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AFRIQUE MÉDIA CYBERSÉCURITÉ: Training 500 media professionals and civil society actors in cyber security

25 octobre 2025

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What is Afrique Média CyberSécurité?

Afrique Média CyberSécurité is a theoretical and practical internet security training programme dedicated to our late colleague Anna Gueye. It is intended for professional journalists and civil society media actors — bloggers, citizen journalists, cyber-activists and others — from ten countries in West Africa.

Objective

The project aims to introduce media actors to digital security and protection practices and equip them with the necessary skills. Its main objective is to enable West African media professionals to access the internet without restrictions.

The project

The digital revolution has transformed the way media professionals work. Dictaphones and other audio recorders are almost a thing of the past. Today’s journalists increasingly use smartphones and laptops. Digital data is processed, stored and shared every day. Without a security policy and an understanding of basic protection measures, all this work is exposed to theft or simply to destruction.

In some African countries, working in the media — professionally or otherwise — often involves risks, even in countries considered democratic. Journalists’ duty to inform and the public’s right to access information are frequently violated. With digitalisation, some governments have not hesitated to use fascist methods to impose an internet “blackout” across an entire country.

Civil society actors who are whistle-blowers, citizen journalists or simply web activists are threatened, persecuted, monitored and arrested in some countries, even though they are just doing their jobs or publishing and sharing information.

By the end of the project, 500 journalists and web activists whose professional conduct is beyond reproach will have the tools and knowledge they need to work safely, communicate securely, reduce the risks of infiltration and hacking, bypass internet censorship and counter surveillance technologies.

AFRICTIVISTES will identify and support media actors in nine French-speaking West African countries and The Gambia. Participants will receive free cyber security training, along with a toolbox of applications and software to put what they learn into practice.

The programme offers training, technical support and networking opportunities.

Applicants must know how to use the internet, have an email address, be registered on a social media platform, and know how to use a computer and a smartphone (Android or iOS).

How the programme will run

The Afrique Média CyberSécurité programme consists of ten main sessions, to be held successively in the following countries:

  • Benin
  • Togo
  • Côte d’Ivoire
  • Guinea
  • Burkina Faso
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Niger
  • Senegal
  • The Gambia

Each session will have three phases:

  • Identifying threats;
  • Proposing methods; and
  • Providing tools.

Who can take part?

Each session will have 50 participants:

  • 25 professional journalists (web journalists, investigative journalists, radio journalists, television journalists and print journalists);
  • 25 civil society media actors (bloggers, web activists, citizen journalists, data journalists and Journalism 2.0 practitioners).

Applications for the Mauritania session

Application deadline

The Mauritania session will take place in Nouakchott from 23 to 28 September 2017. Applications must be submitted by 15 September 2017 at 23:59 GMT.

How to apply

To apply for the Nouakchott session, click on the link, complete the online application form and provide the requested information. There are no application or participation fees. The programme is entirely free.

Selection criteria

All applications will go through a selection process. Applicants’ profiles and online activities will be assessed.

Participants must:

  • Be a media professional or actor;
  • Have internet access;
  • Live in the country hosting the session;
  • Understand the risks and issues involved in cyber security; and
  • Demonstrate motivation and an appreciation of the value of working as part of a network.

Selection

Successful applicants will be notified by email. They must confirm their participation to receive the agenda and further information about the programme.

For further information, email cheikh.fall@africtivistes.org.

In partnership with:
Platform for the Protection of Whistle-blowers in French-speaking Africa

With support from:

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