Yaounde: With the government of Cameroon having a reputation for shutting down the internet and stifling discussions around issues of national interest and in light of the recently passed Digital Rights Bill of 2024, Cameroonian journalists and civil society actors need to understand their role and their rights in relation to data privacy. This was the crux of two separate workshops hosted in Yaounde by Paradigm Initiative, a digital rights advocacy group headquartered in Nigeria.
According to Cameroon News Agency, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive President, Gbenga Sesan, in a statement read out to reporters in Yaounde, highlighted concerns over the country’s deteriorating digital rights state. He emphasized the increasing threats to online freedoms, opaque governance, and a shrinking civic space, particularly in the context of the upcoming 2025 General Elections. Between 2024 and 2025, Cameroon has witnessed an alarming escalation in digital rights violations and repression of online freedom of expression.
Sesan noted that in October 2024, the government banned media discussions regarding President Paul Biya’s health following his prolonged absence from public view. The Interior Minister, Paul Atanga Nji, declared any debate on the president’s health as strictly prohibited, labeling it a matter of national security. Regional governors were instructed to monitor and report any violations on both traditional media and social networks, with offenders facing legal consequences.
He called on the Biya government to ensure open and uninterrupted access to the internet before, during, and after the elections. Sesan urged the government to cease using vague or overly broad laws to criminalize legitimate online expression and dissent and to refrain from arbitrary surveillance or online harassment of journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens. He also stressed the importance of proactively disclosing election-related information in accessible formats.
The Digital Rights Academy covered topics from right to privacy to fact-checking. Journalists were especially encouraged to hold the government accountable should it attempt to shut down the internet, as was previously done for three months in 2017. Some 40 participants, including civil society organizations, journalists, and communications professionals, engaged in the discussions.
Karine Kubong, a journalist with CRTV in Yaound©, expressed her newfound understanding of online data privacy. She acknowledged the implications of sharing personal information online and the risk of devices being hacked due to the sharing of email addresses and passwords.
Commy Mussa, a seasoned journalist, communications expert, and women’s rights advocate, emphasized the importance of understanding and defending digital rights, describing them as human rights. She praised Paradigm Initiative for bringing the Digital Rights Academy to Cameroon.
Paradigm Initiative will also be co-sponsoring the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) in Lusaka, Zambia, where Cameroon’s Digital Rights Bill will be discussed more in-depth.