Last updated: 20/05/2025

About academy.AFRICA
academy.AFRICA  is powered by Code for Africa (CfA), the continent’s largest network of civic technology and data journalism labs. Our learning and training platform provides online,  hybrid courses, workshops, fellowships and capacity-building programmes to journalists, civic technologists, researchers, civil-society actors and storytellers across Africa and beyond. When you register, participate in a course or engage with our platform, academy.AFRICA may collect and process your data for educational, operational and community-engagement purposes.

Your trust is important to us.
At academy.AFRICA, we are committed to safeguarding the privacy and personal data of all learners, partners, trainers and users who engage with us. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store and share your data, in compliance with applicable data-protection laws.

What data we collect and why
To provide a secure, engaging, and effective learning experience, academy.AFRICA collects various categories of personal data from learners, instructors, partners, and visitors. Below is a breakdown of the types of data we may collect and the reasons why:

1. Account Information
   When you register, enrol in a course, apply for a fellowship or contact us via forms or email, we may collect:

• Full name and preferred name
• Email address
• Country and city of residence
• Phone number (where applicable)
• Employment or affiliation details (organisation, role)
• Educational background
• Language preferences
• Interests and course selections

We collect and process this information to:

• Create and manage your Academy user profile
• Enrol you in relevant programmes or courses
• Communicate important updates (assignments, events)
• Track your learning progress and certifications
• Tailor the user experience to your interests and location

2. Platform and activity data
   When you interact with the Academy platform, we may collect:

• Login timestamps and session activity
• Course progress and completion status
• Assessment or quiz scores
• Forum posts or contributions
• Feedback or survey responses
• Attendance records (for live/hybrid sessions)
• Certificates earned

This data helps us to:

• Evaluate and improve our educational offerings
• Provide technical support and resolve issues
• Monitor engagement and participation
• Issue digital certificates where applicable

Instructor or Facilitator Information

For those who lead courses or workshops:

• Name
• Email address
• Professional bio and qualifications
• Employment or organisational affiliation
• Teaching materials and uploads
• Communication with learners

Purpose: To support programme delivery, promote courses, and manage instructor engagement.

3. Diversity and inclusion data (optional)
   academy.AFRICA is committed to fostering inclusive and equitable programmes. From time to time, you may be invited to share optional demographic data (gender, ethnicity, disability status) through a diversity questionnaire. This helps us to ensure equal access and representation. Such information is treated as special-category data and will be:

• Collected only with your explicit consent
• Used strictly in an anonymised, aggregated form for internal analysis
• Not used for selection or exclusion decisions
  

4. Sensitive and pre-screening data (where applicable)
   For specific programmes (fellowships, grants, or certifications), academy.AFRICA may request:

• Identification documents
• Work samples or portfolios
• Emergency contact details
• References or letters of recommendation

In limited cases and with your consent, we may carry out basic background or eligibility verification (professional history, education validation). We will notify you clearly when this is required.

Who can access your data?
We may send you information and/or alerts about our initiatives or services that we think you might like, as well as those of our partner organisations, including:

1. academy.AFRICA administrators and course managers
2. Accredited trainers and facilitators (for training-related purposes)
3. Approved technical service providers hosting or maintaining the platform
4. africanDRONE
5. ANCIR and its iLAB
6. PesaCheck and African Fact-checking Alliance (AFCA) Network
7. sensors.AFRICA
8. WanaData

All third-party providers are under strict contractual obligations to safeguard your data and may only use it following academy.AFRICA’s instructions.

International data transfers
As a Pan-African platform, academy.AFRICA may process your data in jurisdictions outside your country of residence, including in countries with differing data-protection standards. Where applicable, we ensure appropriate safeguards (standard contractual clauses) are in place to protect your data during cross-border transfers.

How long we keep your data

1. User profiles: for as long as your account is active, or for up to two years after inactivity
2. Course records and certificates: up to five years for verification and alumni services
3. Application data (fellowships, grants): up to three years

You may request account deletion at any time by contacting us here or by sending an email to academy@codeforafrica.org with the title ‘Account Deletion’.

Cookies and analytics
academy.AFRICA may use cookies and analytics tools to improve the user experience. These help us to understand how learners navigate the site, which content is most valuable and how to optimise performance. You can modify your cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time.

Lawful basis for processing
academy.AFRICA is committed to handling your personal information in a manner that complies with data protection laws, including the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019 (DPA), The Nigeria Data Protection Regulation, 2019 (NDPR) and other applicable Nigerian laws, The Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA) of South Africa, and where applicable, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) of the European Union.

We also designate a Data Protection Officer or privacy contact person responsible for overseeing compliance across our platform.

We only process your data when we have a valid legal reason. These include:

• Consent: When you actively choose to share your data, such as opting in to receive communications, participating in surveys, or providing optional demographic information.
• Contract: When it’s necessary to deliver the services you signed up for, like giving you access to courses, tracking your progress, or issuing certificates.
• Legitimate Interest: When we need to improve our services, ensure the security of our platform, or carry out internal reporting and analytics, without compromising your rights.
• Legal Obligation: When we’re required to comply with legal or regulatory requirements, such as safeguarding rules or responding to lawful requests from authorities.

Your rights
Our users have rights under these laws: 

1. Request access to the personal data we hold about you
2. Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
3. Request deletion of your data (subject to retention policies)
4. Object to or restrict certain types of data processing
5. Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
6. Request data portability (in certain contexts)

To exercise your rights, use the contact us form here or send an email to academy@codeforafrica.org.

Changes to this policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes to our practices or legal requirements. Any updates will be posted on the academy platform with a clear revision date. Where material changes are made, we will notify registered users via email.

Contact us
If you have questions or concerns about this policy or how your data is handled, contact us here or send an email to academy@codeforafrica.org.