In an era where technology shapes every aspect of our lives, the question remains does tech still give a voice to the voiceless?
In an increasingly digital world, technology promises to amplify the voice of the unheard. From grassroots social media campaigns in Nigeria to remote advocacy platforms in Eastern Europe, emerging tools are empowering marginalized communities.
This article explore how tech is elevating dissent, bridging communication gaps and exposing injustices globally, spotlight regional breakthroughs and assess whether these innovation offer genuine representation or truly empowers underrepresented voices today.
For years, technology has been hailed as a powerful equalizer, especially across Africa where traditional media often failed to represent grassroots voices. With over 570 million internet users and mobile penetration exceeding 80%, digital platforms have become lifelines for communication, activism and expression. Movements like #EndSARS in Nigeria and #FeesMustFall in South Africa demonstrated how social media gave the youth a loud, global voice.
Yet as governments tighten digital regulations and internet shutdowns rise 56 cases recorded across Africa in 2023 alone the question remains: is tech still empowering the voiceless or is that power being silenced?
A short Story
This phone is my only power. It’s how I tell my story. But these days, I don’t even know if anyone is listening ~ Hauwa tells her story online.
I remember years ago when the world barely noticed stories from the corners of Africa, technology especially social media came through for us.
We watched as young Nigerians led the #EndSARS protests with just their phones. Victims who once suffered in silence suddenly had a voice. We saw students from South Africa, farmers from Kenya and women from Sudan rise and speak not in whispers but with boldness because the world could finally hear them.
But lately things are changing. Internet blackouts. Tweets that disappear. Voices that are ignored or drowned in noise.
It’s like someone handed us a microphone, let us speak and then slowly turned the volume down then I ask myself daily are we really being heard? Or we are just talking to ourselves in a digital room full of echoes?
RECENT DEVELOPMENT
In 2024 Africa recorded a record breaking 21 internet shutdowns across 15 countries more than any year since 2016 triggered by elections, civil unrest and conflicts. A new study shows sub Saharan Africa activist are increasingly harnessing platforms to amplify underserved voice and coordinate campaign more strategically. Those involved include local society, the governments, non state actors and militias all participated, Telecom companies complied under pressure, complicit in suppressing digital rights. Civil society groups, led by Access Now’s #KeepItOn coalition, actively push back through global monitoring and advocacy.
SIGNIFICANCE
These development highlight a tug of war where technology fuels civic empowerment yet states are weaponizing internet access to control narratives. Shutdowns undermine digital democracy by freezing communication exactly when it’s most needed but activists are scaling up resilience tactics which includes:
- Widespread impact ~ Over 296 shutdowns occurred globally in 2024 approximately 1,754 since 2016, with Africa experiencing worst ever numbers.
- Economic toll ~ Africa lost an estimated US$1.5 billion in 2024 alone with Sudan losing about $1.12 billion over 529+ days of ceased access.
- Human rights erosion ~ Shutdowns block journalism, curb activism, complicate humanitarian aid, chill dissent and distort narratives during elections.
- Digital accountability ~ In March 2024, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights passed a resolution condemning these shutdowns yet governments continue the trend.
All of this means that African technology was once celebrated for empowering the marginalized enabling movements like #EndSARS and expanding voice tech inclusion but mounting shutdowns underscore digital rights are now contested terrain. This crisis calls for renewed vigilance and robust policy, demanding accountability from governments and telecommunications providers.
- Push Pull in Tech Empowerment on one hand is African innovators are leveraging AI and digital platforms to tell their own stories and meet local needs. On the other digital repression via shutdowns threatens to reverse gains in giving voice to citizens.
- Global Attention, Local Stakes events like VivaTech raise international awareness and funding simultaneously, free communication is increasingly endangered by shutdowns, which are most frequently triggered during elections and unrest.
- Tech resilience vs censorship ~ Training and community driven platforms offset government imposed blackouts.
- Policy shifts ~ Following a March 2024 resolution from the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, can member states curb the trend of digital repression.
- Real world impact marginalized groups from women in Ghana to student activists in South Africa using new tools to claim space and voice.
These trends show both the potential and the fragility of tech as a tool for the voiceless raising urgent questions about digital rights, equity and the future of civic engagement in Africa.
Reference Sources
✓ The Guardian on record breaking blackouts in Africa
✓ Techpoint Africa on economic losses.
✓ Access Now’s #KeepItOn campaign and data
✓ Internet shutdowns at record high in Africa
✓ VivaTech 2025: Africa takes center stage
REACTIONS
Felicia Anthonio campaign manager at access now emphasis the ripple effect, she said It’s not only disrupt the flow of information, it also makes it impossible for people to access information in a timely manner.
It’s not just about access to data anymore it’s about access to dignity, says Amaka Umeh, a digital rights advocate based in Lagos. “When governments pull the plug, they are not just shutting down the internet they are shutting people out of global conversations.”
For grassroots communities and marginalized voices, platforms like WhatsApp, Twitter (X) and TikTok have become lifelines not just for expression, but for safety, solidarity and survival. During Nigeria’s #EndSARS protests, thousands used social media to document abuse, raise funds for victims and demand accountability. Without tech, those stories may never have been told.
But experts warn of the growing pattern of digital repression. According to a 2024 report by Access Now, Africa recorded the highest number of government led internet shutdowns globally and these shutdowns often target election periods, protests and regions with rising dissent. This creates a dangerous power imbalance adds Chukwuemeka Eze, a tech policy analyst in Abuja. Tech was meant to democratize speech. Instead it’s becoming a tool controlled by a few to silence many.
The ripple effects are bigger than we realize. When communities lose access to tech:
BROADER IMPLICATIONS
- Democratic Resilience ~ Digital freedom fuels civic activism but shutdowns compromise public trust and political engagement.
- Inclusive Tech driven growth properly guided AI can boost agriculture, healthcare, education and micro businesses driving GDP and livelihoods.
- Policy Preparedness African frameworks must anticipate ethical, cultural and data sovereignty concerns or risk outsourcing digital futures.
- Social Equity ~ Gender gaps and marginalized communities like rural women, speech impaired users risk being left behind unless inclusion is prioritized.
Tech can still uplift the voiceless but only when accompanied by stable access, local governance and wide digital literacy. Without these, technology risks amplifying existing inequalities either through blackouts or by reinforcing outside control.
BROADER PERSPECTIVE
Africa’s tech future hangs in a delicate balance poised between potential and limitation. The continent is not just waiting for change it’s creating it. Several countries including Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria are in the final stages of launching national AI strategies aimed at tailoring innovation to local challenges. Meanwhile, initiatives like Smart Africa’s Digital Economy Blueprint continue to push for cross country collaboration, data protection and inclusive access.
Startups are also rising to the moment. In 2025 alone over $700 million was raised by African tech ventures focused on civic tech, language inclusion and agri-tech clear proof that the global community sees the value of African solutions. International partners like Google, UNESCO and AfDB are investing in digital literacy hubs, youth tech scholarships and low cost connectivity programs across underserved regions.
But these milestones will only matter if we the people activists, founders, students and storytellers keep asking the hard questions:
Who holds the mic?
Who controls the data?
But for tech to truly give voice to the voiceless, access must be protected, platforms must be open and policies must reflect the needs of the people not just the powerful.
At Techdom Africa, we believe in local innovation, sustainable development and true digital inclusion not just in headlines, but in homes, schools and communities.
Together we can make sure tech in Africa doesn’t just trend but transforms.
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