civil society organisations
- Independent researchers and academics
- Journalists and media practitioners
- Policy-makers and government actors
- Regional and international organisations
- Private sector actors
Types of Sessions
Session formats include:
- Panel discussions
- Lightning talks
- Workshops
- Interactive roundtables
- Exhibitions
Event Support
Limited funding is available to support attendance (travel and/or accommodation) for successful applications.
How to Submit a Proposal
To submit your session proposal or request event support, please complete the FIFAfrica25 Proposal Submission Form by June 20, 2025.
Key Dates
For questions or additional information, please contact: internetfreedom@cipesa.org
| Milestone | Date |
| Submissions close | June 20, 2025 |
| Notification of Selected Proposals | July 04, 2025 |
