Broadcasting
Preparing for Digital Disruptions During Africa’s Year of Elections
By ‘Gbenga Sesan
This year, 23 African countries will hold elections – ranging from local to parliamentary and presidential. Considering that election seasons are known to come with many digital rights violations, including internet shutdowns, digital platform clampdowns, privacy breaches and other digital restrictions, it is essential to pay attention, anticipate likely infringements and work to ensure the respect of citizen rights in the digital sphere, alongside others.
Over the last two years, the internet has been shut down by the governments of the Republic of the Congo, Niger, Uganda and Zambia during election periods. Of the five African countries that shut down the internet in 2022, one of them (Somalia) held elections the same year, while three (Sierra Leone, Sudan and Zimbabwe) have elections planned for 2023. Burkina Faso’s shutdown may not be directly linked to elections, but it is connected to the country’s January 2022 coup d’état.
In 2023, presidential elections will hold in Gabon, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe. All of them, except Madagascar, have shut down the internet or restricted the use of digital platforms. Apart from Libya, all the other countries that have elections in 2023 and have disrupted access to the internet or digital platforms before did so within the last three years. Will they do so again, under the guise of preventing the spread of misinformation, countering dangerous speech, possible violence or any other excuse used in the past, as they approach elections in 2023?
Gabon has had the same president since October 2009. After Omar Bongo – who had been the country’s president for 42 years – died in June 2009, his son, Ali Bongo Ondimba, Minister of Defense at the time, won the elections conducted four months later. The January 2019 internet shutdown in Gabon happened during a military coup attempt, and the government refused to respond to civil society enquiry on the reason for the shutdown.
Liberia cut off access to its most popular social media platform during protests in June 2019. Libya’s disputed elections have been postponed three times in the past four years. Still, the country is no stranger to digital rights violations during public interest events, beginning with its February 2011 shutdown of internet and international phone services in response to protests.
In June 2021, Nigeria announced a nationwide shutdown of access to a social media platform considered one of the country’s last-standing civic spaces. Even though an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice ruling declared the government’s decision to suspend Twitter “unlawful and inconsistent with the country’s international obligations” and “ ordered Nigeria to ensure the unlawful suspension would not reoccur and to take necessary steps to amend its laws to be in conformity with the rights and freedoms enshrined in the ACHPR and ICCPR”, the government has refused to confirm that such violations will not reoccur.
In August 2022, Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a Pan African organization that advocates for digital rights and inclusion, and other digital rights stakeholders condemned an internet shutdown that followed during citizen protests in Sierra Leone. Even for a country where only 6.5% of the population has access to the Internet, South Sudan shut down the internet ahead of planned protests in August 2021. Even though a Sudan court ordered the end of the internet shutdown that followed protests against a military coup in October 2021, it did not stop the country from repeating the violation again in June 2022, ahead of planned protests. Speaking on the June 2022 shutdown, the Sudanese Engineers Syndicate said, “…cutting off internet and communication services in Sudan has become a pattern and led to many violations.
In January 2019, Zimbabwe shut down the internet in response to citizens’ protests. At the end of the three-day closure ordered by the government, it asked telecommunications companies to implement shutdowns a second time in the same week. A judge ruled that the shutdown was illegal but that did not stop another shutdown at the end of July 2020.
For countries that have developed the habit of disrupting digital access during significant democratic events, it appears that judicial pronouncements, civil society condemnation or citizen dissent are never enough to prevent future violations. However, it is important to prepare for the likelihood of such violations of digital rights and challenge them to prevent impunity.
As all twenty-three African countries go to the polls, the task of protecting citizen rights – including preventing, condemning and/or seeking redress – does not rest on civil society organisations and activists alone. We must all work to ensure that a continent that lost $261 million to internet shutdowns in 2022 and desperately needs to maximise digital opportunities for its citizens stays off the path of digital clampdowns that do not serve anyone’s interest.
We must support the work of digital rights actors who continue to document evidence of digital rights infractions, provide information on how to stay safe and help citizens seek redress when violations happen. Through the annual Londa report, PIN has documented digital rights violations and significant policy updates across African countries since 2016. Each year since 2019, Londa, which included 22 independent country reports in 2021, forms the basis of short films produced by PIN to condense the message into less than thirty minutes of infotainment.
The short film based on the 2021 report, Finding Diana , is available on PIN’s YouTube page, as well as the 2020 film, Focus, and 2019 film, Training Day. Building on information from the reports and short films that expose violations and deliberate bad practices, PIN developed a digital rights toolkit, Ayeta, to educate digital rights actors and other citizens on how to protect themselves in digital spaces. If violations happen despite citizen action to protect themselves, the Ripoti platform provides an opportunity to report incidents and seek legal redress.
During elections, PIN provides country-specific information on how to stay online if digital clampdowns happen. The first edition of the Digital Rights and Elections in Africa Meetings (DREAM) was held in Abuja on February 7, 2023, ahead of Nigeria’s February 25 and March 11 general elections. Similar editions are planned to hold ahead of elections in other countries. We know that election seasons are fraught with violations and so we must prepare for digital disruptions.
However, as it happened in 2020 in Ghana and 2022 in Kenya, it is possible that no digital disruptions will be reported in most countries. Civil society organisations working in both countries will tell you that it requires a lot of work to avoid disruptions. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, in this case, because there are many competing interests during elections, and even in countries with no record of digital rights violations, some of those interests are served by clampdowns on the opposition and dissenting voices.
The best time to prepare for likely violations is before they happen, and it is your duty and mine to make that preparation happen across the African countries that will hold elections in 2023.
The writer is the Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative and a member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Leadership Panel.
Across Africa, the cost of electricity is on the rise. Compounded by inflation and other economic pressures, this puts additional strain on consumers
“With households already feeling the pinch, proactive measures to manage energy usage are essential to not only save money, but electricity too,” says Dr Andrew Dickson, Engineering Executive at CBI-electric: low voltage.
Below, he shares 10 ways that people can do this by using smart home technologies to monitor, control and automate electrical appliances:
- Knowledge is power: Understanding how much electricity your most commonly used appliances consume is the first step towards more efficient energy use. Many smart home technologies can track energy consumption, helping to pinpoint areas where you might be able to save.
- Keep loads low: The load management capabilities of some home automation systems can help users ensure that only one heavy load-consuming appliance is switched on at any given moment, thereby ensuring optimal energy distribution.
- Set limits: Users can specify the operating duration of appliances, like running the geyser for two hours to save electricity while also ensuring a hot bath.
- Schedule appliance switch-on: Many regions have peak and off-peak hours when electricity costs more. Smart tech can help consumers schedule appliances to run during off-peak times whenever possible to save money. This can be done at specific times and on particular days.
- Curb consumption in colder months: Electricity is more expensive during winter due to the high demand that results from using heaters, electric blankets and underfloor heating to keep cosy. Smart home devices could be used to determine when these appliances switch on as well as for how long. And while it can be hard to get out of bed on those icy winter mornings, a timer could be set to switch on a heater so that your bedroom is warm even before you wake up.
- Environmental intelligence: Many of these technologies can react to environmental conditions such as weather or the setting and rising of the sun, enabling them to automatically switch specific loads on or off under these conditions. So, if a rainy day is detected for instance, your irrigation system can be preprogrammed to not switch on. This not only saves electricity, but water too, which can lower the total of your bill.
- Remote control: Worried you left a device switched on? Smart home technologies allow users to turn connected appliances off from their smartphone and/or tablet from anywhere in the world. You can also use this capability to switch items on. To illustrate, you could turn your lights on before you get home from work in the evening.
- Don’t just standby: When in standby mode, electronic goods like microwaves, computers, televisions, coffee machines, gaming consoles and even garage door openers can consume more electricity than when they are in use as they are only active for relatively short periods. While the obvious solution would be to unplug all non-essential appliances when inactive, smart home tech lets users switch off any items that are pulling power unnecessarily.
- Incorporate renewable energy sources: With the adoption of rooftop solar steadily increasing across the African continent, smart home technology enables the effortless integration of these alternative power sources. For instance, the tech could be used to connect and disconnect from the grid as well as to ensure that the power produced by solar PV systems is used effectively and efficiently.
- Avoid additional expenses: To protect appliances from voltage fluctuations that could result from power outages, users can set a minimum and maximum ‘safe operating voltage range’. If the voltage is unstable, the technology will monitor voltage levels and only allow power to the appliance once this is within a safe operating range.
“Contrary to popular belief, homeowners won’t need to rewire their homes to enjoy the benefits of smart home technologies. Devices like smart plugs, isolators and controllers can easily be installed by an electrician without the need for additional wiring or hubs,” points out Dr Dickson.
He concludes by saying, “With the cost of living set to increase over 2024, now is the time for Africans to put the power in their hands and save in areas that they can control.”
By Kehinde Ogundare, Country Head – Nigeria, Zoho Corp.
Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the lifeblood of the Nigerian economy. According to figures released last year by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), SMBs account for around 48% of Nigeria’s GDP. Additionally, they account for 96% of all businesses and 84% of employment.
To reach their full potential, SMBs must leverage effective business-enabling technology, including solutions for CX, finance, HR and employee productivity. However, it’s important to remember that not every business app is equal. It is essential for businesses to carefully select the apps they utilise, whether opting for a mix of best-of-breed solutions from various vendors or choosing to deploy a unified suite from a single vendor who offers end-to-end business solutions for all needs.
While there are no universal rules for what kind of app will suit a company best, there are a few guidelines that businesses can consider to ensure that they choose apps that are best suited to their business needs.
The app should have a single source of truth (to avoid data silos)
Even small businesses have data accruing from a variety of sources. This data can be incredibly valuable, helping the business make decisions about where it’s performing best and which areas it needs to work on. However, that can only happen if the app (or suite of apps) provides a single source of truth (SSOT). An SSOT aggregates data from across the organisation to a single location. This allows the business to make decisions based on a consolidated view of what’s happening across departments rather than trying to pick through individual data silos.
Check how well the solution scales
The goal of any business is to grow, and ideally, the chosen apps should evolve alongside it. However, many of the solutions marketed to SMBs lack scalability. Scalability isn’t just about adaptable pricing tiers; it also means that they should have a demonstrable track record of working with businesses of various sizes and providing them with the offerings they need to facilitate their growth.
Security
If you’re a small business, you might think that security doesn’t need to be a major concern. After all, how much value is a cyber-criminal going to get out of your business? But it’s high time SMBs prioritise cybersecurity. To understand why, you only need to look at the fact that Nigerian SMEs are among the biggest targets of cybercrime. The breaches that result from this criminal activity don’t just have a financial cost attached to them but can also do massive reputational damage, something which no small business can afford to bear. This is why it’s paramount to ensure that the app chosen complies with local data protection guidelines or regulations and will protect the data of the customers who trust you with their information.
Ease of use
If you’re running an SMB, it’s likely your team is small but wears many hats. Hence, it’s vital to ensure that any business app or suite of apps you select is user-friendly, especially for non-technical staff. Opting for easy-to-use apps has long-term benefits. As your business expands, seamless onboarding becomes crucial. The right app(s) significantly reduce training needs, enabling new employees to be productive team members from day one.
Customer support
Regardless of how easy an app is to use, there will be occasions when additional support is needed. The app provider should ensure support for customer businesses across a diverse range of channels for their convenience. From onboarding new customers to attending to queries, businesses should also evaluate how effective the vendor is with post-sales support.
Always aim for integration
Beyond the level of strategic impact that an app or a platform can bring to your business, another aspect to consider is how well the chosen app can integrate into your existing tech ecosystem. Ideally, the app should be built to accommodate integration, capability extension, and customisation needs in order to truly serve a business’ needs. When the app ticks the checklist discussed above, the ROI it can provide your business can be multifold.
Multichoice Limited has proceeded to increase packages price for DStv and GOtv as announce on Wednesday last week.
This is despite the order by Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT) sitting in Abuja, restraining the pay tv company from increasing its tariffs and cost of products and services.
Recall that on April 24, the company announced that it would increase its price for its DStv and GOtv cable services, beginning from on May 1.
But CCPT in Abuja ruled that the firm should not increase its prices as scheduled.
The three-member tribunal, presided over by Saratu Shafii, gave the interim order on Monday following an ex-parte motion moved by Ejiro Awaritoma, counsel for Festus Onifade, the applicant.
In a ruling, the tribunal restrained multi-choice from going ahead with the impending price increase schedule to take effect from May 1, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed before it.
It also directed all parties in the suit to appear before the tribunal on May 7 at 10 a.m. for the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
The petitioner had dragged Multichoice Nigeria Ltd and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) before the tribunal.
In the suit filed on April 29, Onifade, also a legal practitioner, sought two orders.
These include, “an order of interim injunction of this honourable tribunal restraining the 1st defendant whether by themselves, her privies, assigns by whatsoever name called from going ahead with impending price increase schedule to take effect from 1st May 2024, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
“An order restraining the 1st defendant from taking any step(s) that may negatively affect the rights of the claimant and other consumers in respect of the suit pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”
The company had, on April 1, 2022, hiked the prices of all its packages..
Despite the court ruling, a check by this medium revealed that the South African firm has gone ahead with the tariff increase as earlier proposed.
On its official website, the new prices are now being displayed and implemented.
For DStv Premium subscribers, the price has moved from N29,500 to N37,000. Also, the price for
Compact rate has moved from N12,500 to 15,700 while Confam and Yanga subscribers will now pay N9,300 and N5,100 respectively from their previous rates of N7,400 and N4,200.
Similarly, GOtv subscribers will pay the new tariff increase as the prices have also changed on their official websites.
The elite subscribers (Supa+ and Supa) will now pay N15,700 and N9,600 respectively as against the previous rates of N12,500 and N7,600 before.
In addition, the Max and Jolli subscribers are now expected to pay N7,200 and N4,850 respectively. The former rates were N5,700 and N3,950.
However, on average, Multichoice increased the prices by 25%.
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