CIVICUS speaks with ‘Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, about the state of digital rights and online civic space in Africa.

Across the African continent, governments are tightening control over the internet, criminalising dissent and using surveillance to silence critics. As tightening online civic space mirrors broader authoritarian trends, civil society faces growing challenges to protect freedom of expression. Paradigm Initiative works across Africa to promote digital inclusion and advocate for safer, more open online spaces, calling for stronger collaboration, documentation and digital protection.

What inspired you to work on digital rights?

When I was a child, I was denied access to a computer and that day I made myself a promise: to help young people who faced the same barrier. After finishing school, I joined a civil society group to fulfil that promise and years later I became an engineer.

I spent years training young people in technology, but in Nigeria at the time even learning to code or use computers could put you at risk under the strict cybercrime laws. Every person we trained could be arrested simply because the government saw their skills as a threat; the police assumed anyone with a laptop was a cybercriminal. And they weren’t the only ones: journalists were being targeted by cybercrime laws too.

We soon realised protecting young people meant more than just teaching them skills. It means engaging in policy advocacy to change that law. That’s when we began documenting rights violations and creating safe spaces for civic engagement.

What began as a small project to give young people access to technology evolved into a regional movement for digital rights when mobile internet became popular. At that time, many other African governments started viewing the internet as a threat to their power and feared young people would use it to organise a revolution and depose them. Cybercrime laws became more oppressive, and our advocacy work more necessary. Today, our organisation documents violations in 27 countries and has developed a platform where anyone in Africa can report abuses and learn how to protect themselves online.

What are the main challenges to digital rights in Africa today?

As physical civic space shrinks, many turn to digital platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Twitter/X to debate, mobilise and organise. But online freedom of expression and access to these platforms is also under attack. Authorities fear photos or videos exposing repression could go viral, so they shut platforms down or use them to track and monitor activists. They are also afraid of opposition voices getting louder, so they target people for speaking out. Activists are getting arrested solely for posting online, even if it’s just a peaceful comment.

Freedom of assembly is also at risk. For example, five years ago, live videos showed young Nigerians being killed during anti-police brutality protests. It was a massacre. When we tried to go to the place the shooting took place and honour their memory, we were intimidated and some were arrested.

Data privacy is another major issue. In Nigeria, someone protesting at an embassy had their passport application details leaked online. In Zimbabwe, during COVID-19, the health status of an opposition leader was deliberately shared to intimidate supporters.

Do you expect these challenges to get any better in the near future?

No, I don’t. Many authoritarian countries, including Cameroon and Tanzania, are holding elections this year and their governments fear people will use the internet to share results or expose fraud.

Across Africa, governments are learning from each other, copying tactics to silence people. They are passing laws that effectively legalise human rights violations, making intimidation and surveillance appear legitimate. Internet shutdowns have become routine during elections, and civil society leaders in countries such as Cameroon and Ethiopia face harassment, smear campaigns and threats simply for documenting abuses. Some organisations have been deregistered or labelled as criminal or terrorist groups.

Emerging technologies like AI make things more complicated as they can easily be used to spread disinformation and divisive content to manipulate or intimidate citizens.

What role do tech companies play, and what should they be doing?

Social media platforms that were once safe spaces for civic engagement are now aligned with governments. These companies have clear obligations under United Nations human rights frameworks to prevent abuses online, yet they often ignore them when commercial or political interests come into play. It’s easier to cooperate with the dictators in power than risk being banned and losing profits.

This puts anyone using these platforms to organise or speak out at risk. If a government labels an activist group as a terrorist organisation, they can easily obtain users’ data. Considering the number of people using platforms such as Facebook, TikTok and Twitter/X, the scale of this problem is enormous.

When platforms become unsafe, it’s not just individuals who suffer: the entire civic space is undermined, including the space for elections and youth mobilisation. Tech companies must be held accountable for enabling human rights abuses and prioritising profits over people.

What can civil society do to improve digital governance?

The first step is to acknowledge the reality we’re living in. Hope is important, but it’s not enough. Many people across Africa live under repressive regimes and risk their lives simply for speaking out or protesting.

We must recognise their courage, share their stories and, most importantly, give them the tools to protect themselves. Civil society should equip young activists with digital security knowledge and tools such as secure reporting platforms and VPNs to stay safe. And when violations occur, they must be documented. Evidence is essential for both legal action and advocacy.

No organisation can do this alone. Collaboration is key, including to share strategies, learn from what works in other countries and amplify positive examples. Even small acts, such as documenting protests or honouring victims, can inspire others and preserve collective memory. Only by working together can we keep civic space, online and offline, open and alive.

CIVICUS spoke to ‘Gbenga at this year’s Trust Conference, the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s annual flagship forum.