Ivy Gikonyo is an advocate whose work explores the links between debt, human rights, and democracy in Africa. At the Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria, she focuses on access to information, freedom of expression, and digital rights, especially how these shape questions of justice and accountability. Her research examines sovereign debt and the collateralisation of Africa’s strategic state assets, looking at how these practices affect development and democracy. Ivy also contributes to the Africa Alliance for Access to Data (AAAD), where she supports efforts to unlock data for development and democracy, connecting African priorities with global conversations on AI and data governance. She’s passionate about building more transparent, just, and people-centered systems across the continent.