The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter | Issue 29

May 01, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

In these newsletter introductions, I often quote from our guest practitioner or highlight particularly interesting, surprising, or compelling insights. Not in this issue though. Our guest, the brilliant 'Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, shares such profound perspectives through his personal and professional stories – and the example of his advocacy and leadership – that I don't want to keep you waiting a moment longer. I invite you to proceed straight to 'Gbenga's thoughtful responses below. Read, re-read (as I have a few times), reflect, absorb, and work to apply his principled and practical guidance in your everyday work as well as at pivotal career moments.

Sincerest gratitude, as always, to you 'Gbenga for your wisdom and leadership.

Sincerely,

Michael Samway
The Business and Human Rights Group
Website: www.thebhrgroup.com

Guest Spotlight

🎙️What are some of the most formative period or events in your life, personal or professional, that shaped your work in technology and human rights?

💬 In 1991, I was in my third year of secondary school, just about to become a senior student so I was very cautious about embarrassing situations and minded my business a lot. However, when the school got a gift of two computers, I could not resist the temptation to go to the “Computer Lab” to try my hands on the “magical devices” that my classmate, whose dad was a Professor at a nearby university, would not stop talking about. I was denied access by a teacher who was quite concerned about the destructive potential of junior students, and when I tried to assert my almost-senior-ness, he stated that computers were not for people like me. That embarrassment is why I braved all odds to learn how to use computers three years later, and it laid the foundation for my career in technology because I promised myself I would learn and teach others. In fact, the promise of “no other young person will face this kind of embarrassment” led to my volunteer efforts at teaching young people how to use computers, which led to a national campaign I led as “Nigeria’s Information Technology Youth Ambassador,” eventually became a full-time passion and the work of my life. It was in the process of enjoying this that I found out about policies that could limit the benefits of technology for young people, and while trying to improve the policy environment, I happened on what I considered the biggest stumbling block in the way of enjoying the benefits of digital opportunities–violation of digital human rights.

🎙️How do you continue doing what you do, pushing and advocating for digital rights, and human rights more broadly? How do you deal in a sustainable way for yourself with the frustrations or set-backs in this work and also acknowledge and build-on the progress?

💬 My work is more of a calling than a job, so I feel a strong sense of purpose in what I do and that keeps me going even when there are reasons to stop. Throw in the fact that I like taking on tasks that people consider difficult, and I hate to be told that something is impossible. Each time there is a reason to slow down or some person or policy stands in the way of progress, I remind myself that there is only one choice: getting things done. It helps a lot to see results. When a trainee moves from the bottom of the pyramid to a prominent career, it is like a pat on the back, and a nudge to do more. When an advocacy effort yields results–or at least gets the attention of its target–that is another nod whispering, “carry on, ‘Gbenga”. I’m a family man and that keeps me grounded. When the kids ask questions about fun or the future, I am transported back to reality and reminded of why I must at least do my bit to make the world a better place for them. When I see my wife churning our social science research reports that help the most ignored communities and change lives, I am reminded that it is not a lonely journey. The habit of taking six weeks off each year, to chill with my family away from work, also helps to renew my core. Any time I read the things I wrote about the future many years ago, review Paradigm Initiative’s Strategic Management Plan, or see my colleagues chipping away at their problems of choice, I am reminded of the need to continue and that there is a lot more to be done.

🎙️Who are some people or an individual you’ve met during your work in this field who have/has had a profound influence on your work? And in what way?

💬 I spent much of 2023 and 2024 writing a book on the story of Paradigm Initiative and one of the chapters in the book is titled “Learning From Others”. In the chapter, I wrote about the people that influenced my work very early on, including the late Dr. James Sotomi, my very first employer, who asked me to stay on after completing my Student Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) programme with Neural Technologies Limited; Simi Nwogugu, the non-profit founder who gave me my first job the day I wrote my last university exams; Osayi Alile, my first boss who, as Vice President of Junior Achievement of Nigeria at the time, gave me space to explore my skills; Tunji Lardner, a mentor who calls me Big Youth to date and taught me that non-profit work should not stop you from dreaming big; Dr. YZ Yau, the gentle giant who took me by the hand to show me what ICTs for Development meant; Edetaen Ojo, the Media Rights leader who showed me what it means to stay relevant regardless of changes in one’s sector of choice; Lesley Agams, whose first sentence to me when I got close to the Ashoka Fellowship in 2008 was something like “get an accountant and don’t ever let lack of financial accountability or transparency stand in the way of your success”; and many others including my peers and proteges—who assumed wrongly that the influence and lessons were only one-way. Time will fail me to talk about the influence of Pastor Tunde Bakare, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr. Jummai Umar-Ajijola, Dr. Aida Opoku-Mensah, Nick Jekogian, Eng. Titi Omo-Ettu, Chris Uwaje, Walda Roseman, Hamadoun Toure, and many more.

🎙️What are some of the values, broadly speaking, that guide you in this field or in life more broadly?

💬 I strongly believe that knowledge and opportunities are gifts we receive for the privilege of service, so I consider everything that I have learned over the years and the many doors of opportunity that have opened up as signals nudging me in the direction of service. I learnt how to use computers so that no young African faces the same embarrassment that greeted my first attempt. I am guided by the fact that salt is only useful as seasoning and light as a guide, so my presence in any space should ideally add value. It is why I chose the work I do, marrying the knowledge of technology policy and human rights in the digital age to the opportunity of Paradigm Initiative and other platforms to serve.

🎙️What’s a specific event when you feel like your team’s or organization’s work (or your own work) was able to make a significant impact in the field of digital rights?

💬 This is a tough one. I spent time documenting a lot of these in “The Paradigm Initiative Story: A Work in Progress,” the book that will be pre-launched at the 12th edition of the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum (DRIF) in Lusaka, on May 1, but if I had to choose one, it would be the passage of the Digital Rights and Freedoms Bill by the Nigerian National Assembly because that moment represented many things and led to a lot more impact. It was the culmination of years of dedicated advocacy work by a coalition of non-profits led by Paradigm Initiative, and showed many of us the power of working behind the scenes without focusing on who gets the credit. The ripple effect was quite significant because many partners across various countries adopted the document and the process, and the event also led to the eventual success of a few attempts at getting Data Protection laws. Digital Rights was new in our region in 2013, so working on this led us to start training programmes for other non-profits and other stakeholders (including the judiciary, legislature and security agencies). In fact, that process laid the foundation for what is known today as DRIF because the first edition in 2013, called the Internet Freedom Forum at the time, was simply convened to discuss what I had called “An Internet Freedom Charter for Nigeria.” Drawing up the bill laid a solid foundation for evidence-based research, creative communications, cross-sectoral capacity building, and strategic litigation, which are some of the strengths of our sector today.

🎙️What are some ways you think the technology, policy, and human rights field can become more multi-stakeholder, inclusive, and accessible?

💬 We must start by recognising that there are many angles to the challenges we all seek to tackle, and that different organisations with diverse skill sets and expertise are needed to make any progress. This helps us understand the power of collaboration beyond just working with the “usual suspects”–people who are probably more visible than others because of the gift of opportunity. Each of the technology, policy and human rights fields are not homogenous so there are stakeholders within each field that we must seek to identify and work with. Again, the three fields must bring our best energies together to tackle the challenges at the intersection of technology, policy and human rights. In doing these, the idea of being inclusive will be natural in our work because not only will we acknowledge the diversity of our strengths, we will also note to be inclusive in our programmes–never building for, but with, target audiences. We can become more accessible by breaking down the jargon and reducing barriers to entry. For example, PIN makes it a point to convert our bulky Londa report (this year’s report will feature 27 African countries) into short films so that newcomers to our space can easily digest our knowledge products. To be honest, there is no point winking in the dark if you are trying to get someone’s attention, and that is what we do many times when we try to communicate with other stakeholders who are not used to our jargon and acronyms.

🎙️For undergraduate or graduate students reading this, what type course (e.g., computer science, human rights, languages, history, art) or activities (e.g., internships, summer jobs) do you think might be most helpful as they contemplate careers in technology, public policy, and human rights?

💬 The world has changed so much that, regardless of what you study, you can easily find a connection between the course and our sector. Almost any course that introduces you to processes, learning about learning, and conscious analysis will prepare you for a career in technology, public policy and human rights. What may be more important are the activities that students expose themselves to. First, you need to identify what you care about because that is the drive that will nudge you towards required knowledge and keep you going when you are faced with discouraging outcomes. Volunteering and fellowships are two examples I would like to focus on. If you care deeply about something, find the time to add value to an organisation or event organised around that topic, either through volunteering or fellowship opportunities, because in addition to sharpening your skills, you will build credibility and mindshare as you continue to contribute.

🎙️For current practitioners in this field, and given your own career experience, what are some considerations you think are worth taking into account when deciding whether to change sectors, say from civil society or academia to the private sector? Or from the private sector to government or civil society?

💬 In my first job after school, I ended up leading a Digital Village project for Microsoft, Junior Achievement of Nigeria and the Lagos State Government. Interacting with stakeholders from various sectors was very helpful because I got the chance to listen to everyone and then act on the collective decision. Profit, mission and politics were regular features in our meetings but one thing was clear–they are all vehicles for impact at the end of the day. This taught me early that whichever sector you hold the lever from, there are pros and cons, but the connection between the opportunities that the sector offers and the intended outcome must remain in sync. If changing sectors would help pursue your ongoing mission, then you have just changed vehicles. We must, however, be true to ourselves if the reason for the switch is not for mission but convenience, or temporary relief.

🎙️What are some of the sources you turn to when building knowledge or keeping informed on tech, policy, law, and human rights related issues?

💬 I find convenings, books, courses and videos very useful. When face-to-face with experts, I am able to interrogate their wisdom in order to fill the void of my own knowledge, and I also find that being around smart people makes us smarter. It’s probably not osmosis but the mental challenge that comes with being in a room where a certain level of expectation exists means you get to prepare before showing up. Books are a go-to for me because I can’t argue with them, and I do a lot of audio books because I have to be on the road a lot. One other advantage of books is that many decades of knowledge get compressed into a few hundred pages that I get to read in a couple of weeks. When I get the chance, I make sure to sign up for online courses that stretch me, and each year, I take a week off to join an Executive Education programme on these topics or related topics. I watch tons of videos, including long-form and curated videos that require more discipline than reels.

🎙️What’s an event or period professionally from which you’ve learned a great deal, either about yourself or about a topic or a way of doing things/advocating inside an organization?

💬 The period between 2017 and 2019 was tough for PIN and me. Our impact was obvious, but resources seemed to be going in the other direction. We were focused on training for young people at the time, and I desperately wanted to get the organisation set up with “enough” funding so I could move on to what I thought was next–digital rights–and that needed a lot more of my attention. The board said no to my exit (well, that wouldn’t be the last time they’d say that), and I eventually came to the conclusion that Digital Rights and Digital Inclusion were complementary, and that PIN could institutionalise around both. During that period, we redefined our programmes, reorganised human capital, scored some wins with fundraising, and drew up a Strategic Management Plan for 2019 through 2023. I started with struggles but ended up with lessons in building an institution, and a few months later, COVID-19 hit like a planned test that was arranged to confirm how anchored we were. We not only survived, but I think the period was just what we needed to deepen our work and grow.

🎙️What are some obstacles you’ve faced in the digital rights field? And what are some unconventional strategies you find helpful when responding?

💬 A few years ago, I would have said that getting detained by a security agency and being “banned” from visiting an African country because of my work in human rights were the big obstacles but over the last few years, I have seen allies become obstacles. Governments that profess support for digital rights but take actions that drag the sector back, and corporations that said all the right things but are now tools in the hands of dictators with an agenda, are worse obstacles. In terms of response strategies, I think it is helpful to call out wrongdoings regardless of who the perpetrator is. There are times when people suggest diplomacy in order to avoid falling out of favour, but I have seen that truth gets a lot of respect and many of the allies we are afraid may cut us off actually value the honest feedback they get in their moments of temporary insanity.

🎙️What’s something you didn’t expect in work in this field?

💬 Even though I was involved in stage acting all the way from elementary school through university, and got involved in movie productions, I never expected to see myself talking about films and digital rights. It was what I watched to relax from work, and could retire into, but when the idea of turning our Digital Rights in Africa report into a short film came to mind, it made absolute but unexpected sense. Well, maybe I will get a chance to put all those years of acting experience to use in a future Paradigm Initiative film.

🎙️What are some ideas on how to find and engage regularly with mentors in this sector?

💬 Mentors are attracted to value and not users, so while it helps to find our way to the spaces where these mentors show up, I think it is more important to demonstrate that you are on a journey, and that you bring value to the table, so that you don’t always suck out all the air when you show up. I would recommend reading books by distant mentors, especially autobiographies, and attending events where we have easier access to them. It’s way easier to run into someone at DRIF or the Internet Governance Forum than to book 30 minutes on their calendar through an Executive Assistant who is trying to help them achieve better work-life harmony. If they happen to be on a panel or webinar, join and ask well-researched questions that will make them remember you.

🎙️What are two or three books, podcasts, albums, poems, songs, films, other works of art, etc. that inspire you or that you’d recommend to people interested in working in this field?

The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter

The BHR Group Digital Rights Careers Newsletter | Issue 29

Guest Spotlight

Positions in Policy, Law, and Digital Rights

Civil Society/Non-Profits

Press/Media

Academia

International Organizations

Think Tanks/Research Institutions

Government

Industry

Industry Associations

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