Emma Okonji
The Africa Online Safety Fund (AOSF) has announced the winners of this year’s grants, which include six organisations operating in Nigeria: Access Drive Capacity Development Foundation, Epower, Lagos Mums Foundation, TechSocietal, Teens Can Code, and Zikoko Citizen.
Nigeria had the highest number of awards, followed by five from South Africa and four to Ghana and Kenya. Cameroon, Somalia and Zimbabwe each had one winner.
Although the winning organisations reflect seven countries, their internet safety interventions span across 15 African countries in total.
Just over 350 applications were received in the 2023 cohort, from which a shortlist of 40 entries made it for the final selection process. Each of the eventual winners will receive grants ranging from $10,000 to $50,000, made possible with the support of Google.org.
Making the announcement, Impact Amplifier Director, Tanner Methvin said: “With over 500 million people having access to the internet in Africa, reflecting just under 40 per cent of the continent’s population, online safety issues are of critical concern.”
The winning innovative solutions range from unique ways of combating misinformation and disinformation, establishing investigative teams to track cyber criminals, supporting journalists targeted with hate speech and bullying, integrating online safety training into school curriculums, among others.
