ICT for development

The fifth session of the African Internet Resilience webinar series took place on 30 July. The focus of the session was to foster a deeper understanding of complementary networks and address the need for internet services in rural and underserved areas across the continent.

Welcome to the 28th monthly round-up of developments impacting your local access networks.

APC member organisation Rudi International, based in the DRC, asks how civil society organisations can involve legislators and policy makers in digital rights advocacy.

On 28-30 September 2020, the seventh edition of the annual Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa will be co-hosted by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa and Paradigm Initiative, with a hybrid approach that blends online and physical interactions.

As a part of the ITU's pandemic response, the platform REG4COVID was launched, providing a space for regulators and civil society to share their own initiatives. APC asked their community network partners to contribute to the platform, given the general absence of civil society input.

The Kenyan government has introduced a digital tax programme that presents a challenge to pre-existing and new technology companies under the small and medium-sized categories (SMEs), which are the backbone of the country’s economy.

Because of the pandemic, India has been under lockdown since March. What does this mean for rural communities, only 20% of whom have access to the internet? Community networks established by organisations like Digital Empowerment Foundation are bringing critical services to 100 villages of India.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed how citizens become vulnerable when governments do not protect and promote human rights in the online environment. The pandemic has critically affected the global education sector, potentially compromising the right to education.