Internet Access

Democracy in Africa: digital voting technology and social media can be a force for good – and bad

Electoral agents test a voting machine ahead of the DRC’s 2023 elections. Patrick Meinhardt/AFP via Getty Images) By Maxwell Maseko, University of the Witwatersrand It’s a bumper year for elections on the continent: by the end of 2024, 20 countries ought to have gone to the polls to vote in national elections. A handful of others are also scheduled to conduct local-level elections. As is the case elsewhere […]

May 29, 2024 29

Africa

Undersea cables for Africa’s internet retrace history and leave digital gaps as they connect continents

By Jess Auerbach Jahajeeah, University of Cape Town Large parts of west and central Africa, as well as some countries in the south of the continent, were left without internet services on 14 March because of failures on four of the fibre optic cables that run below the world’s oceans. Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana, Burkina Faso and South Africa were among the worst affected. By midday […]

March 18, 2024 12

Entertainment

100 years of radio in Africa: from propaganda to people’s power

By Sisanda Nkoala, University of the Western Cape; Christina Chan-Meetoo, University of Mauritius; Jacinta Mwende Maweu, University of Nairobi; Marissa J. Moorman, Indiana University; Modestus Fosu, Ghana Institute of Journalism, and Stanley Tsarwe, University of Namibia Radio is thriving across Africa. Exact figures are difficult to come by because audience research differs across countries. But studies estimate radio listenership to be between 60% and 80% of the continent’s […]

February 13, 2024 41

Namibia

Namibia’s National Digital Strategy workshop commences in the capital

The fourth validation workshop on Namibia's National Digital Strategy for 2024 to 2028 commenced in Windhoek on Wednesday. The National Digital Strategy aims to articulate the dream of Namibia's digital transformation and enhance the nation's understanding of transformation into a digitally literate, innovative and inclusive society. During the one-day event, Executive Director of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Audrin Mathe, said Namibia stands at a critical moment […]

January 11, 2024 31

Namibia

NSFAF extends application deadline to February

The Namibia Student Financial Assistance Fund has extended the application period until 29 February 2024. However, NSFAF Acting CEO Kennedy Kandume has raised concerns about students facing challenges in applying for financial assistance due to limited access to computers and the internet.

January 10, 2024 38

Africa

DRC takes measures for transparent elections

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo have pledged that internet access will not be cut off at any point during Wednesday's elections. The announcement, according to the BBC, comes as social media users express fear of both blackouts and vote rigging. More than 40 million voters are casting their ballots on Wednesday to elect a president from 19 candidates.

December 20, 2023 11