Of sixteen African nations surveyed from May 2013 through May 2014, only two were found to have true online freedom. If anything, governments expanded online controls.

Nine recommendations to guide Africa’s ICT development include open data, more local content, infrastructure projects, and public-private partnerships.

The 2nd annual Arab Internet Governance Forum was recently held in Algiers, Algeria under the theme “Partners for Development.” Discussions focused on cyber security, freedom of the internet, the creation of infrastructure, and youth opportunities.

Of fourteen African nations surveyed from May 2012 through April 2013, only two (Kenya and South Africa) were found to have true online freedom. Sudan and Ethiopia were found to lack it.

In August 2013, the Government of Angola hosted the Southern Africa Internet Governance Forum under the theme of “Internet Governance as a Building Block of SADC Regional Integration.”

Cyber crime and more specifically, the protection of children online, is a growing issue as more people go online. In the African context, relatively few governments have established sufficient legislation and awareness programs to keep users safe.