Media Rights Agenda (MRA)

Media Rights Agenda is calling on Nigerian President Buhari to promptly sign the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill once it is passed by the National Asssembly.

DRC’s descent into chaos, Ahmed Abba’s release and Sudan’s fear of ‘indecency’ are among the top stories in Africa at the end of 2017.

Major strides towards fighting impunity in The Gambia, US journalist Martha O’Donovan charged with subversion in Zimbabwe as Mugabe resigns, Guinea’s clampdown on free expression, and more in our November roundup of free expression issues in Africa.

Within the past year, the government of Cameroon has shut down the internet in its attempt to clamp down on demonstrations in English-speaking regions of the country.

AFEX has denounced the brutality of Cameroon’s security forces against unarmed civilians, reportedly killing 12 people and injuring many more in the country’s English-speaking regions, as well as the government’s decision to shut down the internet for the second time this year amidst protests.

September saw protests and internet disruptions in Togo and Cameroon, an initiative to increase gender diversity in Nigeria’s tech and media community, and an access to information report that could help countries work towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The region’s free expression news round-up includes lethal protests in Togo and Kenya, calls for release of an RFI correspondent in Cameroon, a creative campaign that is holding Nigeria’s presidency accountable for freedom of information, and more.

Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has named the presidency as the latest inductee into its Freedom of Information (FOI) Hall of Shame, accusing it of “a gross failure of leadership” and setting a bad example for other public institutions in the implementation of the FOI Act.