A new study is calling on East Africa’s media to step up its coverage of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), warning that current reporting remains shallow, event-driven, and dominated by government voices—leaving out essential perspectives on governance, inclusion, and citizens’ digital rights.
The research, led by the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), reviewed how newsrooms in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Sudan covered DPI and Digital Public Goods throughout 2024. The findings paint a clear picture: digital transformation is accelerating, but journalism around it is not keeping pace.
“Across the region, technology systems are rapidly shaping how people access services, participate in governance, and exercise their rights,” said Dr. Peter G. Mwesige, CIPESA Chief of Party. “Yet media coverage is largely reactive—driven by press events and official announcements—with limited scrutiny of how these systems actually affect citizens’ lives.”
Where the coverage stands
The report found that:
Kenya and Tanzania produced 60 percent of all DPI-related stories in 2024.
Rwanda and South Sudan had the lowest levels of reporting, despite ongoing digital reforms.
News articles accounted for the bulk of content, while feature stories and opinion pieces were minimal.
Government officials made up 55 percent of all quoted sources, overshadowing civil society, private sector voices, and ordinary citizens.
Men dominated coverage, with eight in ten sources being male. Ethiopia recorded the sharpest imbalance—only 5 percent of voices quoted were women.
This concentration of voices, according to Dr. Mwesige, weakens the public’s understanding of the digital ecosystem.
“When only the same elite voices shape the narrative, crucial questions about transparency, data protection, and equity are left unasked,” he emphasized.
Why this matters
Digital public infrastructure—from national ID systems to digital payments and health records—is quietly becoming the backbone of service delivery across Africa. But without a digitally literate media landscape, citizens risk being left out of conversations that directly shape how their data is collected, stored, and used.
“DPI is no longer a niche topic—it’s a governance issue, a rights issue, and a development issue,” Dr. Mwesige said. “Newsrooms need to treat it with the depth and urgency it deserves.”
Recommendations for a stronger media ecosystem
The study calls for:
1. Investment in newsroom capacity
Specialized training in digital governance, data protection, and investigative reporting
Dedicated reporters assigned to the DPI beat
Editorial prioritization of tech governance stories
2. Stronger collaboration with civil society
Access to experts, background materials, and data
Joint initiatives to support public-interest technology journalism
Grants to enable in-depth and cross-border investigations
3. Support from development partners
Fellowships and newsroom training programs
Regional collaborations to build a community of tech reporters
Funding models that protect editorial independence
The study concludes with a reminder: Africa’s digital future will be shaped not only by the technologies governments adopt but also by how well the public understands them—and that understanding begins with the media.
“Digital transformation is reshaping our democracies,” Dr. Mwesige noted. “We need a media ecosystem that reflects all voices, not just those in power.”
