Africa Internet Governance Forum 2025

Muhammed Bello Buhari is a digital rights activist, award-winning fact-checker, and researcher with a passion for the intersection of technology, human rights, and social justice. His work focuses on advocating for Internet freedom, combating online censorship, and protecting freedom of expression. He holds a law degree from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and has over five years of experience in the digital rights and advocacy sector.

Currently, Muhammed Bello serves as a Programme Intern – Learning & Communications at CIVICUS, where he supports the implementation of the Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI). Before joining CIVICUS, he served as the Advocacy and Administrative Lead at Digital Grassroots, a youth-led nonprofit promoting digital citizenship and a democratic Internet in underserved communities, leading its global campaigns. His career highlights include conducting research on Internet shutdowns and internet freedom through the Advocacy Assembly’s 2024 Internet Shutdown Activism Fellowship and the Digispace Africa Research Fellowship.

He has been selected for prestigious programs such as the 2024 Innocent Chukwuma Social Impact Fellowship for Human Rights Defenders at Lagos Business School, the International Republican Institute’s flagship Fortifying Internet Freedom and Digital Security Fellowship, the ICIR’s 2025 Countering AI-Enhanced Disinformation and Malign Influence Project Fellowship, and the African Center for Digital Transformation (ACDT)’s 2025 TechForward Policy Fellowship. Currently, Muhammed Bello is a 2025 Internet Society Youth Ambassador.