On Monday, the GSMA, in partnership with the mobile industry, issued a strong call for enhanced protection of children online across Africa. This announcement coincided with the release of a new whitepaper, Enhancing Child Online Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa, which builds on discussions from a high-level roundtable at MWC25 Barcelona.
Rising need for child online protection in Africa
Africa’s rapid digital growth means more children are accessing the internet, primarily through mobile devices, as the continent remains mobile-first. While mobile technology offers excellent opportunities for education, social connection, and development, it also exposes children to risks like cyberbullying, harmful content, and exploitation.
Angela Wamola, Head of Sub-Saharan Africa at GSMA, emphasised, “Protecting children online is a responsibility shared across governments, industry, civil society, and families. By working together, we can ensure the digital environment becomes a place of opportunity not risk for Africa’s children”.
The whitepaper stresses that child protection must be integrated into Africa’s broader digital transformation strategies. It draws on principles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, which provide a foundation for respecting and fulfilling children’s rights in the digital age.
Key Rcommendations to Strengthen Child Online Safety
The whitepaper outlines four main recommendations:
- Embed child- and youth-centred approaches in digital policies and programs.
- Align national frameworks with the African Union’s Child Online Safety and Empowerment Strategy.
- Expand digital literacy and awareness initiatives targeting children, parents, and educators.
- Build stronger public-private partnerships to scale regional resources, tools, and services.
Nankali Maksud, Regional Advisor for Child Protection at UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa, highlighted the importance of this work: “Protecting children’s safety online is not only about safeguarding rights but about investing in Africa’s human capital and future leadership. This whitepaper helps elevate African voices, leadership, and solutions for protecting children in the digital space”.
The initiative also incorporates regional data, including IPSOS research commissioned by MTN Group, and features youth voices like Jemima Kasongo, a 19-year-old advocate from the Democratic Republic of Congo, who opened the MWC25 roundtable with a call to action for young Africans.
The GSMA and its members continue to promote coordinated efforts among governments, industry, and civil society to create safer digital environments. This work complements global GSMA initiatives such as the Mobile Alliance to Combat Digital Child Sexual Exploitation and new guidance on including young voices in digital policy design.
The GSMA urges all stakeholders to engage with the whitepaper’s recommendations and join the ongoing effort to make the digital world safer and more inclusive for Africa’s children.