Twitter is considered by most Nigerians as an important civic space that has been used to mobilise for political and social causes. However, Elon Musk’s philosophy of freedom of speech and information is at odds with Nigeria’s affinity to ban or regulate social media and could affect freedom of speech. Many wait to see how this will work out.
Africa
New Nimble networks to empower local communities
The IEEE Future Networks 2021 Challenge was won by the Nimble network solution for local communities. Eric Nitschke, founder of Wakoma which is the start-up behind Nimble, said it will ‘quickly build a low-cost, low-power, and yet still portable network that meets their own connectivity and education needs’.
It is open-source and does not depend on the internet. It is able to operate without the internet by connecting people within local communities, and can produce content in local languages without relying on big systems.
Nible tackles efficiently logistical and supply-chain challenges that account for up to 80% in humanitarian funding. It is easily scalable and can be used to cover a single village or an entire area. Nible is an energy-efficient system, supporting thousands of users with less power than 100 W. South Africa and Canada were the first places where Nimble was deployed.
For more information, visit Spectrum by IEEE.
The African Union Data Policy Framework
The African Union Data Policy Framework is a crucial step towards consolidating African data management and governance. It seeks to enable the free and secure flow of data across the continent while upholding human rights, security, and equitable access to benefits. The framework provides a shared vision, principles, strategic priorities, and recommendations for African countries to effectively develop their national data systems and capabilities. The endorsement of this policy document by African Union Organs indicates a commitment to investing in data and developing infrastructure to enable data flow across Africa.