Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a pan-African digital rights and inclusion organisation, says it has engaged more than 1,300 stakeholders across 11 African countries through a series of forums, training sessions and policy dialogues aimed at strengthening digital rights, inclusion and online civic participation.

The organisation disclosed this in a statement, saying the engagements were carried out during the second quarter of the year through 26 programmes focused on election monitoring, judicial capacity building, digital literacy and policy development.

According to PIN, the initiative brought together policymakers, judges, lawyers, journalists, civil society organisations and community groups to promote a safer, more inclusive digital ecosystem across the continent.

The organisation said the programmes focused on safeguarding electoral integrity in Zambia, The Gambia and Ethiopia, while also strengthening the capacity of Nigeria’s judiciary on issues relating to Artificial Intelligence (AI), data privacy and digital evidence.

In partnership with Meta, PIN trained 35 judges in Lagos across two cohorts on privacy, data protection, AI and digital evidence.

It described the initiative as a significant step towards equipping Nigeria’s judicial officers to effectively handle legal disputes arising from an increasingly digital society.

The organisation also expanded its Digital Rights and Elections in Africa Meetings (DREAM) to Ethiopia, The Gambia and Zambia.

According to the statement, the programme equipped 110 civil society organisations, media professionals and election management bodies with skills to monitor digital rights violations and protect online civic spaces during election periods.

PIN further said its Digital Rights Academy (DRA) trained more than 100 lawyers, law students and digital rights advocates from Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

The academy focused on strengthening participants’ capacity in strategic litigation and promoting accountability for digital rights violations.

The organisation also hosted a Digital Policy Engagement Roundtable, bringing together 34 stakeholders, including organisations representing persons with disabilities, to discuss accessibility and inclusion in digital policy development.

It said Afrocities roundtables held in Nigeria and Tanzania attracted 80 participants who explored ways of improving informal workers’ access to digital social protection and financial services.

According to the statement, a ministerial roundtable in Zambia also aligned the country’s digital priorities with the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20) review process.

PIN said it also implemented the Digital Rights and Inclusion Board Learning Experience (DRIBLE) Ambassadors Training in Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal.

The programme reached 315 participants and strengthened their capacity to deliver digital rights education through experiential learning approaches.

The organisation said the training improved participants’ understanding of digital rights and increased interest in practical digital rights education across communities.

PIN also highlighted the successful hosting of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum 2026 (DRIF26) in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

The forum, themed “Building Inclusive and Resilient Digital Futures”, attracted 415 participants from more than 39 countries.

According to the organisation, the event brought together policymakers, civil society organisations, media professionals, academics, legal experts, technologists, human rights defenders and development partners to promote dialogue, partnerships and knowledge sharing on Africa’s digital future.

PIN said the engagements underscored the growing importance of collaborative efforts in advancing digital rights, promoting inclusion and strengthening digital governance across the continent

Federal Government has suspended the implementation and enforcement of newly introduced regulations affecting internet platforms, online intermediaries and other cross-cutting issues in the digital economy pending the development of a harmonised national policy framework.

Bosun Tijani

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, issued the directive following a strategic meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Communications Commission, National Information Technology Development Agency and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.

According to a statement issued on Tuesday, the three agencies have been directed to maintain the existing regulatory framework while efforts to harmonise policies are underway.

The statement said the implementation or enforcement of recently introduced regulations, guidelines, codes, directives and administrative requirements relating to internet platforms and other digital economy issues would be deferred where they are part of the ongoing review.

It, however, clarified that the directive does not affect the statutory responsibilities of the agencies.

According to the ministry, existing regulations that fall within the legal mandates of the respective agencies will remain in force, provided they are consistent with the ministry’s policy direction.

Tijani said the rapid convergence of telecommunications, digital platforms, artificial intelligence, online safety and data governance had created overlapping regulatory responsibilities, making closer collaboration among regulators imperative.

He said a harmonised regulatory framework would provide greater legal certainty for businesses, encourage investment, promote innovation, strengthen consumer confidence and enhance Nigeria’s competitiveness as Africa’s leading digital economy.

“As part of the harmonisation process, a joint technical coordination committee comprising representatives of the NCC, NITDA and NDPC has been established.

“The committee will coordinate stakeholder consultations and develop recommendations for a unified national policy and governance framework,” the statement said.

It added that the proposed framework would seek to clearly define the responsibilities of each regulator, reduce compliance uncertainty for businesses and improve regulatory coordination across the digital ecosystem.

The ministry stressed that the harmonisation exercise was aimed at improving collaboration among the agencies and was not intended to diminish their statutory powers.

The development comes less than 24 hours after President Bola Tinubu directed the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to investigate major technology companies and generative artificial intelligence platforms over allegations of anti-competitive practices and the exploitation of Nigerian media content.