We are pleased to announce that our report on Digital Rights Literacy in Southern Africa is now available.
This research was done by Chenai Chair on behalf of MISA Zimbabwe in partnership with DW Akademie focusing on digital rights literacy in Southern Africa with a specific focus on Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi, and, as part of the regional Digital Rights Literacy Campaign.
Prioritizing digital rights is a challenge for most African states as they must compete with other priority challenges such as poverty eradication, inadequate healthcare or limited access to education. There is a need to engage governments and policymakers for them to understand that digital rights are necessary as they enable the promotion of other human rights. At the same time, there is need for ordinary users and other critical stakeholders to understand their rights online so that they can demand them. There is a need to raise awareness through digital rights literacy campaigns.
The purpose of this study is to provide a contextual understanding of digital rights in Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The methodology of the study involves accessing secondary data through desk research and conducting qualitative interviews for an in-depth understanding of the status of digital rights in the respective countries. It maps out the current legislative environment and how it shapes digital rights, taking note of how the national chapters of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) have responded to these. It goes on to unpack themes on emerging issues found across the four countries before giving recommendations for digital literacy campaigns.
You can download a PDF copy of the report here.
