How digital democracy is expanding in some regions while facing severe authoritarian pushback in others
Originally published on Global Voices
Researchers, authors, and Paradigm Initiative team members stand on stage during the official launch of the LONDA 2025 report at DRIF26 in Abidjan. Photo by Paradigm Initiative. License: CC BY-NC-ND.
Paradigm Initiative recently published the LONDA 2025 report, exposing the fragile state of digital rights across 29 African countries. While a few nations enacted progressive laws to protect user data, many governments intensified internet shutdowns, surveillance, and arrests to control online spaces. The comprehensive document highlights how digital democracy is expanding in some regions while facing severe authoritarian pushback in others.
The annual report evaluates country compliance with international human rights standards using a score index. Researchers assess 12 key indicators, including internet shutdowns, digital inclusion, false news criminalization, data protection, and child online safety. They assign scores out of 60 to gauge how well governments protect the freedoms outlined in the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) Declaration.
A continent divided: Regional score shifts
The LONDA 2025 report reveals stark contrasts in how different regions handle digital freedoms. By comparing 2024 and 2025 scores, researchers noted both significant legislative leaps and concerning democratic regressions across the continent.
In Southern Africa, Botswana emerged as a notable success story. The country jumped from a score of 28 in 2024 to 35 in 2025. Lawmakers implemented the Data Protection Act and the Access to Information Act, strengthening citizens’ privacy rights. Furthermore, Botswana maintained a perfect record of zero internet shutdowns. Namibia also made strides by rolling out its Universal Service Fund (USF), which provided 4G access to more than 9,000 citizens for the first time. However, neighboring Mozambique barely improved, rising from 23 to 24, as authorities approved regulations allowing telecommunications suspensions during perceived threats to public security.
However, progress in one nation does not guarantee regional safety, as seen in Zambia. The country maintained a relatively stable digital landscape throughout 2025. Yet, early in 2026, the Zambian government suddenly forced a last-minute postponement of RightsCon, the world’s largest gathering of human rights defenders in the digital age. In reality, this unexpected decision amounted to a complete cancellation of the massive event, catching organizers and attendees off guard less than a week before it was scheduled to begin. Shutting the door on a monumental global event is a sudden and severe restriction of civic space. It directly contradicts any prior progress Zambia claimed to have made. Digital rights advocates are already questioning how far Zambia’s score will plummet in the upcoming 2026 review. This incident proves that a government can undo years of digital rights progress with a single political decision.
West Africa presented a mixed bag of progress and backsliding. Senegal saw its score rise from 34 to 38. The ECOWAS Court of Justice issued a landmark ruling condemning the Senegalese state for its 2023 internet blackouts, establishing a vital legal precedent for digital rights. Consequently, the Senegalese government kept the internet on throughout 2025. Conversely, Togo’s score dropped from 29 to 28. During civic protests in June 2025, Togolese authorities severely disrupted access to platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram.
Nigeria experienced a slight dip, moving from 36 to 35. While the Nigerian Data Protection Commission actively enforced privacy laws, the cost of telecommunications services increased for the first time since 2013, and opaque content takedowns remained a persistent issue. The Gambia achieved moderate compliance, notably enacting a data protection law in November 2025, but it still lacks a functional USF after 15 years of promises.
In North Africa, Egypt climbed from a score of 32 to 38. The government launched the second edition of its National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy and adopted an open data policy. Despite this progress, existing laws still permit surveillance for indefinite periods without clear safeguards.
Further south, Sudan dropped to an abysmal score of 20 from 21 in 2024. The ongoing conflict decimated connectivity, with authorities shutting down the internet during exams and armed groups seizing citizens’ electronic devices to inspect private communications. In East Africa, Kenya recorded internet throttling during a period of unrest in June and restricted Telegram during national exams. Tanzania also plunged its citizens into a total digital blackout during its October elections, accompanied by over 1,700 arrests and restricting access to the social media platform X.
The ongoing struggle against shutdowns and censorship
At the continental level, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) is actively pushing back against digital repression.
In 2024, the commission passed Resolution 580, which explicitly urges states to keep the internet open and secure before, during, and after elections. Building on this, they passed Resolution 630 in 2025, which guides tech companies on maintaining information integrity and conducting transparent human rights impact assessments. Despite these clear directives, internet shutdowns remain a favored tool for several African governments facing political tension.
The LONDA report documented deliberate network disruptions in multiple nations. In Cameroon, the government cut off electronic communication systems between October 23 and November 7. This disruption coincided directly with the delayed announcement of the 2025 presidential election results and severe political tension.
When authorities do not shut down the internet entirely, they often use restrictive legislation to target dissenting voices. Across the continent, governments weaponize penal codes and cybercrime laws to silence journalists and activists under the guise of combating false news. In Benin, the application of the Digital Code resulted in the arbitrary arrest of several newspaper editors and digital activists who criticized the administration.
Similarly, Somalia security forces frequently targeted journalists, confiscating their electronic devices without formal charges. In Ghana, authorities continue to misapply the Electronic Communications Act to arrest and harass media professionals, even though the country repealed its criminal libel laws years ago. These actions directly violate international human rights law and create a chilling effect that forces citizens to self-censor.
Surveillance, privacy, and the gender divide
The digital landscape is becoming increasingly dangerous for vulnerable groups. Technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) is a growing epidemic that most legal frameworks fail to address adequately. The report highlighted severe gendered disinformation campaigns in Benin, specifically aimed at keeping women out of politics. Attackers spread false narratives relying on misogyny to demean women leaders and discourage female political participation.
Surveillance technologies also pose a massive threat to privacy across Africa. In Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Togo, citizens face targeted communications surveillance. In Togo, the government deployed a new cybersecurity center, creating a climate of fear and pushing journalists and youth to self-censor their online communications. Most nations lack the necessary judicial oversight to prevent intelligence agencies from abusing these monitoring tools.
To bridge the digital divide, many countries established Universal Service Funds (USF) to finance connectivity in rural and low-income areas. While Botswana and Malawi actively used these funds to connect rural schools, many other nations manage their funds with zero transparency. The lack of robust USF implementation leaves marginalized communities, including people with disabilities, locked out of the digital economy.
There is a glimmer of hope regarding child online safety. In 2025, Kenya issued industry guidelines for child online protection, Lesotho launched similar guidelines developed in 2024, and Tunisia adopted the National Charter for the Protection of Children Online. However, most countries still lack specific laws protecting children from cyberbullying, online grooming, and data profiling. Artificial intelligence governance is also slowly taking root, with Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Zambia developing National AI strategies in 2025 to guide future technological integration.
A traditional dancer performs for attendees during the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF26) hosted by Paradigm Initiative in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where the LONDA 2025 report was officially launched. Photo by Paradigm Initiative. License: CC BY-NC-ND.
Amplifying the message through film
Reports and data are vital for documentation, but changing hearts and minds requires compelling storytelling. To bring the struggles documented in these pages to life, Paradigm Initiative produced the short film “Signal.” Extracted directly from the findings of the LONDA 2024 report, the movie sheds light on the hidden costs of exclusion for vulnerable and rural communities left on the margins of the digital world. It demonstrates that for these people, the most important messages are often the ones that struggle to get through. Every plot point in the film mirrors the exact realities citizens faced across the continent over the past two years.
When digital democracy disappears, so does the power of the people. The LONDA 2025 report serves as a critical warning and a roadmap. While a few African nations are building inclusive, rights-respecting digital economies, too many others are constructing digital architectures of control.
