In the early 1990s, the arrival of the internet helped Africans across the continent keep better informed about world events, become more socially active, and learn more quickly.
For instance, young people in Nigeria launched the #EndSARS movement against police brutality, and social media was used In Kenya to coordinate protests against tax rises.
According to Professor Lumumba, Africa’s main problem is that it does not control its own media. Popular platforms – including X, TikTok and others – as well as internet cables and communications satellites, are owned by other countries, leaving the continent vulnerable. The shutdown of even a single undersea cable can cut off an entire region.
The professor notes that the time has come for Africa to launch its own communications satellites and create its own digital platforms, so it is no longer dependent on other countries’ technologies.
