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Staff Writer - October 28, 2020

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The 12th Edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) has been launched. The event, which has over the years brought together hundreds of delegates from non-governmental organisations, academia, media, funding partners, the United Nations, the technical community, government and the private sector within the digital ecosystem, will be held in Lusaka, Zambia between April 29th and May 1st, 2025. Every year, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a pan-African non profit organisation works in collaboration with partners to host the event. Partners who will be working together with PIN to host the 2025 event are; Bloggers of Zambia, Common Cause Zambia, Internews Network Zambia, Zambian Cybersecurity Initiative Foundation (ZCSI), Internet Society Zambia, Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) and the Ministry of Technology and Science. Also announced during the launch was the theme of DRIF25 which is, Promoting Digital Ubuntu in Approaches to Technology. PIN and partners have successively held 11 DRIF editions since 2013. The 2024 DRIF was held in Accra, Ghana, attracting 1,044 registered attendees and delegates from 61 countries across the world. In 2023, DRIF which was held in Nairobi, Kenya was attended by 601 participants drawn from 54 countries across the world. Speaking during the launch of the 2025 Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF), ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director stressed the need to guard the Internet, saying it is the last standing civic space in the Global South. "The last standing civic space we have in the Global South is the Internet. Next year from April 29th to May 1st we will gather here in Lusaka, Zambia. We will be discussing several things here, including the need to fight our own battles and the need to protect civic spaces. There is a fierce urgency of protecting civic space.” He also urged countries on the continent to fight for their own elections and electoral systems, and not other people’s battles, and the usual bad habit of shutting the Internet or introducing laws that make all illegal things become legal. “When I see national security as a phrase in any policy, I’m going to question it,” he added. In his remarks, Richard Mulonga, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bloggers of Zambia said we need to fight for digital freedom. “We are freedom fighters in our own way. Every morning we wake up, we have to fight for digital freedom in our own contexts. We should fight for our own African democracy.” He implored citizens to be on guard and look out for enforcement of digital policies. DRIF25, he added, will be instrumental in promoting Zambia as the country would be hosting global citizens. On her part, Brenda Zulu, Digital Safety Coordinator at Internews Network Zambia said the organisation was excited to partner with PIN to host DRIF25, and would be offering personalised guidance on safety practices and also enhance tools for digital security. The Forum is an important platform where conversations on digital policy in Africa are shaped, policy directions debated, and partnerships forged for action. The Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum has carved a niche as the arena for tough topical global issues on digital rights and inclusion, accommodating views and opinions from civil society, technology companies, government, academia, and other stakeholders.