DIGITALIZATION IN AFRICA: BETWEEN PROMOTING CIVIL RIGHTS AND STATE CENSORSHIP
DIGITALIZATION IN AFRICA: BETWEEN PROMOTING CIVIL RIGHTS AND STATE CENSORSHIP

Summary/Abstract: The spread of digital technologies in Africa has reshaped civic engagement, enabling citizens to mobilize and hold authorities accountable through online platforms. Social media platforms have become avenues for voter education and sensitization, political participation, and communication, as attested to by the recent spate of technology-based social movements. However, despite its indubitable role in promoting civil rights, digitization in Africa is caught in the web of digital authoritarianism, exemplified by state censorship. Because of its penchant for granting citizens a voice to speak to power, this empowerment has been met by significant government resistance, leading to widespread censorship and repression. This study examines the dual role of digital platforms in Africa as enablers of civic activism and instruments of state control, addressing the tension between the promotion and undermining of civil liberties through digital technology. This study was guided by Digital Citizenship and Panopticism and employs a qualitative approach by analyzing secondary data from policy reports, government briefs, journal articles, newspaper articles, and internet sources on digital platforms, state surveillance, and freedom of expression across sub-Saharan Africa. This study shows that while digital platforms have supported social movements and citizen rights, governments have responded with Internet shutdowns, surveillance technologies, and restrictive legislation to silence opposition.

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