February 26 2025, Africa Meetup

The Africa Regional Meetups are bimonthly video calling gatherings that bring together folks from the African region to share, connect, seek help, and release stress by celebrating each other. In addition, it is a time for us to find ways to support each other, and help us understand what is happening in our part of the world. If you cannot attend the monthly meetups, we are taking notes of each gathering and linking to them below.

The African community is connected during the week in different ways. Either through the African channel on the TCU Mattermost or via different events organized on various topics during the year.

Date: Wednesday, February 26

Time: 9am EST / 2pm UTC (What time is it in my city?)

Who: Facilitated by Mardiya

Where: The link will be shared in the Regional Africa channel on the TCU Mattermost one or two hours before the start of the meeting.

• Don't have an account to the TCU Mattermost? you can request one following the directions here.

Notes: Please put notes here: https://pad.riseup.net/p/africa-meetup

Agenda to be announced

Notes

Africa Meetups What are the Africa Meetups Others Villages & Special Events Upcoming Meetups & Gatherings

Attendees 7

Challenges

• Egypt: The org is not directly impacted by USG funding, their granters are and that has affected one of their project.
• Big granters like mama cash have been affected
• Some orgs 3 years ago they made a strategic decision regarding funding, they decided to move away from USG money. They only engage when contacted but besides that they focus on diversifying their portfolio and providing equity related support.
• Lots of projects left hanging in Zambia, theres been some new calls from other spaces
• While others have not been affected by the freeze, some of their collaboratorive activities and work have paused because of their partners are having to navigate the crisis.
• Its been an eye opener because funders should not be governments, if its them, then funding is not going to be sustainable, and could get worse. They can freeze bank accounts, as we have seen this during times of war. As tech workers we can definitely help people move away from relying on certain systems.  

Actions happening in the space

• Some networks created solidarity grants for their orgs to provide a cover when such funding crisis happen. However are in the process of figuring out ways to disburse it in a sustainable way.  
• As a community it may be more strategic to engage private philantory to support digital rights org.
• Lets not see it as a blank freeze, some orgs and EU countries want to support the digital rights. With the IGF coming up, some nordic funders are trying to renew their mandate to the IF community and folks should endevour to attend the IGF to meet new funders who have not committed all their money to existing projects.
• The organizations are trying to figure out how to sustain their partners while they  move on with the activities and programs affected by the stop work order.

Other Perspectives

• A lot of global north based orgs are the ones making the biggest noise. Most of them think that Africa and the global south orgs may struggle more, but they are wrong. We have figured ways to sustain ourselves without the US.
• We need to continue to align ourselves with the progressives and not waver on our values.
• Too much money in bigger orgs are spent on salaries.

What can be done next

• Meeting the right stakeholders within the internet governance space who might align with our needs and values.
• We should also build resilient structures in the long run.
• All orgs need to a SWAT analysis, and a session to collectively figure out sustainability resilience and the what next.  
• Within African countries there have been other funders and people who are willing to support the our work, it not just big donor, but people within our local communities as well.
• Thinking about other mechanisms that stem from our own community culture, and the richness on how communities have been supporting each other. Eg. LGBTQ orgs not allowed to register have found creative ways to work regardless.  
• The Africa community should keep the spirit of collaboration, its time for us to look at opportunities on how to support each other. Its very important to be sustainable, currently within the global context everyone might begin to be self-serving.
• We need to start having creative thinking sessions, and moving to action. Even if its scribbling and creating things together.

Other things

• Observing what actions are happening in other spaces.
• More Global Majority spaces are resilient.