DIGITAL INCLUSION RIGHTS AND FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY

A lot more needs to be done to democratise the digital space in Africa, argues Olasupo Abideen

Earlier in the month, the world celebrated Global Encryption Day to further reaffirm the need to remain safe online and offline while promoting end-to-end encryption as the gold standard of online security across the world. The whole month of October itself is considered as the global cybersecurity awareness month. In a world where people seem to spend more time online, it has become pertinent to ensure people can communicate with another person safely without any attempt by a third party to access or tamper with their messages or the risk of such messages being used to cause real-life harm.

Beyond safety in the digital space, the access and opportunity to harness digital tools in the African climes remains a major concern. Issues around infrastructural and capacity deficit, digital inequality gaps, and sociocultural predisposition continue to widen the gap between the status quo and an ideal digital future in the global south.

According to the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the African region has the lowest ICT usage figures compared to other regions and also experiences a deep digital divide. As of 2020, a country like Liberia has barely 20% internet penetration according to the Alliance for Affordable Internet.

The importance of internet penetration goes beyond how easy it makes life for users. Sometimes, quality of life and outright survival can be dependent on access to digital tools. During the pandemic, efforts intensified to improve digital communications across all facets of life. This did not only ensure that digital technologies became pivotal but also made digital literacy integral to adapting and communicating in the society, but in some African countries like Liberia, it only led to a further divide people the minority that access to the internet and the public which doesn’t. 

Similarly, public institutions like the Nigerian Immigration Service, National Identity Management Commission amongst other agencies substantially deployed digital tools to enhance its processes. Public institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) led the way with online submission of lists of party agents, development of results viewing portal accessible to all everyone. This was followed by the design and implementation of the pre-registration portal for Continuous Voters Registration in 2021 which enabled potential voters to commence registration process online before finalizing biometrics physically. This to a large extent improved the process and decongested registration centers as potential registrants were assigned dates to visit INEC offices in their local government areas to complete their registration. In this vein, just like voting is a right in every democracy, the ability to navigate from registration to voting proper in the midst of technological advancement in the process is as important.

Also, the proliferation of mobile applications for virtually all institutions like banks, insurance agencies, pension administrators, transportation companies amongst others only means digital literacy has gone beyond a luxury knowledge to an essential one.

And with this increase in digital footprint should come a corresponding increase in investment into securing the data that is processed. Digital rights, which are basically a fundamental human right, are expected to enable individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital contents using computers, mobile phones, internet and other electronic devices, and telecommunications networks. However, Africa and specifically Nigeria still face challenges in accessing what has become a necessity in order to effectively participate as active citizens.

A young person residing in urban and suburban locations in Nigeria still struggles with the purchasing power required for a sophisticated smartphone and bandwidth to use important applications. This is largely due to the skyrocketing inflation rate which has also affected the cost of internet data and restricts citizen’s access to few selected platforms. In the midst of this, it’s almost impossible to overlook inhabitants of rural areas whose important means of communication is a transistor radio and at best, a simple mobile that barely makes and receives calls.

Another important hindrance to digital access especially in Africa has been the attitude of the government toward Information Technology (IT) and information infrastructure. This is largely due to vague legislations that are mostly implemented and violated arbitrarily. The government ban on Twitter (now X) from 5th June 2021 to 13 January 2022 is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians. This not only restricted access to information via the platforms but prevented digital access as far that platform is concerned all through the seven months period of the ban.

In recent times, even as the Malabo protocol was ratified, a handful of African leaders have arbitrarily shut down internet access especially during elections. In August,Gabon’s government shut down internet access after an election reportedly marked by major voting delay and accusations of manipulation. Most recently, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) on October 14 announced the ban on using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in Tanzania which undermines the rights of Tanzanian citizens to access information, communicate securely, and express themselves freely online.

 According to Access Now in 2022 alone, government authorities shut down the internet in at least 35 countries at least 187 times. This is basically the highest number ever recorded in a single year. In Africa, seven countries-imposed shutdowns nine times, a significant decrease from 2021 where 12 countries disrupted the internet 19 times.

In climes where leaders in democratic societies are autocratic to the extent of shutting down digital platforms in a bid to shut down dissenting voices, democracy itself becomes under threat and defending the system of government becomes even more arduous. As digital literacy continues to become a prerequisite for actively participating in democratic system of government, a lot more needs to be done to democratize the digital space, especially around access, knowledge, security and privacy.

 Abideen serves as the Kwara State coordinator of the NotTooYoungToRun movement and Global Director, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative