By Wallace Mawire
Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a leading pan-African organization championing digital rights and inclusion, has announced the selection of seven finalists from across Africa and India for the 2024 Digital Rights and Inclusion Learning Lab (DRILL) Fellowship. Chosen from a highly competitive pool of 1,490 applicants, this year’s cohort will play a pivotal role in advancing digital rights in their respective countries, including Tunisia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burundi, Uganda, Namibia, and India.
The four-month fellowship which will run from October 2024 to January 2025 is designed to deepen fellows’ engagement with pressing digital rights and inclusion issues. The selected fellows for the 2024 edition of the fellowship are; Sarra Hannachi, a data activist and research enthusiast from Tunisia, Avit Ndayiziga, a journalist and internet advocate from Burundi, Jessica M Uiras, a human rights analyst from Namibia, Shorefunmi Bola-saliu is a visionary leader and lawyer from Nigeria, Akoli Joseph, founder and creative director of Diversity Innovations Initiative (DIV) in Uganda, Selamawit Tezera Chaka, a Pan African feminist from Ethiopia and Sapni GK, a lawyer and policy researcher from India. Their diverse backgrounds, spanning journalism, law, human rights, and technology advocacy, position them to drive transformative initiatives in their home nations.
“We extend our appreciation to everyone who applied for the 2024 Digital Rights and Inclusion Learning Lab (DRILL) Fellowship. We received a total of 1,490 applications and after a thorough and competitive selection process, our Fellowship Advisory Committee selected seven exceptional fellows from Tunisia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Burundi, India, Uganda and Namibia. Their commitment to advancing digital rights, along with their diverse expertise will enrich the digital rights community,” said Bridgette Ndlovu, Partnerships and Engagements Officer at Paradigm Initiative.
The fellowship will provide the selected fellows with the opportunity to engage deeply with digital rights and inclusion issues, participate in key policy discussions, and contribute to the ongoing efforts to shape a more inclusive digital future. The Digital Rights and Inclusion Learning Lab reflects PIN’s commitment to ensuring that digital rights are protected and inclusion is prioritised in the Global South. It aims to equip early to mid-career professionals with practical skills, fostering collaboration within the global digital rights community.
Paradigm Initiative (PIN) connects under-served young Africans with digital opportunities and ensures digital rights for all. We have worked in communities across Nigeria since 2007 and across Africa since 2017, building experience, community trust, and an organisational culture that positions us as a leading non-governmental organisation in ICT for Development and Digital Rights on the continent.
They promote a rights-respecting continent through our team in sub-regional offices spread across Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Its interventions are spread across more than 28 African countries. Paradigm Initiative pushes for an Internet that is open, accessible, and affordable to all.
Its programmes include Life Skills. ICT. Financial Readiness. Entrepreneurship (LIFE) Training Programme, digital readiness workshop for youth, and a Life at Schools Club Programme. PIN has also built online platforms that educate and serve as safe spaces for reporting digital rights violations.
