Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa 2026, Mauritius (28 September – 1 October 2026)

CIPESA convenes the thirteenth edition of the Forum on Internet Freedom in Africa (FIFAfrica26) in Mauritius from 28 September to 1 October 2026 — the first time the forum has been hosted in an Indian Ocean island state. Over 500 participants from across Africa and beyond are expected, continuing the forum's growth from the approximately 300 participants at the 2022 Lusaka edition.

Format and themes

The four-day programme follows the established FIFAfrica structure: two pre-event days (28-29 September) for technical workshops and network meetings, followed by the main forum (30 September – 1 October) in concurrent thematic tracks. The eight programme themes are Digital Democracy and Civic Participation, Data Governance and Sovereignty, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, Platform Accountability, Digital Inclusion, Digital Economy Trade and Practices, Movement Building, and Digital Security and Safety. The State of Internet Freedom in Africa 2026 report will be launched at the close of the main forum, continuing the SIFA series' tradition of staging its annual launch for maximum civil-society visibility at the close of FIFAfrica. The forum will also gather inputs for Africa's participation in the WSIS+20 review process.

Why Mauritius

CIPESA selected Mauritius for its status as one of Africa's most stable democracies with strong rule of law and robust online and offline freedom-of-expression protections, and as a continental leader in technology-driven governance and digital transformation. The country operates a National AI Unit and has been described by CIPESA as "a continental front-runner in AI adoption" — a governance context that aligns with the forum's Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies track.