Pan-African digital rights and inclusion organisation, Paradigm Initiative, has released its 2025 Annual Impact Report, outlining its activities and interventions across Africa and other parts of the Global South during the year.
The report detailed the organisation’s work in digital inclusion, advocacy, strategic litigation, cyber law engagement and digital literacy programmes carried out in several African countries.
According to the report, the organisation recorded a consolidated media reach of 3.07 billion in 2025 and reached 1,830 beneficiaries through five major digital inclusion initiatives.
Paradigm Initiative also disclosed that it trained 282 stakeholders in cyber law engagements, hosted 55 events and handled 11 strategic litigation cases, including one landmark privacy ruling during the year under review.
Through its Life Skills, ICTs, Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship (LIFE) Legacy programme, the organisation provided digital literacy and skills training in 13 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Cameroon and Senegal.
The initiative targeted young people, women, educators and underserved communities, with a focus on improving digital skills, employability readiness and awareness of online rights.
The report also stated that more than 250 judges, prosecutors and law enforcement officers in Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia received training through the organisation’s Stemming the Tides of Abuse in Nigeria’s Digital System (STANDS) programme and related cyber law initiatives.
Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, Gbenga Sesan, said the year reflected both the opportunities and challenges associated with the expansion of digital technology across Africa and the Global South.
According to him, 2025 witnessed increasing digital expansion alongside concerns over rights protection, surveillance, censorship and restrictions on civic space.
The report noted that several countries recorded the introduction of cybercrime and cybersecurity laws which, according to the organisation, raised concerns over freedom of expression, privacy and disproportionate enforcement.
It further highlighted incidents of internet shutdowns, online harassment and platform restrictions during elections and periods of political tension in parts of Africa and the Global South.
Despite the challenges, Paradigm Initiative said it remained committed to promoting a rights-based digital environment that supports inclusion, innovation, safety and freedom of expression across the continent.