Nigeria Drops in Africa’s Digital Rights Score Index as South Africa Leads
Emma Okonji
Nigeria has dropped five places in the latest Africa’s Digital Rights Score Index report, where South Africa continues to lead for the second time in row, according to the 2025 Londa Report on the state of digital rights and inclusion in Africa, released by Paradigm Initiative, a pan-African non-profit organisation.
According to the report, South Africa has retained its place as Africa’s leading digital rights-respecting country for the second time in a row, followed by Ghana, Namibia, Senegal, Egypt, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi, and Nigeria.
This was revealed at the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF26), in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where the report was officially launched.
The report revealed that the most improved countries in the ranking were Botswana and Egypt, which both improved by over nine places. This was in contrast to countries like Nigeria and Cameroon, which both dropped by five and ten places, respectively. On the other hand, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan all dropped in the ranking, placing them among the bottom five in the list.
The report offered a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of internet freedoms, policy environments, and emerging digital rights risks across the continent. It also provided an annual benchmark of progress and setbacks in digital rights protection, drawing on extensive country-level research and stakeholder engagement.
The report looked at 12 key indicators across Africa, such as Internet shutdowns;
Inexistent laws, policies and other measures to promote universal, equitable, affordable and meaningful access to the internet; False News Criminalisation; Sedition Legislation; Arbitrary arrests and harassments of the media, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) and citizens; and Data Protection Legislation. Other indicators were Removal of online content by internet intermediaries without due process; Invasion of privacy of communications; Failure by the government to proactively disclose and disseminate information on digital technologies; AI and emerging technologies national strategies; Adoption of specific child laws, policies and measures promoting children’s digital safety and privacy online; and Digital inclusion.
The launch of the Londa Report at the three-day forum was one of a series of strategic releases that highlighted the intersection between research, advocacy, and digital innovation within the African digital rights ecosystem. Among these were the introduction of Paradigm Initiative’s Digital Rights On-Demand Learning (DROL) platform, offering free courses in digital rights and inclusion to increase awareness, and the release of a research report titled: ‘Africa Facing Down: Disinformation’, which provided factual assessments of disinformation and its impact on the information ecosystem in six African countries: Benin, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.
Speaking at the DRIF26 opening ceremony, Executive Director Paradigm Initiative, Mr. Gbenga Sesan, noted that the forum was an opportunity for introspection by all stakeholders striving to achieve an inclusive and resilient digital future.
“A society is only as strong as how it treats its weakest members. Yet in the area of inclusion, we must acknowledge that many have been left behind. As a community and as a continent, we need to remain resilient. We must continuously assess where we are, because we too often assume progress without truly measuring it. Only through honest evaluation and evidence can we understand the gaps and, more importantly, take meaningful action to close them. That is the responsibility we carry forward from this Forum,” Sesan said.
Internet Governance Specialist, Nnenna Nwakanma, spoke on the need to go past drafting frameworks to implementing them and adapting them to the lived realities of Africans. Global Policy Lead on Google’s Human Rights Team, Bahaa El-Taweal, highlighted the main guiding principles in conducting human rights diligence and the need for countries to surmount obstacles to developing and sustaining digital public infrastructure.
Legal Officer, African Union (AU), Meseret Melat Fassil, reminded delegates of the Malabo Convention, which came into force in 2023, almost a decade after it was agreed upon. Highlighting the challenges faced in implementing the convention’s statutes, she explained that it only underscored the need for access to technology and inclusion across the African continent.
